I knew WNBA salaries were pitiful, but I didn't realize they were this bad

I think she'd be worth more than $90K. I'm betting she's one of the few women who could land a shoe deal. If her knees hold up, she could go down as an all-time great. The fact that she's attractive, personable and a decent writer (at least, her weekly columns from her high school days weren't half-bad) certainly don't hurt her marketability.

 

Remember Maurice Clarett? He sued to get into a pro league, and lost. Same would happen to Candace.

She's free to leave and go play overseas if she wishes, but it's not going to give her the press she'll get my staying at Tennessee.

And yes Doc, like Sheryl Swoopes back in the day, Candace could probably get a shoe deal easily.

 

Shoulda been more clear; I was talking in terms of average salary, which Beckham's numbers will skew wildly.

the salaries of the top players according to that post link were higher than I would have guessed, but the bottom ones are pretty paltry.

 

Until media takes a stronger stance, such as mandating the running of roundups (just as they do the men,) the league will suffer from under-exposure.
Media plays a role, however big or small, in whether leagues make it or don't

 

Well ESPN and ABC shove the WNBA down our throats and we still are spitting it back out at them.

 

Some of us like the WNBA. ESPN shoves baseball down my throat. You don't here me bitching about it at the same level that WNBA haters do.

 

I'd much rather watch it on TV or read about it in the paper, far more than I would about the sport of hockey.
But I expect papers and TV to at least offer me coverage of hockey. So that I can make that decision as to whether to consume.
Ondeadline - you are of means to wiggle the rabbit ears on top of your set and find another channel to watch.
Don't lobby for even LESS exposure for the WNBA.
Heck, if it decreases any more we'll lose touch with it completely.

 

I hate women's basketball. I think it's the most boring sport on the planet. And one of my best friends from HS plays college ball.

But if it means less NFL coverage in April, I'm all for ESPN taking 30 minutes out for the WNBA/women's NCAA coverage.

They could cover curling if it kept me from hearing, "The Raiduz are ON THE CLOCK!" or "Da Bears are ON THE CLOCK!" and so on and so forth every 17 minutes.

 

If you like the WNBA, more power to you. I like women's college basketball, but not the WNBA. I don't think I was lobbying for less exposure, just saying that I wouldn't object if there were fewer games on TV.

 

WNBA players are basically paid as part-timers. A large number of them play overseas the rest of the year for considerably more money. Those that elect to stay around in the off-season also can make money from the team for making appearances and other promotional work. And they get a stipend for housing and a car, I believe.

 

or she could lay on her side.

 

The problem with people who want WNBA coverage, though, is that they shouting for it because they're not finding what they need. It's because they want validation for women's sports. Same thing with auto racing fans, hockey fans and other niche sports fans. They often don't care about the coverage itself, but what it represents to them: respect.