Derek Fisher slams treatment of WNBA players

[Plebe]

Former NBA star slams treatment of WNBA players, says it #hastochange

Derek Fisher, now the coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, shared an Instagram photo of the team at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport with their luggage.

www.nbcnews.com

Fisher, who played in the NBA for 18 years, shared a photo on his Instagram account of the team at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, waiting for a train with their luggage after they defeated the Minnesota Lynx 89-85.​

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"So after a hard fought win on national television @la_sparks are right back to reality that these women are not being treated like the best athletes in the world!! #facts #hastochange#comeonnow," Fisher captioned the photo.​

 

[eebmg]

I guess if they lost, they would have had to walk.

 

[Plebe]

I guess if they lost, they would have had to walk.

Ha yeah, I find it odd he references their "hard fought win," as if that makes too good for commercial air.

 

[eebmg]

I hope Derek can help subsidize the travel by breaking into his 5 yr 25 Million dollar contract for (ahem) coaching the Knicks.

 

[willtalk]

That airport is a real challenge to get around if you have to change flights. Never seen an airport so poorly laid out in respect to distance between gates.

 

[ConnecticutBB]

The WNBA doesn't travel private jets to games?
The teams are expected to travel on commercial airlines?
Are these comments true?

 

[CTrefugee]

The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. What about that don't people understand? WNBA is not popular with any but we nutcases.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. The seats are empty. What about that don't people understand? WNBA is not popular with any but we nutcases.

Isn't attendance last season something like 7,000 plus a game? That's not "empty."

 

[CTrefugee]

Isn't attendance last season something like 7,000 plus a game? That's not "empty."

Look at seats on TV. Empty. Also, I suspect many tickets are given away. At Mohegan Sun, I went to every game and never once had to pay. The average price of an NBA ticket is five times the average cost of a WNBA ticket ($17 versus $89). Here is the problem, in a nut shell:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...n-pay-attention-to-it/?utm_term=.7dc3894dcca4

 

[sarals24]

The WNBA doesn't travel private jets to games?
The teams are expected to travel on commercial airlines?
Are these comments true?

Yes. I met Diana in an airport in Dallas following their game against the Wings two years ago. See my profile pic! They were all just hanging out by the La Madeline.

 

[Los24]

Its called life. Many people that are awesome at their jobs and even most of the top athletes not in the major sports do the same exact thing.

 

[VaConnFan11]

I have watched (tried to watch) a few games and I hate to say it, but the games are just not exciting. Very few people want to watch players shoot 15-foot jumpers and miss layups. What fans are there aren't into the game like they are at the college level.

Unfortunately the money for the women will never be close to what it is for the men.

 

[Argonaut]

I have watched (tried to watch) a few games and I hate to say it, but the games are just not exciting. Very few people want to watch players shoot 15-foot jumpers and miss layups. What fans are there aren't into the game like they are at the college level.

Unfortunately the money for the women will never be close to what it is for the men.

I think that’s a result of the short pre-season. IMO, the quality of play is a lot higher after the first ten or so games of the season because the players start to gel.

It’s hard to immediately bounce from one team to the next — especially when nearly your whole team is doing it every year.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Welcome to the W Derek.

 

[boontonbomber]

Bria Hartley is off to France to play in the Euro tournament, and she 's not the only one leaving a team. Tough for the WNBA to be taken as seriously as it might when players like Bria up and leave their team during the season. Not faulting Bria; I guess it's where the money is.

 

[JimGunther]

>>>>>Cambage said most WNBA teams already have jets, and it would be cheaper for its players to use them, but they are not allowed to per the terms of their collective bargaining agreements <<<<

I question her assertion.

While NBA teams have jets (Detroit was one of the first to have them for the "Bad Boy" teams - and Bill Davidson said "they paid immediate returns") - that doesn't apply to teams like the Sun or the Liberty. For that matter, isn't there (intentionally) some distance between NBA and WNBA ownership? Even if the "brother" team had a jet, I imagine WNBA owners would consider utilization of such as an "unfair advantage". Nothing to do with collective bargaining agreement IMHO.
I wish there was a WNBA ownership group with the will and the means to GO JET.

 

[j66kicker]

>>>>>Cambage said most WNBA teams already have jets, and it would be cheaper for its players to use them, but they are not allowed to per the terms of their collective bargaining agreements <<<<

...Even if the "brother" team had a jet, I imagine WNBA owners would consider utilization of such as an "unfair advantage". Nothing to do with collective bargaining agreement IMHO.
I wish there was a WNBA ownership group with the will and the means to GO JET.

It IS in the CBA. They can’t charter, much less use their own planes, and the “unfair advantage” reason is exactly why.

Moving from an elite college program to the WNBA is a major demotion in many ways.

 

[EricLA]

It's a catch-22. The WNBA barely makes money, or loses money. In that scenario, no investor is going to want to buy teams that lose $, and therefore, salaries can't increase. NBA players (and NFL and MLB etc) are paid tens of millions of $ each year because the investors/owners can afford it. The NBA in general makes billions of $.

So until the WNBA league grows enough to be profitable, until they can charge $50-100 per seat, and fill 16,000 arenas, etc etc., the salaries will not change. Can't pay players with $ you don't have.