If it weren't for a maddening pay disparity, Brittney Griner almost certainly would not have been in Russia.
These opportunities to play far from the United States come with other benefits, too. In years past, before players such as Griner, Taurasi and Sue Bird felt like they could publicly come out as members of the LGBTQ community, many players who were closeted in the United States saw the chance to go overseas as an opportunity to live their lives in peace and truth, to move more freely without cameras or prying eyes of the public.
That being said, when you talk to players in 2022 and ask if they had the choice to leave the United States or make enough money in the WNBA to stay home, they will almost certainly choose the latter. Yes, playing overseas pays, but not without also exacting a price.The situation for WNBA players is a reflection of our own perilous state in regards to our economy.
Whether we are talking about oil or women’s basketball, the question comes down to what we, a country of 300 million people, are willing to support and what we are willing to sacrifice. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. had been happy to get cheap Russian oil as much as the WNBA was fine with seeing the comparatively meager salaries of their players subsidized by traveling overseas.
It’s time for the league to step up for the safety and security of its players, without simply passing the costs onto fans. Let franchise owners, our own homegrown oligarchs, sacrifice for once and make being in the WNBA a year-round job.
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