Tennis Related - Off Court Serious Issues

[ti-amie]

[JTContinental]

Pretty shocked to see Eileen Gu so high in such a niche sport. She must be raking in the endorsements.

[ponchi101]

Her, Simone Bils and Caitlin Clark are almost nothing but endorsements.

[Suliso]

A few of these I've never heard off.

[ti-amie]

Iga said she got an email with the info about the failed doping test and it made her panic, she was crying a lot, couldn't even read the whole email. She didn't understand how it could have been possible and the whole situation made her not want to play tennis. Her sparingpartner Tomek Moczek had to practice with her like with a child, just hit for fun to make her not hate playing tennis for some time. Overall she doesn't like not having control over what's happening in her life but she had to learn how to deal with situations like that.

She said that she knows it's natural to compare cases but every case is different and the process of proving your innocence is also different but in any case all the questions about the fairness are for ITIA not the player because her career was also in their hands.

She admitted that her position for sure helped her prove she's innocent because she has the resources. She had to hire an American lawyer (70k dollars) and spend about 15 thousand euros on tests.

She got more support than hate from her perspective. She talked to many players about it and they told her they fear the same happening to them, were asking about which medication she took and were very supportive. She's afraid of the public opinion so I assume she's making effort not to read comments on social media. The interviewer quoted some things Kafelnikov wrote (for example that all athletes who test positive should be banned for life) and she said that the technology was different when he was playing and he probably didn't read all players' cases anyway so she'll ignore him

She said she'll most likely not take a break after RG next season (she's taking wimby)

[Owendonovan]

Her, Simone Bils and Caitlin Clark are almost nothing but endorsements.

In 2024, the average annual salary for WNBA players is $119,590. The highest-paid players earn around $252,000 annually. Imagine how many more people know of, and appreciate the talent of Kaitlin Clark and Angel Reese than probably the bottom half of the NBA, all of whom being paid much much more.
The only way Simone or any gymnast can earn money off gymnastics itself is by winning medals at the Olympics. She got paid $137,500 for the medals she won this year. Outside of the Olympics, you only get medals, no pay, but you have to pay for your training.

[Suliso]

Is WNBA actually making money? Without any help from NBA.

[Owendonovan]

WNBA players only get 9.3% of league revenue — here’s how much NBA, NFL and NHL players get
The WNBA players union officially opted out of its CBA on Monday. Is a $1 million player salary on the horizon?

By
Weston Blasi
Follow
Last Updated: Oct. 22, 2024 at 1:09 p.m. ET
First Published: Oct. 15, 2024 at 4:18 p.m. ET

The WNBA is more popular than ever. League revenue has doubled since 2019 — from $102 million to $200 million — and new stars like Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark have helped the league bring in more fans.

But Clark, who was the league’s rookie of the year, only earned a $76,535 salary.

The highest-paid players in the league, including Arike Ogunbowale and Jewell Loyd, made $241,984 annually, while the minimum salary for players with up to two years of experience was $64,154, and $76,535 for those with three-plus years of experience.

Dissatisfied with their low pay after a season during which the WNBA grew a lot in popularity, the WNBA players’ union officially opted out of the collective bargaining agreement on Monday, which means the current CBA will expire at the end of next season.

Under the current CBA, WNBA players only split 9.3% of total league revenue, which is much less than what athletes in other major sports leagues earn. NBA players in aggregate receive between 49% and 51% of basketball-related income, NFL players get 48% of all revenue and NHL players get 50% of revenue.

Those revenue splits encapsulate money generated from broadcast TV deals, tickets, merchandise sales and licensing.

WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said Monday that the league is in a “defining moment” and WNBA players “cannot afford to stand still.”

“With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBAPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.


Opting out of the CBA doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a lockout in 2025, but it could be a precursor to one. If an agreement on a new CBA is not reached, then a lockout, a temporary shutdown of the league, would occur. Other major U.S. sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL have at some point this century had labor stoppages.


As evidence that the WNBA is more popular — and generating more money: Regular-season TV viewership for games was up 30% this year from the previous season, averaging 657,000 viewers per game. In addition, attendance was up 48%, and league-wide merchandise sales were up 450%. But despite that growth, WNBA salaries won’t increase proportionally unless the players’ union is able to overhaul its revenue-sharing agreement.

