Liberty F Breanna Stewart said that the "process of paying players isn't an overnight fix"Getty Images
Amid the
discourse surrounding player salaries in the WNBA, Liberty F Breanna Stewart said that change for the league “will take time,” according to Dye & Mazziotta of PEOPLE.com. Stewart said, “Changes have been happening. The WNBA has been around for 28 years, which is really small compared to any other league in professional sports.” She noted that before 2020, players signed a brand new CBA, which “increased the pay and had more benefits.” With a new CBA on the horizon, Stewart said, “Hopefully soon again, we'll be at another turning point where we'll have another CBA and that'll also increase player salaries." However, she said that the "process of paying players isn't an overnight fix.” Stewart: “You can talk about opportunities for pensions and charters and all these things, but it's not something that's going to change overnight, and it's the mix between us continuing to be great on the court and taking advantage of the things happening off the court.” Dye & Mazziotta noted with new faces like Fever G Caitlin Clark, Sky F Angel Reese and C Kamilla Cardoso, and Sparks F Cameron Brink entering the mix this season, the league is “certainly on track to increase viewership and sales in tickets and merchandise” (
PEOPLE.com, 4/23).
SHIFT IN VIEW: USA TODAY’s Sara Pequeño wrote casual fans have been "swept up in the frenzy over women’s basketball, fed in part by Caitlin Clark’s ascent to household name.” Every few seasons, it will "feel like we’ve made strides in popularizing" women’s sports, "only for reporters and advertisers to move on after the season ends.” Women's sports “don't have to be a niche community.” These games “can be for everyone, they just need the support of the sports media landscape and the advertisers.” Athletes such as Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, Serena Williams and former USWNT F Megan Rapinoe “have name recognition because they are both phenomenal players and have become fixtures on our screens thanks to advertising” (
USA TODAY, 4/22).
