Her Game Her Voice

Valkyries Rising, Hardship Contracts, & the WNBA Pay Gap

• Kaari Peterson • Season 1 • Episode 9

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This week on Her Game Her Voice, host Kaari Peterson brings the heat with the latest from the Golden State Valkyries, including a dominant win over the Aces and the signing of MSU Spartan alum Aerial Powers. Listener Pillar from Michigan asks: “What is a WNBA hardship contract?” — and Kaari breaks it down.

Also in this episode: a hard look at the WNBA’s shocking pay gap, with insights from Nobel Prize-winning economist Claudia Goldin. Plus, the HGHV Awards return with Rookie of the Month Kiki Iriafen’s monster debut and a Flagrant Foul for Brittney Griner’s sideline outburst that sparked a viral controversy.

As always, it’s fast-paced, unfiltered, and all about the women who shape the game.

“Big stories, little episodes—amplifying the voices shaping the game on and off the court." - Her Game Her Voice Podcast by Kaari Peterson

Kaari:

Greetings hoop heads and welcome back to another episode of Her Game, Her Voice, the podcast that brings you big stories and little episodes about the world of women's basketball. I'm your host, Kaari Peterson. If you're joining us for the first time, thank you so much for tuning in. And if you like what you hear, please subscribe or follow the podcast so you can catch more episodes. This week I'm sharing some Golden State Valkyries news, a listener question about the CBA, and the cold hard truth about the WNBA pay gap. And of course, the Her Game Her Voice Awards featuring words of wisdom from Shaquille O'Neal. Let's tip it off.

Kaari:

I can't record this podcast episode without a little shout out to my Golden State Valkyries. The Valkyries are currently leading the WNBA in game attendance with 18,000 fans at each of their first four home games this season. Also, the Valkyries crushed the Las Vegas Aces last week on national television. The first national broadcast of a Golden State game. It was a thing of beauty. This expansion team is building a brand and reputation for itself right out of the gate. Opposing teams are not automatically going to get an easy win against Golden State. It's going to be a fast-paced, gritty battle to the final buzzer, even if you are a two-time WNBA championship team like the Aces. The Valkyries will not be intimidated.

Kaari:

As Coach Nakase said following the Valkyries' overtime win against the LA Sparks, this is who we are, this is not a fluke. And speaking on behalf of the Valkyries Nation, we are totally with you on this journey.

Kaari:

One more Valkyries note before I move on. This week, Golden State signed 5-11 guard Aerial Powers to the team. This move is significant in several ways, but the main thing for me? Powers is a Michigan State University Spartan like yours truly. She played three seasons at Michigan State, earning all Big Ten honors all three years, and is still the Spartans' all-time leader in defensive rebounds and points per game. With a nine-year WNBA playing career, Powers brings a wealth of experience to the Valkyries' backcourt. Welcome to the Valkyries, Aerial, and from one Spartan to another, go green!

Kaari:

And now it's time for the listener question of the week.

Kaari:

This week, our question comes from Pilar in Southfield, Michigan. Pilar asks, I've been hearing a lot about teams signing free agents to WNBA hardship contracts. Can you explain what that is and how it works?

Kaari:

Great question, Pilar. Let me break it down for you.

Kaari:

A hardship contract is a short-term deal that lets a WNBA team temporarily add a player when injuries drop their active roster below 10 healthy players, which is the minimum required to suit up for a game. It's a band-aid for roster emergencies and a golden opportunity for players to get into the WNBA and prove themselves.

Kaari:

Here's how it works. It lasts just long enough to cover the gap, which is usually a few days or maybe until the injured player returns. Players on hardship deals make about 75% of the league's minimum salary, which is about $66K for players with zero to two years of experience, and $79K for players with three or more years in the league. Once the team gets back to 10 healthy players, the hardship player is either offered a standard contract or released, so there's no guarantees. It's tough, but like I said, it's also how some players get their shot to break into the league.

Kaari:

So why are we hearing about hardship contracts right now? Well, this season, there have been lots of early injuries, Especially on teams like Indiana, these injuries have forced multiple emergency signings. The emergency signings this early in the season have also exposed how tight the WNBA's salary cap and roster limits really are.

