Liz Cambage Disses the WNBA

[Lawrence]

In perhaps the most revealing comments about how the WNBA is a poor league for its players, Liz Cambage, the league's leading scorer and a true superstar, dissed the WNBA and stated that she won't play for it long-term:

"Whether Cambage returns to the WNBA next year or not, she says the WNBA is not a league she plans on playing in long term. All season, Cambage has been vocal about the issues of concern for WNBA players including travel conditions, on-court play and pay disparity.

"For Cambage, the price and physical toll of a WNBA season is potentially not worth the return.

"I've said this many times: [The WNBA] doesn't pay my bills ... playing here doesn't pay my bills," Cambage said. "We make more money overseas. I'm ready to have next summer off and focus on getting a European contract where its 10 seasons here worth the pay.

"It sucks because I love to be here, I love to put the game out there, I love what comes with playing here. But at the end of the day, for my longevity, I worry about my body, my mind and my soul. I really don't get paid enough to be beaten up every game. I'm not a WWE wrestler and that's how it feels sometimes out on the court."

Wings' Cambage: May not return to WNBA in '19

This is what players have been saying all summer long. Clearly, something is seriously wrong with the WNBA if its top players are saying that it's not worth the lousy pay and the danger of injury, and that time off from their real gigs in Europe or elsewhere is more important than playing in the U.S. This is in line with the comments of UConn superstar Diana Taurasi, who said that she was playing in the WNBA basically to get health insurance coverage.

The big question is why overseas leagues from China and Korea to Russia and Turkey, and the European leagues in between can attract American players and pay them well- and thrive as leagues- but this step-child of the NBA can't be bothered to make it a real option for top players?

Liz is making a great point. The WNBA does not have an effective marketing strategy and that shows tremendously with attendance figures and TV coverage. If you listen to the ESPN discussion shows, women's basketball is hardly discussed. If you don't market your sport effectively, you will not spark interest and sell tickets...

 

[Geew1992]

Man.............I wish I could make $100,000 for 3 months doing something I love to do.

 

[DishNSwish]

No Cookies | The Advertiser


See a pattern anybody???

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Here are tidbits about revenues in the EuroLeague:

EuroLeague revenues go up after successful season - TalkBasket.net

"EuroLeague revenues go up after successful season"

"The first EuroLeague season under the new league format was successful on the court and it was also a success off it, as well. The revenues of all clubs has doubled to a total of €30million, EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu confirmed. The joint venture between the EuroLeague and IMG provided an important rise of revenues and the decade long project of the league is on the right path. As a result of the venture, the television revenues went up. The big winners from the new deals are the clubs from Spain, Greece. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv were the big winners though where the price of the television rights had a 200 percent rise compared to last season."

 

[j66kicker]

Here are tidbits about revenues in the EuroLeague:

EuroLeague revenues go up after successful season - TalkBasket.net

"EuroLeague revenues go up after successful season"

"The first EuroLeague season under the new league format was successful on the court and it was also a success off it, as well. The revenues of all clubs has doubled to a total of €30million, EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu confirmed. The joint venture between the EuroLeague and IMG provided an important rise of revenues and the decade long project of the league is on the right path. As a result of the venture, the television revenues went up. The big winners from the new deals are the clubs from Spain, Greece. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv were the big winners though where the price of the television rights had a 200 percent rise compared to last season."

Going from memory, the WNBA’s total salaries are about $11.5 million and this is 21.5% of the WNBA’s ticket revenue. So their total ticket revenue would be $53.5 million.

€30 million = $34 million. If this is the “total revenues of all clubs” then one could infer that is below even just the ticket revenue of the WNBA. Lots of unknowns here, and I don’t know how many teams the Euroleague has, but at first blush it appears they’re not exactly rolling in dough.

 

[cordarone]

Euroleague Basketball, which Bertomeu heads, is a private company that runs the Men's competition. FIBA runs the whole show for the women.

