In recent years, players from the WNBA have voiced frustration over salary gaps between their league and the NBA. Headlines often shout: “Women deserve equal pay!” But that brings up an important question:
Equal to what? To whom? And based on what?
📊 Let’s Look at the Numbers
💵 NBA (2023)
- Annual revenue: ~$10 billion
- Player share of revenue: ~50%
- Total player salary pool: ~$5 billion
- Average player salary: ~$9.6 million
- Top player salary: ~$51.9 million (e.g., Steph Curry)
- Total number of players: ~450
🏀 WNBA (2023)
- Annual revenue: ~$200 million
- Player share of revenue: ~20%
- Total player salary pool: ~$40 million
- Average player salary: ~$120,000
- Top player salary: ~$250,000
- Total number of players: ~144
Yes, the gap is big — but here’s the key point: the NBA generates around 50x more revenue than the WNBA and has a much larger player pool.
🤔 So, Do WNBA Players Deserve More?
Morally, everyone deserves fair compensation. But in business — and sports are a business — pay follows performance and profit.
Imagine this: If a restaurant sells 50 meals a day and another sells 5,000, should both chefs earn the same just because they’re both cooking?
That’s the logic we ignore when we cry “equal pay” without considering the value generated.
📣 It’s Not About Gender — It’s About Market
This isn’t about women being worth less. It’s about what the market rewards.
- NBA fills arenas. WNBA struggles with attendance.
- NBA sells billions in merchandise. WNBA brings in a fraction of that.
When the WNBA begins generating profits on the level of the NBA, then a serious conversation about equal pay becomes valid.
🧠 The Real Equality We Need
Equality shouldn’t mean identical outcomes — it should mean equal opportunity to earn based on performance.
If a WNBA player brings in fans, sells jerseys, builds her brand — she deserves the pay that comes with it. But expecting the same salary as NBA stars just for playing doesn’t reflect economic reality — or fairness.
🙋♂️ My Take as a Man
As a man who believes in fairness, I support equal respect. But we must not confuse equality with entitlement.
You don’t owe the world a performance. You owe yourself authenticity.
Let’s build a world where we reward effort, results, and real impact — regardless of gender.
Read more articles on modern masculinity, men’s health, and mindset at manhealth.blog.
*image from : https://www.newsweek.com/sports/dick-vitale-doesnt-hold-back-after-wnba-players-salary-demand-2101521