Kaari:

And speaking of the cap, the WNBA runs on a hard salary cap. Unlike other leagues, there's barely any flexibility. The only exception? Hardship or emergency situations.

Kaari:

So the bottom line is, with last week's emergency free agent signings adding fuel to the fire, salary caps and roster limitations will be key issues when collective bargaining agreement, aka CBA, negotiations begin.

Kaari:

Thanks again for that question, Pilar.

Kaari:

If you'd like to submit a question to the pod, you can do so through the Her Game, Her Voice social channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Substack.

Kaari:

And speaking of the collective bargaining agreement, the CBA, one of the biggest points of negotiation will be around the very dismal WNBA salary levels.

Kaari:

So let's talk about money, or more accurately, the baffling lack of it in the WNBA.

Kaari:

You've probably seen the headlines. Packed arenas, sold-out Caitlin Clark games, record-breaking TV viewership for women's basketball. So why are WNBA players still being paid like it's 1999?

Kaari:

Harvard economist and 2023 Nobel Prize winner Claudia Golden just dropped a major truth bomb in the New York Times in her guest essay titled, "How Underpaid Are WNBA Players? It's Embarrassing." And let's just say reading this essay made my stomach churn.

Kaari:

The bottom line is that the average NBA player makes around $10 million a year. The average WNBA player? about $127,000. That's 80 times less. Wait, what? Yep, you heard me. 8-0.

Kaari:

Even if you account for differences in season length, broadcast numbers, and attendance, Golden found that a fair salary for a WNBA player should be about one-quarter to one-third of what an NBA player earns. This means that WNBA players should be making somewhere in the ballpark of $2.5 to $3.5 million per season.

Kaari:

So what's happening here?

Kaari:

Well, Golden points to the league's joint financial structure. The NBA owns about half of the WNBA and negotiates their media rights together. This year, Disney, NBC, and Amazon signed a deal to pay $77 billion yes, that's billion with a B to air games from both leagues over the next 11 years. but somehow that giant pile of TV money isn't trickling down to the women.

Kaari:

Investors are lining up to buy WNBA expansion teams. So this whole we're losing money on the women's side narrative, let's just say it's not adding up.

Kaari:

I think it's important to point out that WNBA players are not asking for NBA salaries. They're asking for fair compensation for the revenue they help generate. And as Claudia Golden makes clear, When you actually run the numbers, there's no math in the world that justifies paying someone one-eightieth of their male counterpart.

Kaari:

So let's hope the powers that be will do the right thing and close this ginormous pay gap. I just listened back to this section of the podcast and it's depressing. This whole pay thing really bums me out. But I did find a silver lining. Former Stanford star and one of my all-time personal faves, Nneka Agumike, she's the president of the WNBA Players Association, is using economist Claudia Golden as a consultant as she prepares for CBA negotiations.

Kaari:

And that, my friends, is a brilliant move. Way to go, Nneka.

Kaari:

And now it's time for the awards section of our podcast.

Kaari:

This week's buzzer beater award goes to Washington Mystics rookie Kiki Ariafen, who was just honored with the WNBA Rookie of the Month for May. Kiki is the first player in Mystics history to earn that honor. In her debut month as a pro, Kiki averaged 13.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and shot just under 48% from the field. That's third among all rookies in scoring, and first among rookies in rebounds. Take the rookie part out of it, Kiki is fourth in the entire WNBA in rebounds this year.

Kaari:

And from May 18th to May 25th, Kiki had double doubles in four consecutive games. That makes her just the second rookie in league history to notch four double doubles in her first five career games.

Kaari:

Kiki, I'm still disappointed that you left Stanford and played basketball at USC in your senior year. But I'm also super happy about your success in the WNBA. And you've totally earned the buzzer beater award.

Kaari:

Next up, the flagrant foul award. This week's flagrant foul award goes to Brittany Griner.