 

[Monte]

The players should start a "League of their Own."

 

[Carnac]

Liz is making a great point. The WNBA does not have an effective marketing strategy and that shows tremendously with attendance figures and TV coverage. If you listen to the ESPN discussion shows, women's basketball is hardly discussed. If you don't market your sport effectively, you will not spark interest and sell tickets...

One last observation of Liz Cambage. Some of the things she's said were not received well. To some, she came off as boorish, sarcastic and selfish. Qualities that will not blend at all with play in the W. Off the court, she says they she is a complete "sweet heart", and in her mind she's a good teammate. We must remember that she is not from the US. Growing up in Australia, she has a different outlook and values than players grown in the US. She has spent the last 5 years playing in the Euro Leagues, and was happy.

She was recruited heavily to come back and play in the W by Fred Williams and the Wings. She has viewed and experienced playing professional basketball through a completely different lens than US fans or players do. I'm not excusing her detrimental behavior of late. That is unacceptable. I'm just saying that I can understand her falling out of love with the W, and longing to return home, and the Euro Leagues, where the money is infinitely better, and the play is not as rough.

Aug 16, 2018 - An article from SBNation - Liz Cambage tells us 5 ways the WNBA is failing its players.

“This season is crazy, I think it’s like 34 games in 90 days,” Cambage said. “This is our third back-to-back. If you want the best out of us, you can’t treat us like that. If you want this game to be at the top level, you have to treat your players like they’re top level.”

 

[j66kicker]

One last observation of Liz Cambage. Some of the things she's said were not received well. To some, she came off as boorish, sarcastic and selfish. Qualities that will not blend at all with play in the W. Off the court, she says they she is a complete "sweet heart", and in her mind she's a good teammate. We must remember that she is not from the US. Growing up in Australia, she has a different outlook and values than players grown in the US. She has spent the last 5 years playing in the Euro Leagues, and was happy.

She was recruited heavily to come back and play in the W by Fred Williams and the Wings. She has viewed and experienced playing professional basketball through a completely different lens than US players do. I'm not excusing her detrimental behavior of late. That is unacceptable. I'm just saying that I can understand her falling out of love with the W, and longing to return home, and the Euro Leagues.

Her behavior has at times been unacceptable in Australia too, including getting kicked off their Olympic team.

 

[WLT1717]

That is anecdotal evidence. But so many other leagues and teams are not owned by Russian billionaires. The French league is apparently strong and profitable. The Korean and Chinese leagues are thriving. Turkey has been a major destination for top American players. They can't all be operating for "local pride." So many leagues, such good pay, and they aren't folding.

Something is wrong with the WNBA, and I suspect it can be found with the men who control the parent company- the NBA....

Rather than with the women who run, and have run, the WNBA?

 

[Fairfield Fan]

One last observation of Liz Cambage. Some of the things she's said were not received well. To some, she came off as boorish, sarcastic and selfish. Qualities that will not blend at all with play in the W. Off the court, she says they she is a complete "sweet heart", and in her mind she's a good teammate. We must remember that she is not from the US. Growing up in Australia, she has a different outlook and values than players grown in the US. She has spent the last 5 years playing in the Euro Leagues, and was happy.

She was recruited heavily to come back and play in the W by Fred Williams and the Wings. She has viewed and experienced playing professional basketball through a completely different lens than US fans or players do. I'm not excusing her detrimental behavior of late. That is unacceptable. I'm just saying that I can understand her falling out of love with the W, and longing to return home, and the Euro Leagues, where the money is infinitely better, and the play is not as rough.

Perhaps so. But she is arguably the best player in the WNBA today. And if the top scorer in the league is telling the public that her pay is crappy and that it is minuscule compared with what she earns overseas, then that point alone needs to be dealt with. Further, it's not just Cambage. What she said is being repeated by lots of other WNBA players. There seems to be a wide and growing dissatisfaction with their pay and conditions. Someone pointed out in the press that the game that the Las Vegas Aces refused to play in Washington after more than 24 hours of travel is specifically forbidden by collective bargaining agreement in the NBA. So male players would not have been required to play that game.

