Ordinary Research Paper Essays

Ordinary Research Paper Essays Ordinary Research Paper Essay Ordinary Research Paper Essay It certainly seems unfair that WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson, highest paid WNBA player, can make a maximum of $87,000 per year, while perennial NBA disappointment Shawn Bradley is guaranteed a minimum of $1,100,000. Many people believe it isn’t fair that males playing basketball should receive higher pay than the females playing basketball at the professional level. In the USA, employees completing the same job are supposed to have equal pay because the USA is based on gender equality. NBA players are among the highest paid employees on the planet, while WNBA players are earning an average between $46,000 to $60,000 a year. Even though the WNBA has only recently been established, the NBA receives more attention than the WNBA in several different ways. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) will hopefully grow in the next few years (Issaquah Par. 1-3). The National Basketball Association created the Women’s National Basketball Association. The idea behind the WNBA began in 1996 when the Olympics were held in the United States. The United States Women’s Basketball Team traveled across America meeting fans. The women’s team won the gold medal in the Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. The American people wanted to see these new basketball stars play in there own league in the United States. The NBA decided to start WNBA teams in the cities that already possessed NBA teams. The women would play while the men were on summer vacation (Owens 6). The WNBA began in 1996 and originated with eight teams. One of the first teams in the league was the Los Angeles Sparks. They had Lisa Leslie on their team, who was famous before the Women’s National Basketball Association. She was one of the best United States basketball players. There were players from other countries coming to play in the United States in order to take advantage of the opportunity (Owens 9-13). The other WNBA teams formed to start the season in 1997 were the Phoenix Mercury, Utah Starzz, Sacramento Monarchs, Cleveland Rockers, New York Liberty, Houston Comets, Miami Sol, and the Portland Fire (The Associated Press 1-14). There are now 14 teams total in the WNBA. As of 2008, the teams consisted of the Detroit Shock, Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Houston Comets, Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Sacramento Monarchs, Phoenix Mercury, San Antonio Silver Stars, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, and, the newest team joining the WNBA, is the Atlanta Dream. The WNBA is split into two conferences the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference consists of 7 teams. Teams in the Eastern Conference are the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Detroit Shock, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, and Washington Mystics. The Western Conference is made up of Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, San Antonio Silver Stars and the Seattle Storm. Having conferences helps decided the top teams in the WNBA (WNBA Enterprises 1-10). The Women’s National Basketball Association began with eight teams in 1997 and expanded to 16 teams in 2002; three franchises folded by the start of the 2004 season. Cleveland, Miami, and Portland no longer exist as WNBA teams. In 2003, the Utah Starzz moved to San Antonio to become the Silver Stars. Chicago became a team in 2006 (The Associated Press 1-14). The Women’s National Basketball Association will tip off its 12 season of play on Saturday, May 17. Twelve of the 14 teams will play on the opening day (WNBA Enterprises Par. 1). The WNBA has established itself since 1996 and with its first season in 1997. There are now higher salaries; the league minimum was $5000 in 1997. Now, everyone in the WNBA makes at least five figures. No one has yet brought home a million dollars. There is a feeling that this milestone is not too far away. There has been a vast move forward in salaries since the league started in 1996 (Harris Par. 2). There are now better players in the WNBA. They began with two of the best women’s basketball players and now have many. When the league started, they suspected that Rebecca Lobo and Lisa Leslie were the best that women’s basketball had to offer. Now there are players like Sacramento ’s Yolanda Griffith, Los Angeles ’ Tameka Dixon, and Houston ’s Tina Thompson who have proven to be forces with which to contend. These players have rallied fans and money with out the help of the WNBA’s marketing machine (Harris Par. 3). National broadcasts air more of the WNBA games on TV now. When previously viewing the broadcast schedule, it seemed as if the league had pre-selected a national champion. The favorite seemed to receive more televised games (Harris Par. 4). In 2008, the WNBA and ESPN announced an eight-year suspension. The suspension was an agreement to have ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 televise WNBA games through 2016. This agreement was reached in a year when the increased attendance to games, enhanced TV viewership, and the number of people visiting WNBA. com rose as well. The agreement guarantees increased promotion of the WNBA on ESPN and will run through the 20 season of the WNBA (WNBA Enterprises Par. 2). Now, today teams that were not in the original line up that created the WNBA are receiving broadcasting time on television (Harris Par. 4). The WNBA has made greater strides over the years. The rivalries are more intense between fans cheering and booing for the team they want to win. There were amazing turnarounds in teams. Teams known as the worst in the WNBA one year made it to the conference finals the next. In every way, the Women’s National Basketball Association is taking steps. However, the WNBA is still not as respected as the NBA. Hopefully, the WNBA still possesses years to expand and make something more of themselves (Harris Par. 1-5). There are requirements that need to be met in order to become a member of the WNBA just like any other job. Females are not allowed to go directly from high school to the WNBA. To be a prospect for the WNBA, females must be at least 22 years old during the calendar year of the season to be played. A female must complete her intercollegiate basketball eligibility, graduate from a four year college or university or play at least two seasons for another professional basketball league. People may believe simply being good at basketball will help get a jersey and a spot to be on a team. However there are requirements to be met (WNBA Media Ventures Par. 1). After