Brooklyn — Like many others last month, the two newest stars of the New York Liberty were glued to their televisions to watch the women’s NCAA basketball tournament. Breana Stewart and Jonkel Her Jones, one of the big names in women’s basketball, were pleased that this year’s women’s tournament, which ended in a thrilling showdown between LSU and Iowa, drew a lot of attention. .
What they didn’t like was the “us vs. them” story that revolved around the achievements of women’s college basketball players. NIL Deal WNBA players made comparisons.
“I don’t think we women are going to fight and say ‘pay, pay’, but it’s happening at the college level and it upsets me. If women are being paid, I “We want that to happen, and we want these NIL deals and these sponsors to move with us when our players turn pro. And women Keeping investing in the sport is how we grow our game. Sitting there watching and seeing all these players making money I’m happy with them .”
With the success of this year’s women’s college basketball tournament and the influx of money into college athletes through NIL contracts, WNBA players’ pay levels are in the spotlight by comparison. College basketball star Angel Reece said she was in no hurry to turn pro after LSU won the national title and she earns more than some players in the WNBA.
Neither Stewart nor Jones are ignorant of the economics of women’s basketball and the challenges facing the sport and its athletes. Stewart has taken an active role in improving player standards across the league, with the WNBA attempting to raise player salaries in her latest CBA.
“I think the biggest thing is why are we fighting each other? When women’s sports get less than 5% of media coverage, we shouldn’t be fighting over who gets that 5%. No,” Stewart said. “We need 50 or 100 or something. Come see us at the WNBA if you can, because we’re here waiting for you.
“And finally, you don’t know how much money we make. We only see what we see.”
The WNBA is looking to capitalize on growing interest in women’s sports, especially women’s college basketball. The NCAA Tournament saw record viewership, including an average of 9.92 million viewers for the championship game (her peak was 12.6 million).
Interest in the WNBA has also increased, with viewership up 22% year-over-year for last season’s playoffs.
“College fans don’t have to be just college fans, and WNBA fans don’t have to be just WNBA fans. We play basketball, so basketball fans need to come see basketball.” said Stewart.
Stewart’s arrival in New York is sure to spark interest in the Big Apple’s Liberty League. New York’s professional women’s basketball team brought in Stewart, Jones, and Courtney Vanderthroat to form what many call the Super Her Team.
Liberty already has WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu on their roster.
Vandersloot was scheduled to attend Thursday’s panel on Liberty’s new super team, but had to miss the event due to concussion protocol. New York is one of several superteams currently in the league, and Las Vegas is another West.
Jones specifically requested a trade from Liberty. One of Jones’s attractions for him was how much the owner group cared about his organization.
“It comes down to people willing to invest in women’s sports,” Jones said. “No one wants to play for someone who has no vision. If you have an owner who sees the vision and is willing to invest when it comes to women’s sports, that’s a big deal.”