So much that we don't know. But I have a hunch that push is about to come to shove in the WNBA. And I'm guessing that our UConn alumnae will be the leaders of a major confrontation and the reforms that will follow.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Going from memory, the WNBA’s total salaries are about $11.5 million and this is 21.5% of the WNBA’s ticket revenue. So their total ticket revenue would be $53.5 million.

€30 million = $34 million. If this is the “total revenues of all clubs” then one could infer that is below even just the ticket revenue of the WNBA. Lots of unknowns here, and I don’t know how many teams the Euroleague has, but at first blush it appears they’re not exactly rolling in dough.

You could be right. I'm trying hard to find numbers, but it's a hard slog.

 

[DishNSwish]

Perhaps so. But she is arguably the best player in the WNBA today. And if the top scorer in the league is telling the public that her pay is crappy and that it is minuscule compared with what she earns overseas, then that point alone needs to be dealt with. Further, it's not just Cambage. What she said is being repeated by lots of other WNBA players. There seems to be a wide and growing dissatisfaction with their pay and conditions. Someone pointed out in the press that the game that the Las Vegas Aces refused to play in Washington after more than 24 hours of travel is specifically forbidden by collective bargaining agreement in the NBA. So male players would not have been required to play that game.

So much that we don't know. But I have a hunch that push is about to come to shove in the WNBA. And I'm guessing that our UConn alumnae will be the leaders of a major confrontation and the reforms that will follow.

I can't read this stuff anymore.

Read the Australian article I posted. When in China, the play was too rough, the food and conditions were bad, etc etc. She complained just as much about playing there as here. See a pattern?

Liz seems more interested in playing for money and no other reason. Which is fine; she's also not American, so playing here isn't necessary or as important for her.

Oh, unless of course she wants to challenge herself, try to become a better player and play against the best talent in the world in one place. That doesn't seem to motivate her.

IMO, it a slap in the face of Staley, Cooper, Swoopes, Catchings and everyone else that busted their asses to make a league here to have a player who takes four years off in between seasons so she can get off a rookie contract before coming back, then instead of focusing on making the playoffs as her team freefalls gives interview after interview complaining about the hand that feeds her. How difficult would it have been to answer a question with, "Right now I'm focused on making the playoffs, we'll talk about everything else after the season."

Nooooo, Liz says instead I may not be back next year. What kind of teammate is that?

Wonderful talent, but far from the best player in the league. It takes more than just skill to be a superstar. Give me Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Maya Moore, and even her own teammate Skyler Diggins-Smith who seem to get it and play for more than just monetary reasons.

 

[baggerbob]

I can't read this stuff anymore.

Read the Australian article I posted. When in China, the play was too rough, the food and conditions were bad, etc etc. She complained just as much about playing there as here. See a pattern?

Liz seems more interested in playing for money and no other reason. Which is fine; she's also not American, so playing here isn't necessary or as important for her.

Oh, unless of course she wants to challenge herself, try to become a better player and play against the best talent in the world in one place. That doesn't seem to motivate her.

IMO, it a slap in the face of Staley, Cooper, Swoopes, Catchings and everyone else that busted their asses to make a league here to have a player who takes four years off in between seasons so she can get off a rookie contract before coming back, then instead of focusing on making the playoffs as her team freefalls gives interview after interview complaining about the hand that feeds her. How difficult would it have been to answer a question with, "Right now I'm focused on making the playoffs, we'll talk about everything else after the season."

Nooooo, Liz says instead I may not be back next year. What kind of teammate is that?

Wonderful talent, but far from the best player in the league. It takes more than just skill to be a superstar. Give me Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Maya Moore, and even her own teammate Skyler Diggins-Smith who seem to get it and play for more than just monetary reasons.

