{"id":9027,"date":"2024-09-29T15:28:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-29T15:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=9027"},"modified":"2024-09-29T15:28:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-29T15:28:55","slug":"wnba-if-you-want-us-to-be-here-you-have-to-pay-us-more-its-business-seattle-storms-gabby-williams-says-despite-2-2b-media-rights-deal-and-skyrocket-ratings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=9027","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWNBA, If You Want Us To Be Here, You Have To Pay Us More. It\u2019s Business\u201d: Seattle Storm\u2019s Gabby Williams Says Despite $2.2B Media Rights Deal and Skyrocket Ratings, \u201cW\u201d Is Full Of Broken Promises"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Gabby Williams returned to the WNBA after carrying Team France to the gold medal match against Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympics.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=fanalyst1&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1839332990935286119&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftheshadowleague.com%2Fgabby-williams-says-wnba-is-full-of-broken-promises-to-players-on-higher-salaries-marketing%2F&amp;sessionId=1ca13385592e38a06b61ebb551ea587931944b61&amp;siteScreenName=ShadowLeague&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=500px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1839332990935286119\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Shortly after her heroic Olympic run, Williams, who spent the first 28 games of the WNBA season playing overseas for financial reasons, re-signed with the Seattle Storm for the remainder of the 2024 season.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.seattletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/05192023_1_181640.jpg?d=2040x1360\" alt=\"Storm suddenly optimistic Gabby Williams will rejoin team | The Seattle Times\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The 5-foot-11, 170-pound versatile wing averaged 10.3 points, four rebounds and 3.7 assists in her 12 games, helping the Storm finish with a top 5 seeding in the playoffs before losing to the two-time defending champion Vegas Aces in the first round.<\/p>\n<p>Williams is one of several star players who in the past had to play overseas in the offseason or during what would be the WNBA season, because of the low wages the league offers star players.<\/p>\n<p>Gabby Williams Says WNBA Hasn\u2019t Met Financial Promises To Players<\/p>\n<p>The versatile baller has been very critical of the WNBA\u2019s pay structure in the past, and her decision to play overseas rather than return to the WNBA was purely financial.<\/p>\n<p>Gabby Williams say WNBA stars still have to go overseas to earn a livable wage because WNBA hasn\u2019t come through with promises for increased promotion, salaries and brand revenue. (Photo: Getty Images\/WNBA IG)<\/p>\n<p>Last summer she told The Next Hoops, \u201cUnfortunately, [the WNBA] doesn\u2019t pay the most. So I am happy to have other options to provide for me and my family.<\/p>\n<p>Williams repeated her criticism of the WNBA\u2019s pay structure during her exit presser with the Storm on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe W[NBA] thinks that they don\u2019t have to pay us more in order for us to be here. And I think I didn\u2019t express that when I first talked about prioritization,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur commissioner talked about us being able to make $700,000. That\u2019s actually not true at all. There\u2019s not one player who makes that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously said that the league was valued at $60 million entering the season and that number had jumped significantly this season, past the $120 million they hoped to haul in off the backs of the new batch of captivating rookies.<\/p>\n<p>Assuming that\u2019s true, it\u2019s odd that the WNBA didn\u2019t find it important to put new pay scales into place by now. Or at least present a concrete plan for instituting it.<\/p>\n<p>Why Hasn\u2019t WNBA Made Higher Wages For 144 Players A Focus\u00a0Prior To New CBA?<\/p>\n<p>With the booming ratings and boosted attendance and interest, particularly in Caitlin Clark, and the new $2 billion media rights check the NBA cut, chartered flights in position and several current players having shoe deals, you\u2019d think the league would prioritize pay hikes commensurate with the increased revenue streams.