Viewership was for finals games, since that was the most equivalent for what you’re talking about. And I was using 2022 statistics, since we still don’t know official revenue numbers for FY23.
I don’t think the WNBA opting out of the CBA was great for the WNBA players, but this has nothing to do with politics. The point is that viewership for the WNBA is a fraction of the NBA and the WNBA has never turned a profit in its entire history. It is entirely subsidized by the “corporate overlords” of the men’s game.
The fundamental problem is that far more people will complain about WNBA player contracts and/or discuss the gender politics around the game, like you are doing, then, you know, actually watch the WNBA.
Why not unbundle the subsidization of the WNBA from the NBA revenues? That would give a better picture of the solvency of the WNBA as a business. Professional sports aren’t social programs, as you note; they’re corporate business endeavors. With that considered, being unprofitable for 25 years puts the WNBA in a difficult situation.
Viewership was for finals games, since that was the most equivalent for what you’re talking about. And I was using 2022 statistics, since we still don’t know official revenue numbers for FY23.
I don’t think the WNBA opting out of the CBA was great for the WNBA players, but this has nothing to do with politics. The point is that viewership for the WNBA is a fraction of the NBA and the WNBA has never turned a profit in its entire history. It is entirely subsidized by the “corporate overlords” of the men’s game.
The fundamental problem is that far more people will complain about WNBA player contracts and/or discuss the gender politics around the game, like you are doing, then, you know, actually watch the WNBA.
Why not unbundle the subsidization of the WNBA from the NBA revenues? That would give a better picture of the solvency of the WNBA as a business. Professional sports aren’t social programs, as you note; they’re corporate business endeavors. With that considered, being unprofitable for 25 years puts the WNBA in a difficult situation.