Dallas is one of the worst defensive teams in the league, and Liz is a major part of that. If you notice as Liz has scored more,, the team has gone into a free fall.

 

[Geew1992]

Dallas is one of the worst defensive teams in the league, and Liz is a major part of that. If you notice as Liz has scored more,, the team has gone into a free fall.

WHEN Cambage gets back on defense, she is a stopper. That is a big WHEN though

 

[BobbyJ]

So go back and play in the Australian Rec League or whatever they call it where they won't pick on you.

 

[tazmaz]

She’s just honest. Do I like her? Heck no but give her credit for giving it a shot. Would you play each year with her viewpoint for 1/10 of the salary you could play for somewhere else? Why risk injury? I’m surprised so many US players do but I’m glad they do. No one is forcing them. Their choice. Another benefit some say is playing in W gets them better contracts overseas.

 

[tazmaz]

I think this would be the smart move. Doesn’t make sense to have 5-6 players on the same team with max contracts when there are really just 1-2 standouts. Let the stars make better money and get paid their comparative worth. You look at Angel, Diana, Parker, Cambage, etc and they’ve all taken time off from the W to rest. Pay your franchise players more and they’ll be more inclined to play.

And if Liz doesn’t want to play in the WNBA, she doesn’t have to. It’s far and away the best league and a great chance for her to develop herself into the best in the world, as well as establish her own legacy, but if she decides making $100k for 3 months isn’t worth it, that’s her choice. That said, it’s another reason why it’d make sense to increase the max contract amount so the WNBA would be able to keep players like in the league every year.

For a player like Cambage increasing to $150K from $108K isn’t going to make a difference

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I can't read this stuff anymore.

Read the Australian article I posted. When in China, the play was too rough, the food and conditions were bad, etc etc. She complained just as much about playing there as here. See a pattern?

Liz seems more interested in playing for money and no other reason. Which is fine; she's also not American, so playing here isn't necessary or as important for her.

Oh, unless of course she wants to challenge herself, try to become a better player and play against the best talent in the world in one place. That doesn't seem to motivate her.

IMO, it a slap in the face of Staley, Cooper, Swoopes, Catchings and everyone else that busted their asses to make a league here to have a player who takes four years off in between seasons so she can get off a rookie contract before coming back, then instead of focusing on making the playoffs as her team freefalls gives interview after interview complaining about the hand that feeds her. How difficult would it have been to answer a question with, "Right now I'm focused on making the playoffs, we'll talk about everything else after the season."

Nooooo, Liz says instead I may not be back next year. What kind of teammate is that?

Wonderful talent, but far from the best player in the league. It takes more than just skill to be a superstar. Give me Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Maya Moore, and even her own teammate Skyler Diggins-Smith who seem to get it and play for more than just monetary reasons.

I read the article. She was a 21 year-old kid, equivalent to a junior in college, who was in a strange country for the first time and trying to understand her surroundings. As a guy who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Asia when I was a little older than she was, I completely understand. It's a real struggle with language, with culture, with trying to live in surroundings that are totally unknown to you. Her comments are completely understandable.

But now she is- what?- 27 years old. A much more mature young woman, not a kid. And she has grasped a lot of the elements of her industry and its finances. She is nearing the downside of her athletic career, and she is rationally considering money, wear-and-tear on her body, the danger of career-ending injury. She gets it. And let's be clear that this athlete, the leading scorer in a league that features sixteen UConn alumnae, is giving voice to what many others are contending

 

[CocoHusky]

I can't read this stuff anymore.

Read the Australian article I posted. When in China, the play was too rough, the food and conditions were bad, etc etc. She complained just as much about playing there as here. See a pattern?

Liz seems more interested in playing for money and no other reason. Which is fine; she's also not American, so playing here isn't necessary or as important for her.

