WNBA VS NBA

Alea Hoof

‘Why can’t you dunk? You’re like six-foot dude.’ ‘Girls are slow.’ ‘If women could play in the NBA it would be a waste of money to watch.’ ‘Why do they shoot like that?’ ‘You’re trash, I bet you can’t whoop me.’ ‘Who’s better?’ Why are girls compared to guys so much when it comes to sports!?
WNBA stands for Women’s National Basketball Association. This association for women has been around for 23 years. It’s just like the NBA, but for women. Basketball is the most common sport with players of both genders. For some reason, the league isn’t treated with the same respect and quality as the NBA. The WNBA receives a lot of backlash.
The average WNBA player makes an average around $79,000 per season. The average NBA player makes $6,388,007. The minimum an NBA player can be pad ranges from $838,464-$2,393,887. That’s way more than the average pay of a WNBA player. The pay gap is unbelievable. This problem is not only present in the sport of basketball, but many other professional women sports. Many people believe they earn that amount because they don’t have certain abilities that men do.
“I feel like women don’t get as much coverage because of how much money the women make. Someone in the NBA can sit on the bench every game and still earn more money than a women player that gives the game her all,” senior Nyaneit (Rachel) Puok said. Women work hard and put just as much time in as men to become a professional athlete.
The WNBA has 12 teams, meanwhile the NBA has 30. When playoffs for both leagues start, the men are broadcasted live on news channels and many other convenient places. People who don’t have cable aren’t always able to watch the games. Some people don’t have the money to pay for sports channels. On the other hand, when men have the playoffs, they are broadcasted on news channels and channels that are free, so they can easily get more recognition, because women don’t play above the rim.“The reason I think NBA gets more coverage than the WNBA is because it’s not as entertaining, people aren’t out there dunking, getting put backs, and breaking ankles,” Junior Berhane Mikele said.
Womens bodies are extremely different than men. They must carry babies, have menstrual cycles, have hips and other body parts that add weight onto them. Young women already feel like they come second to men when it comes to a lot of things. Social media is a big outlet when it comes to degrading those who play sports. On social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter, it’s been proven on multiple social media posts from ESPN that when it comes to any coverage of female athletes, they are always taunted in the comments with words such as ‘weak’ or hateful comments like ‘go back to the kitchen.’ It appears no matter how good or how much women prove themselves to be as talented as men, we are always taunted and treated like we aren’t equal. “I think women playing basketball is a great thing. I really enjoy watching. In men’s basketball everyone likes to do dunks but in women’s basketball it’s all about fundamentals,” Junior James Jefferson said. Yes, we may not have the same ability to perform certain things as easily as men can do such as dunking, but we work just as hard and desire not be treated differently because of our gender.
Before you make rude comments about female athletes, think about how it impacts the next generation of young women. What if you had a daughter or sister who loves the game of basketball? Would you have the same mindset? Be respectful. Young women are watching. It takes one person to change other people’s perspectives. Be the one that causes the change.
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