President Joe Biden (or someone running his X account) complained women are not paid their “fair share” amid discussions on Tuesday about Caitlin Clark’s WNBA contract.
Biden did not refer to Clark or the league directly, but at the time he demanded equality in outcome and not in opportunity, much of social media was ablaze about how much lower women’s contracts are than men's.
For example, Clark was given a contract worth $338,056 over four years by the Indiana Fever, which drafted her number one overall on Monday night, NBC News reported.
with the first pick…
Caitlin Clark, guard, University of Iowa. pic.twitter.com/8gUOkK15tF
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) April 15, 2024
The contract comes out to just over $84,000 annually.
By contrast, San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, who went first in the 2023 NBA Draft, is on a four-year $55 million contract.
That is good for more than $13 million per year, which got a lot of people talking.
When seemingly weighing in, Biden’s account complained, while not specifically mentioning either player or either contract.
“Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all,” Biden’s account stated. “But right now we're seeing that even if you're the best, women are not paid their fair share.”
The post concluded, “It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve.”
Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all.
But right now we're seeing that even if you're the best, women are not paid their fair share.
It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 16, 2024
Biden’s post implied that all of sports are one big entity, with men being overpaid. That is, of course, simply not the case. It was a disingenuous take at best. What would anyone expect from a man who is more than happy to see women’s sports taken over by confused men?
The NBA and the WNBA are separate leagues that have separate fan bases and the amount of money the leagues respectively bring in is anything but equal.
The NBA brought in over $10 billion last year, according to Sportskeeda. Meanwhile, the website estimated last year the WNBA had hauled in revenue somewhere around $60 million.
Not only does the NBA bring in far more money, but league executives share much more of it with players at 53 percent, compared to the WNBA, which shares only 20.5 percent of revenue with players.
WNBA also plays a 34-game season, which is just a fraction of the 82 games NBA players appear in during the regular season.
NBA players log in more hours, bringing in more revenue, and their league is more generous with sharing its profits than the league of their female counterparts.
Given Clark’s immense popularity, she could potentially bring more eyeballs to the WNBA and its players, who could use the help.
A rising tide lifts all boats -- even those that spend time in a Russian prison for drug crimes. But as to whether Biden would like to force the NBA to pay Brittney Griner more money, the president wasn’t clear.
But he apparently understands as much about business as he does about border security.
