Aja Wilson is rightfully miffed, as she recently reignited the debate about the monetary compensation of playing in the WNBA. Elizabeth Cambage, a center for the Dallas Wings, shared an observatory tweet about how WNBA players are paid relative to NBA players and referees. Angel McCoughtry also discussed the wage discrepancy between the two leagues earlier this year. The social media machine jumped on the issue as it often does, offering dissenting opinions regarding the sentiments these women expressed.
However, these women are not wrong. The men should be paid less, and WNBA players should be paid equally as the men.
This is more than an issue of gender quality, though the rationale for equal pay starts there. Despite dollars and cents, there are other, larger issues that are hidden beneath the surface of this discourse. If what we’re willing to pay for is reflective of our collective values, then in the era of budget slashing for education and the social safety net, we have come not to value ourselves very much.
Furthermore, we should rectify the long history of injustice being tolerated under the guise of economics. Many of the most heinous atrocities in the history of the United States were justified using economic reasons. Slavery is the first institution that comes to mind, but more recently the child detention centers along the border are another example of how the outcomes of these arguments lead to perversion, even if the centers are not economically viable. One of the roots of the immigration argument is that of the labor of immigrants undercutting that of the labor of citizens. However, just like in the WNBA, contemporary wisdom on this subject is rooted in misinformation. Migrant workers do not take the jobs of United States citizens, and even if they did, the companies who employ them are more to blame than the workers themselves.
The prevailing political climate which privileges the rights of companies over individuals allows for these conditions. This is analogous to sports, as Forbes did an excellent job of outlining just how much the WNBA players are underpaid based off if they were provided the same payment structure that the NBA players.
While the WNBA does have a players union, this point leads to the importance of collective bargaining advocating on behalf of the best interest of their labor force. States have aggressively tried to destroy the power of labor unions. Recently, the Supreme Court dealt what many consider to be a crushing, fatal blow to the ability for these unions to exist. Yet organized labor is critical since individual citizens rarely possess the social, political, and resource capital to advocate for themselves. In the past, labor unions have played a critical role in combating poor working situations and have successfully lobbied on behalf of the worker to create conditions that many workers benefit from today. Labor Unions harken back to a time where we had a better understanding of how unifying was paramount to survival.
The discussion of labor relations and collective bargaining is a discussion that often brings capitalism in conflict with morality and principles. This is really what addressing the wage gap between the WNBA and the NBA is about. For all of the rhetoric of ‘Making America Great Again’, we are allowing a wide range of injustices that will have generational impacts. Our democracy is constantly being undermined for the special interests of the few at the cost of the greater populace. The cost of living has spiraled out of control for most US Citizens.
Daily survival comes at an enormous cost and requires heartbreaking decisions. Even the avenues we turn to for entertainment are more expensive than ever. The greatness we yearn for is little more than just a dream if we allow this to continue.
Our collective consciousness should not constantly be sold to the highest bidder. Furthermore, we have to draw the line in terms of what’s important and provide the requisite pressure to have those changes enacted. Wilson’s dismay at their wage scale is a constant reminder of the current American greatness is a member’s only club, and you have to pay to play. Our survival rests in our ability to coalesce, both as a community in terms of providing for one another and politically to ensure our interests are met.
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Photo credit: Tanja Heffner/Unsplash