Kaari:

On May 23rd, I was watching the matchup between the Indiana Fever and Griner's Atlanta Dream. It was late in the fourth quarter of an intense physical game. Kaitlyn Clark hit the floor after a hard screen from Griner. Griner was called for an offensive foul, and that foul took her out of the game.

Kaari:

And that should have been the end of it.

Kaari:

But as Griner walked toward the bench, cameras caught her saying something. So there's no audio, but I read her lips, and it looked like Brittany said, "trash, fudging, white girl." Only Griner didn't say fudging. Like Ralphie from A Christmas Story, Griner used the queen mother of all swear words.

Kaari:

I couldn't believe my eyes. I paused the TV and I called to Shmoopie. "You have to come in here and see this. Brittany Griner just fouled out of the game and then went off. I think she said, trash fudging white girl."

Kaari:

I replayed the clip for Shmoopie and she agreed with me. Griner did say that. Then we both wondered, was Griner referring to the white ref who called the foul or to Caitlin Clark?

Kaari:

As you can imagine, the clip quickly went viral and trended on social media for about four days. And just like that, the WNBA found itself in the center of another polarizing moment.

Kaari:

And how did the league respond? Well, they didn't, and neither did Griner.

Kaari:

Then Shaquille O'Neal weighed in on ESPN one night. He looked directly into the camera and said, "watch your mouth, respect the game."

Kaari:

Thank the basketball gods for Shaq!

Kaari:

To be clear, I don't think this was just about one slur or one game. It was about the tension that's been bubbling for months, on the court and online. Like it or not, Kaitlyn Clark is the face of a league in transition. Her jersey is still number one in WNBA jersey sales. Her games continue to dominate the broadcast ratings. And she continues drawing in new WNBA fans.

Kaari:

And unfortunately... For some WNBA veterans like Griner, that level of attention hurts, especially when they've put in a decade of work without getting the same results.

Kaari:

Hey, I don't know what it's like to be in Griner's men's size 17 shoes, but I do know that Griner needs to come to terms with some hard truths.

Kaari:

Number one, resentment won't make you a better player.

Kaari:

And number two, turning your frustration into targeted hostility, especially along racial boundaries, crosses the line.

Kaari:

And that's why Brittany Griner gets this week's Flagrant Foul Award.

Kaari:

And now, the Air Ball Award.

Kaari:

This week's Air Ball Award goes to WNBA Leadership for Inconsistent Responses and Selective Silence.

Kaari:

Y ou may remember that in Episode 7 of this podcast, I gave Indiana Fever fans a flagrant foul award for racist comments they allegedly made to Angel Reese during the Fever's home game versus Chicago. After this game, the WNBA swiftly announced that it was investigating the incident. And the outcome of the investigation?

Kaari:

Well, they found that the comments could not be substantiated, so they found nothing.

Kaari:

Now fast forward to the Indiana versus Atlanta game. Brittany Griner is caught on camera saying something that is unacceptable. And there was no investigation, no statement, no accountability. Just silence.

Kaari:

From a league that's been loud about their "no space for hate campaign" and "zero tolerance for racism."

Kaari:

Talk about an airball. It's so disappointing.

Kaari:

This was a golden opportunity for the league to make a statement about the kind of behavior that will or will not be tolerated in the WNBA. By saying nothing, the WNBA is saying something. That only certain kinds of racism matter in this league.

Kaari:

And that's why WNBA leadership gets this week's Airball Award.

Kaari:

I'm Kaari Peterson, and you've been listening to Her Game, Her Voice. If you'd like to hear more episodes of Her Game, Her Voice, please follow or subscribe to the podcast.

Kaari:

Subscribing and following the podcast is a mutually beneficial thing. It benefits you because you won't miss an episode. And it benefits me because you won't miss an episode. Subscribing is easy.

Kaari:

Just go to the Her Game Her Voice show page on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Tap on the plus sign or click on follow to subscribe.

Kaari:

And while you're on the show page, I would be eternally grateful if you would take a few seconds to give Her Game, Her Voice a great rating and or review and share an episode with a friend.

Kaari:

Her Game, Her Voice can also be found on Substack, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. Thanks again for listening and happy hooping.

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Kaari Peterson

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