<\/p>\n<p>The WNBA\u2019s current CBA started in 2020 and runs through 2027, but both the WNBA and the Players Association can opt out of the agreement by providing written notice by November 1, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Star players, such as\u00a0Breanna Stewart\u00a0of the NY Liberty have been saying they want to opt of the current CBA for years now. With the new revenue platform and increased brand valuation \u2014 one which some analysts such as\u00a0Cheryl Miller insist is still being undervalued \u2014 it\u2019s likely that both parties will opt out and player salaries will be a major point of negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>The prior WNBA\u00a0Collective Bargaining Agreement\u00a0was built upon these three selling points:<\/p>\n<p>1. Significant Increases to Player Cash Compensation and Benefits<\/p>\n<p>2. Cash Compensation Triples to More Than Half a Million Dollars for Top Players<\/p>\n<p>3. Enhanced Travel Standards; Expanded Career Development Opportunities; New Child Care, Maternity and Progressive Family Planning Benefits<\/p>\n<p>Williams is simply pointing out that it\u2019s been four years and nothing has changed.<\/p>\n<p>WNBA\u2019s Highest-Paid Player Makes $252K<\/p>\n<p>The WNBA\u2019s highest-paid player in 2024 is Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, who earns an annual salary of $252,450.<\/p>\n<p>In comparison, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg has a current NIL Valuation of $1.4M,\u00a0according to reports.<\/p>\n<p>Despite what is being presented as this unprecedented moment in WNBA history and one of exponential financial growth in a short time, according to Williams, the league has yet to come through on promises to players concerning marketing and promotions and salaries.<\/p>\n<p>WNBA CBA Expires In 2027<\/p>\n<p>To be fair, under the last CBA, finalized in 2021, players were reportedly going to have the potential to earn more than $500,000 annually in cash compensation. Maximum salaries did climb to $215,000\u2014nearly doubling prior max of $117,500.<\/p>\n<p>Players and the league also agreed to share revenue 50-50 based on the league\u2019s ability to meet revenue targets from marketing, broadcast, and licensing deals.<\/p>\n<p>Williams says the players haven\u2019t really benefitted from any of it and the league hasn\u2019t seized the moment.<\/p>\n<p>Brittney Griner Horror Highlighted Need For Higher WNBA Salaries To Keep Players Home In Offseason<\/p>\n<p>With those failures, players have been forced to seek work elsewhere. This issue concerning the dangers for WNBA players going overseas to get a bag really became part of the national conversation when Phoenix Suns star\u00a0Brittney Griner\u00a0was imprisoned for nine months in a Russian jail for having vape cartridges in her bag at the airport returning home to the states after representing a Russian team in competition.\u201cWe were promised team marketing agreements and league marketing agreements, but they\u2019ve fallen quite short,\u201d Williams added. \u201cSo it\u2019s still not enough for us international players to want to stay here. And that\u2019s a choice of the players. If I make a choice to make more money, whatever, and then teams are mad that I don\u2019t come back, but that\u2019s how it is.\u201cThe WNBA, if you want us to be here, you have to pay us more. It\u2019s business, it\u2019s how it works, and that\u2019s all that means,\u201d Williams concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Fans Critical Of WNBA\u2019s Lack Of Caitlin Clark Promotion<\/p>\n<p>According to many fans, the WNBA has spent more time trying to temper the explosive popularity of Caitlin Clark and forcefully highlight other players that people simply aren\u2019t as interested in, instead of focusing on capitalizing off the historic rookie class and the new audience that their presence has afforded the league.<\/p>\n<p>Williams is now an unrestricted free agent, and she hasn\u2019t made an official decision on whether or not she will be returning to the WNBA or playing overseas.<\/p>\n<p>Her point is valid. Sometimes you wonder what the league\u2019s focus is right now, because its players are not happy about the fans,\u00a0the commissioner (who was attacked weeks ago by several stars)\u00a0the salary, the promotion or anything the higher-ups are putting into motion.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Gabby Williams returned to the WNBA after carrying Team France to the gold medal match against Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Shortly after her heroic Olympic run, &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9029,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9027\/revisions\/9029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}