Forbes cuts ties with columnist

[Flip Wilson]

Forbes has cut ties with a professor who wrote about sports business after the NBA/WNBA had problems with a column he wrote about WNBA salaries.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...witter_impression=true&utm_term=.c5b4fcddc858

Here's what jumped out at me: He's paid a base of $500 a month for writing seven stories. That's $71.43 a story. That's way too low.

The magazine paid him a base $500 per month, but he could earn more depending on online engagement; he typically wrote about seven stories a month.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Once is an accident. twice is a coincidence. three times is a habit.

‘Libraries play an important role in our society.’ Forbes deletes controversial column

 

[Ice9]

Once is an accident. twice is a coincidence. three times is a habit.

‘Libraries play an important role in our society.’ Forbes deletes controversial column

I don't know what's worse, the fact Forbes allowed that dangerously dumb column to run in the first place, or the fact they deleted it after too many people criticized how dumb it was. Imagine working for a legacy media brand that won't have your back like that? Terrible all around

 

[playthrough]

Can't figure out what Forbes is anymore. So much clickbait-y junk and clearly not all of it's on the level.

 

[TigerVols]

If this is anywhere near accurate, it's insane:

Berri included the earnings of Diana Taurasi and league MVP Breanna Stewart, who made $115,233 and $56,793 excluding benefits and incentives, respectively, in WNBA wages in 2018.

 

[Mr. Mediocre]

lol this reminds me that Barstool's college basketball writer vomited out a column built entirely on a fake Britney Griner quote, then smugly doubled-down when called on it being fake. But because it's Barstool, he wasn't let go, and the Big East featured him on a livestream Q&A just this week to try and get that all-important cult demographic. But I digress.

 

[Alma]

This is a good story on why it's not so easy to increase WNBA salaries.

Why increasing WNBA player salaries is more complex than you think

 

[Joe Williams]

Forbes is the new Bell & Howell, a once-proud name in its industry that is selling its brand now to license just about any trinket from overseas.

 

[RonClements]

"“The article was removed because it failed to meet Forbes’ strict editorial standards for accuracy and fairness..."

Does Forbes no longer have editors? A good editor would have said, "Hey, this is incomplete and not ready yet. Flesh it out."
But Forbes just prints something it later says didn't meet the editorial standards?

 

[playthrough]

"“The article was removed because it failed to meet Forbes’ strict editorial standards for accuracy and fairness..."

Does Forbes no longer have editors? A good editor would have said, "Hey, this is incomplete and not ready yet. Flesh it out."
But Forbes just prints something it later says didn't meet the editorial standards?

The article was removed because the NBA made a stink about it. "Editorial standards" bwahahaha

 

[thizzellewashington]

FWIW, the author in question has widely been seen as a joke in NBA media circles for many years.

 

[LanceyHoward]

"“The article was removed because it failed to meet Forbes’ strict editorial standards for accuracy and fairness..."

Does Forbes no longer have editors? A good editor would have said, "Hey, this is incomplete and not ready yet. Flesh it out."
But Forbes just prints something it later says didn't meet the editorial standards?

Forbes has probably deteriorated more than any other publication out there. They used to have a bunch of really good reporters.

But this writer is a professor in southern Utah. He wrote an opinion piece for which he received $70. I don't think the guy wrote it for money but instead as a resume padder. If you pay $70 to free lance for an opinion piece do not expect a lot of reporting to take place. The author will get on the internet, pull up some research and turn the article in. He will not be making a lot of calls.

But Forbes runs tons of pieces like this, The difference with this piece is someone influential bothered to read it and Forbes threw the writer over the side of boat because they can always find someone who want's a byline in Forbes who works cheap.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

This is a good story on why it's not so easy to increase WNBA salaries.

Why increasing WNBA player salaries is more complex than you think

I couldn't get the link to open, but I did some rough math when this thread originally came up.

The Washington Mystics are going to play in a 4,000-seat arena. If they sold out every home game with each person paying the league average ticket price, that would only generate about two thirds of what it would cost to pay 12 players $150,000 each.

 

[Alma]

I couldn't get the link to open, but I did some rough math when this thread originally came up.

The Washington Mystics are going to play in a 4,000-seat arena. If they sold out every home game with each person paying the league average ticket price, that would only generate about two thirds of what it would cost to pay 12 players $150,000 each.

One thing I love about the Voepel story - and this is rare for ESPN, to not kiss an athlete’s ass - is how she takes apart a laughable Taurasi quote:

This prompted Taurasi, who has spent most of her overseas career in Russia, to provide one of her trademark sound bites. It's humorous and contains a seed of truth, but it also requires disclaimers.

"I've said the WNBA is the most communist business you'll ever be in," she said. "And it's funny, I spent 12 years in a communist country feeling the benefits of a free economy. It's bizarre to me that I've lived in this paradigm. I've lived the American dream somewhere else.

"Now I'm 36 and have played 95 percent of my career, and I can look back on that and say, 'I don't want it to be like that for A'ja and the younger kids coming in.' I want them to stay here in the United States, make a lot of money and be influential in our own country."

However, the WNBA sends its paychecks on time, and they don't bounce. That can't be said for all overseas teams. Plus, the WNBA provides health insurance and a 401(k) program.

Also, the free market in the United States is precisely why the WNBA has had to be so rigid in containing salaries and trying to maintain a level playing field for all its franchises: The league has yet to sell itself to corporate America and the ticket-buying public to the degree it aspires to.

 

[Screwball]

Also, the free market in the United States is precisely why the WNBA has had to be so rigid in containing salaries and trying to maintain a level playing field for all its franchises: The league has yet to sell itself to corporate America and the ticket-buying public to the degree it aspires to.

In fact, had the WNBA truly been launched into the free market in the United States, it almost certainly would have failed. David Stern subsidized it.

 

[Severian]

FWIW, the author in question has widely been seen as a joke in NBA media circles for many years.

Can you elaborate?

 

[HanSenSE]

In fact, had the WNBA truly been launched into the free market in the United States, it almost certainly would have failed. David Stern subsidized it.

Much like the WBL in the late 70s-early 80s and the ABL in the mid-90s. See also the numerous attempts at pro women's soccer since the 1999 WWC.

 

[justgladtobehere]

In fact, had the WNBA truly been launched into the free market in the United States, it almost certainly would have failed. David Stern subsidized it.

Players should advocate for the free market instead of accepting salary caps and a salary structure. Get paid what you are worth.

 

[justgladtobehere]

Can you elaborate?

Won't speak for him, but when I went to check I found this Reddit thread about his advanced stat. It's a joke apparently.

 

[thizzellewashington]

Won't speak for him, but when I went to check I found this Reddit thread about his advanced stat. It's a joke apparently.

This is the crux of it, yes. He gives a bad name to stats/analytics guys in basketball by basically embodying all the stereotypes that old-school, anti-stats people like Charles Barkley espouse, about guys with spreadsheets who don't actually watch games and think the formula they came up with is the only valid way of analyzing the game. He is not well-liked among other stats people who actually do watch games and are open to being wrong.