Charles Barkley wants more companies to invest in the WNBA

Charles Barkley asks for more investment a WNBA.

The former pro basketball player slammed the poor pay of WNBA players, saying it’s unfair that they go abroad to supplement their income.

She also expressed her displeasure with poor NBA players being chosen over superstar WNBA players for commercials and sponsorship deals.

She urged more American companies to step up and join the WNBA, which she described as a “great product.”

Read below for more details.

“I’m asking these American companies to step up”

On “The Bird And Taurasi Show,” Barkley shared her thoughts on the WNBA hosting its 2023 Women’s National Championship on Sunday.

The former Power Forward has been highly critical of the athletes being paid low compared to their male counterparts, forcing some of them to go to other international leagues to earn money in the off-season.

“The WNBA is a great product, but you shouldn’t go to these kr*p countries to make money,” the TV analyst said while speaking with WNBA legends Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. Wavy.

Doubling down on his comment, Barkley voiced his desire to see more American companies invest in the league, as they do in the NBA.

“These American companies should appear in advertisements and be their partners. (…) I am asking these American companies to step up so that they don’t have to play in other countries,” he added.

“Ladies, they should be in commercials everywhere”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Barkley said he still didn’t understand why such companies wouldn’t partner with superstar WNBA players despite having sponsorship deals with far less talented NBA players.

“I don’t understand why these companies haven’t worked with you for years,” Barkley asked. “Ladies, you should be in commercials everywhere.”

He added: “We put bad NBA players in front of some superstars in commercials. That’s what makes me angry. I want Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi to be in the commercials.”

Barkley declined to name the NBA players he thinks don’t deserve a sponsorship deal, but admitted it’s an open secret.

The WNBA player was arrested while playing overseas

Barkley’s comments come on the heels of WNBA Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia last year after immigration officials allegedly discovered vape cartridges containing hash oil in her bag.

At the time, the athlete was there to play in the offseason and supplement her WNBA salary.

It’s also part of the ongoing pay equity story in America’s women’s basketball.

“Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, has played in Russia during the winter for the past seven years and earned more than $1 million per season, more than four times her WNBA salary.” https://t.co/kqbHqUTPTS

– Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) March 5, 2022

One-column a The Washington PostKaren Attiah, he tweeted Amidst Griner’s arrest, the basketball player has gone to the country for the past seven years, making “more than $1 million per season — more than four times her WNBA salary.”

While Griner was later released after months of detention, her arrest sparked heated debate over the pay equity debate in US women’s basketball, particularly how she would not have gone to jail if WNBA players had not had to travel overseas.

WNBA Developments Over the Years

Amid demands for higher WNBA player compensation and more investment, there has been some improvement over the past three years. Yahoo.

In 2020, players saw a 53% pay increase after the collective bargaining agreement was reached, which included paid maternity leave.

The groundbreaking agreement ensured that the average take-home salary was nearly $130,000, excluding additional bonuses and incentives.

Last February, it was reported that the association had received $75 million from investors to help with “branding and marketing.”

However, it can be assumed that it will take some time to close the pay gap, as concerns such as poor media coverage and fewer fans have yet to be properly addressed.