The WNBA is not as successful as the NBA
Why not?
By: Oluwadamilare Olaniyi 11/5/16
“Destroyer of all news fake, Enthusiast of all things meme-related, connosiouer of Soviet Russia memes.”
It's Not a question of skills
I experience this tension whenever I discuss or debate the lack of appeal for the WNBA by aficionados of professional basketball. Why hasn't the WNBA taken off with basketball fans? Some say that the reason that the WNBA is less successful than the NBA is because the WNBA doesn't measure up to the NBA in skill level. However, I believe that skill is not the problem. Because of my experience watching games, I know for sure that some of the WNBA players are equally as skilled as the NBA players.
Follow the Money
To find out what is happening, check out the annual revenue of both leagues. While you're there, check out statistics for both leagues. Since the NBA is more successful than the WNBA, the NBA brings in more annual revenue. Especially in this current year, every NBA team, for the first time ever, is worth over a billion dollars. The NBA itself, is worth 1.36 billion dollars, and is expected to rise by 8% of that every year. The WNBA on the other hand, is not comparable to the NBA in terms of revenue, as they are estimated to make a total of 52.5 million dollars in revenue. And that is just an estimate, as no one has the knowledge of outside sources of revenue for the WNBA. Even if it was an estimate, there is good reason to conclude that the WNBA’s revenue is not in the billions, As they receive less promotion and exposure to the public. So is it a vicious cycle? Not as much money, so not as popular? Or is it just that the WNBA is less popular, so it brings in less money? Think about that.