Oh, unless of course she wants to challenge herself, try to become a better player and play against the best talent in the world in one place. That doesn't seem to motivate her.

IMO, it a slap in the face of Staley, Cooper, Swoopes, Catchings and everyone else that busted their asses to make a league here to have a player who takes four years off in between seasons so she can get off a rookie contract before coming back, then instead of focusing on making the playoffs as her team freefalls gives interview after interview complaining about the hand that feeds her. How difficult would it have been to answer a question with, "Right now I'm focused on making the playoffs, we'll talk about everything else after the season."

Nooooo, Liz says instead I may not be back next year. What kind of teammate is that?

Wonderful talent, but far from the best player in the league. It takes more than just skill to be a superstar. Give me Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Maya Moore, and even her own teammate Skyler Diggins-Smith who seem to get it and play for more than just monetary reasons.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Aug 16, 2018 - An article from SBNation - Liz Cambage tells us 5 ways the WNBA is failing its players.

Wow!! Amazing article! And far better than the PR for management article that Michelle Voepel spewed out. This is really telling:

"This season, with the World Cup set to begin on Sept. 22, the WNBA was forced to pack the same 34 games it always plays into two fewer weeks. For Cambage’s Dallas Wings team, that’s meant playing 34 games in 93 days. The toughest stretch: a four-game in seven-night cross-country grind from New York on a Sunday, home in Texas on Tuesday, at Los Angeles Thursday, and at Seattle on Saturday.

“If you want this game to be at the top level, you have to treat your players like they’re top level.”
“You see how many ACL injuries have happened this season?” Cambage asked me. “That comes from fatigue. Injuries come from fatigue, especially injuries like that, and it’s proven.”

Exactly. The Aces were right not to risk career-ending ACL injury by playing fatigued.

I"m guessing that the players will opt out of their agreement on November 1. It's coming!

 

[CocoHusky]

I read the article. She was a 21 year-old kid, equivalent to a junior in college, who was in a strange country for the first time and trying to understand her surroundings. As a guy who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Asia when I was a little older than she was, I completely understand. It's a real struggle with language, with culture, with trying to live in surroundings that are totally unknown to you. Her comments are completely understandable.
But now she is- what?- 27 years old. A much more mature young woman, not a kid. And she has grasped a lot of the elements of her industry and its finances. She is nearing the downside of her athletic career, and she is rationally considering money, wear-and-tear on her body, the danger of career-ending injury. She gets it. And let's be clear that this athlete, the leading scorer in a league that features sixteen UConn alumnae, is giving voice to what many others are contending

Liz's comments then and now reflect those of a malcontent. Nobody dragged her to China. Nobody dragged her back to the WNBA. Plenty of people (me included) will gladly drag her to her next destination though.

 

[Shmermerer]

I actually love Cambage. Her personality has been huge for the WNBA whether you think it's good or bad. I also think she should be able to do whatever she wants and what's best for her. Taking summer off to heal or be with friends isn't a bad thing. There really isn't much shelf life in a basketball career. Also, I can think of one family that did it their way and we're bashed for it and look how amazing their careers turned out. Venus and Serena played tournaments sparingly and played on the tour minimally with a lot of criticism. I'm pro Cambage on this one.

 

[cordarone]

You could be right. I'm trying hard to find numbers, but it's a hard slog.

Maybe, just maybe it's hard to find because there's little or no revenue to speak of?
If I wasn't clear yesterday, that 30M euro figure in your article was what the men made. That's orders of magnitude less than what the NBA makes. Why would the situation be any different for the women's teams in Europe?
I would posit that these teams are subsidized by their parent athletic clubs/football teams/ patron oligarchs in the same way most of the Euro men's Bball teams are.

 

[CocoHusky]

I"m guessing that the players will opt out of their agreement on November 1. It's coming!

The WNBA collective bargaining agreement runs through 2021, either side (players or owners) can opt out in 2019 at the earliest.