That 9.3% figure was collectively bargained between the WNBPA (the players’ union) and WNBA owners. So even though league revenue is growing, it won’t lead to higher player salaries if the players’ union can’t negotiate a better revenue split in the next CBA.

The 2024 Finals between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx was the WNBA’s largest average championship series audience in 24 years

“There’s no reason to think players shouldn’t be thinking 50% belongs to them,” said Andrew Zimbalist, professor emeritus of economics at Smith College and a leading expert on the economics of sports. “Moving gradually up, there’s no reason why they [WNBA players] shouldn’t be able to get to that level: 50% in the WNBA is not the same as 50% as the NBA, but it makes sense.”

While it’s unclear if WNBA players are asking for a 50-50 revenue split, it’s clear from public comments by many WNBA players that the split will be an important bargaining issue.

“It’s time for WNBA players to get a higher percentage of the league’s basketball-related income,” the Los Angeles Sparks’ Chiney Ogwumike said in a blog post on The Players Tribune. “They deserve much more than the 10% that the players earn now. And when that happens, the rookie salary won’t look crazy, instead it would hit a solid six figures.”

“I don’t think I should get paid the same as LeBron,” Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum said on The Residency Podcast in 2022. “But the percentage of revenue — like for example: They sell my jersey in Mandalay Bay, I don’t get a dime. So that’s the stuff we’re talking about.”

“It’s possible,” Zimbalist said about a potential labor stoppage among WNBA players. “The players could go on strike and the owners can lock them out. But I think if they are wise, the owners will realize they have a really good product on their hands, and they should try and build it and not knock it down.”

Representatives for the WNBPA did not respond to a request for comment on this story, and the WNBA declined to comment.

At least one WNBA player has publicly eyed a seven-figure salary.

“I mean, someone like me, I’d love multiple commas, just because we deserve it,” Indiana Fever guard and 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston said, insinuating a wage of at least $1 million.

Could a WNBA player ever make a $1 million salary?

“These things are collectively bargained. People should be paid, that’s something that is important to everyone in the league,” Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and operating chairman of the Chicago Sky, told MarketWatch.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/wnba- ... t-0abef80c

[Suliso]

200 millions in revenue (not profit!) is more than I expected, BUT it is still dwarfed by NBA's 13 billion revenue. Hence one would expect WNBA player salaries to be on average about 65x lower. The current salaries are about 100x lower so indeed about 40% rise would be fair.

[ti-amie]

Are there 'different approaches' to tennis doping cases?

4 December 2024
Grand Slam winners Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner have recently tested positive for banned substances.

Their cases have led to questions over the way anti-doping cases are handled and whether players are treated differently.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep and British doubles player Tara Moore have, in recent years, spent significant time out of action waiting for doping cases to be heard.

They were critical of the time taken to hear their cases compared to those of Sinner and Swiatek, with Halep saying there were "completely different approaches".

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which handles doping cases, has strenuously denied any differences in the way players are treated.

BBC Sport looks at the differences and similarities between the four cases.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cj4vr7gypqgo

[ponchi101]

You have to have balls.
No differences? Really?

[skatingfan]

You have to have balls.
No differences? Really?

The facts of the cases were different, and so the players were treated differently. Isn't that what we should expect? I'm confused by the suggestion that seems to be floating around tennis commentary that because the Halep & Boulter cases were not managed well that we should continue to expect the same process for all subsequent cases. It seems like the ITIA has learned from those cases, and improved the way the cases were handled. That being said CAS could still hand one or both a longer ban if WADA should appeal the Swiatek case in addition to the pending appeal of the Sinner case.

[ponchi101]

The fact that they only released the findings after everything had been investigated makes the processes different.
And Sinner and Swiatek were treated differently.

[ti-amie]

In his book, Agassi says that his personal assistant, who is mentioned in the book "open", was a regular user of crystal meth, and one day he suggested that he snort the substance together, which made him feel alive again as a single definition. In Agassi's case, the ATP figured it out quickly, and it wasn't long before a doctor on its behalf called Agassi to inform him that he had failed a drug test. Agassi wrote a false letter to the ATP, as he described it, in which he claimed that he had discovered that his personal assistant was using the drug and mixing it with carbonated drinks, so that on one occasion he drank it by mistake. The ATP accepted Agassi's explanation and covered up the affair that had leaked to the media.

sounds familiar?

[ponchi101]

One of the lowest moments in the history of sports.
Yes, it does ring a bell.