meeting the requirements to get drafted to the WNBA, there are different skills in which scouts are interested. The position played, whether it be guard, post, or forward, depends on scouts. Different positions have different skills that need to be mastered. Some things remain the same no matter what position being played. Scouts look at athleticism, knowledge of the game, execution of the plays and sets, work ethic, and poise under pressure. One shouldn’t simply focus on the way they play, but work on other things to help improve there game, too (WNBA Media Ventures Par. 2). It is hard to be recognized in the WNBA. Going to a small school, can mean it is difficult to know how to expose oneself or get invited to the draft camp. Making a high light tape is a good step to get recognized. A prospective player should send the video or film to current teams and the national office. Including a resume is a good idea in order to show stats and achievements. With respect to all divisions of colleges, coaches evaluate players from all conferences and divisions. By reading basketball publications, newspaper articles, updates, watching videotapes, and attending games, they develop background information on various players (WNBA Media Ventures Par. 3). Not everyone gets invited to the WNBA draft camp. To be considered females must meet WNBA requirements. Also the national office must have current game footage and a resume on file. Then, the player will be evaluated. That is how the WNBA determines if players have the skills and ability to play at the next level. It is the WNBA’s best intention to find the best players in the nation to compete at the next level (WNBA Media Ventures Par. 3). The number of draft picks changes depending on the amount of players needed on a team that year. Much depends on how many retire from the WNBA. If there are good players eligible for the WNBA one year and not the next, that also has an effect on how many players the WNBA teams will draft. If there are better players one year that can make it in the WNBA then the WNBA would draft them over someone who can’t. The highest number of draft picks ever in the WNBA was in 2001 and 2002. Sixty four players were drafted. The first round, second draft pick in 2002 plays for the Detroit Shock and is still there today. The lowest number of draft picks since the WNBA started in 1997 was 38 picks in the year of 2004. The first two picks in 2004 are powerhouses in the WNBA still playing strong. Diana Taurasi, who was drafted first in 2004, just won the national championship in 2007. Therefore, the demand for necessary players as well as how the collegiate players performance determines the number of draft picks (Insidehoops. com Par. 1-7). After getting drafted the WNBA has to decide how much money each player will get paid. The salary cap for the WNBA is going up every year but is still not even close to the NBA salary cap. The WNBA team salary cap in 2004 was $647,000, increasing every year in 2005 the cap was at $673,000, in 2006 it increased to $700,000, then in 2007 was up to $728,000 per team. The salary has been making a steady climb up but still has a ways to go to be close to the NBA (Insidehoops. com Par. 4). With the highest team salary in the NBA is $103,100,000 and the lowest team salary is $23,000,000 a year (Insisdehoops. om Par. 14). With 14 teams in the WNBA by adding up all their team salaries it doesn’t even add up to the minimum NBA team salary cap (Insidehoops. com Par. 4). The average salary of an NBA player making $3. 7 million the average salary for a WNBA player is only $50,000 (BlackAthlete Sports Network Par. 6). The maximum pay for players in the WNBA and NBA are not even close. The m aximum salary of a WNBA is $87,000 (Insidehoops. com Par. 3). While the highest paid NBA player is making 22 million dollars (Insidehoops. com Par. 5). The minimum WNBA salary for players of 0-3 years of experience is $30,600. Players with four or more years of experience make an average of $43,700. If on the team that wins the WNBA championship each player receives a bonus of $10,000 each. The runner-up team each player gets a $5,000 bonus. There is a very big difference in pay that the WNBA players and the pay that the NBA players receive (Insidehoops. com Par. 3). Some women in the WNBA have to get another job besides just playing basketball because they are not brining in enough money. Katie Smith is the all-time leading scorer in women’s professional basketball, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, and a four time WNBA all-star. If Katie were a man in the NBA she would never have to work another day in her life but being in the WNBA and not making enough money she decided to go to dental school. Smith being one of the best players in the WNBA is making nearly $90,000 which is a good amount of money but no matter how long or well you play basketball will not pay for your future. Only a few WNBA players have endorsement deals, while others have to get a job in the off-season or they go and play over seas to bring in extra income (BlackAthlete Sports Network Par. -9). The reason the pay could be so different in the WNBA and NBA could depend on the game schedules, price of tickets or game attendance. Comparing the Detroit Pistons an NBA team to the Detroit Shock an WNBA. Their 2007-2008 seasons differ very much. The Shock only has one preseason game (WNBA Enterprises Par. 1). While the Pistons compete in six preseason games. The Pistons season not including the play offs stretches from October 8 2007 through Apr il 16 2008. During that time the Pistons compete in 90 games (NBA Enterprises Par. 1). The Shock season runs from May 12 2008 through September 14 2008 not including play offs. Throughout this time the Shock will perform in 35 games (WNBA Enterprises Par. 1). The NBA has an average of 17,000 people attend their games and the WNBA only bring in about 10,000. Another reason the pay could be so different is because on average the ticket price to go to an NBA game is $45 and to a WNBA it is only $15. The NBA tends to have more games and longer seasons but one day the WNBA may be equal to the NBA (Issaquah Par. 4). â€Å"Its official the WNBA established itself as a real, professional, respectable sport. We’ve still got a ways to go, but the league’s progress since the 1997 inaugural season has been nothing short of a remarkable† (Harris Par. 1). The WNBA has gained teams and publicity over the years (WNBA Enterprises Par. 1-10). With the league going in a positive direction the salaries are also increasing (WNBA Enterprises Par. 1-4). Even though the WNBA has only recently been established, the NBA receives more attention than the WNBA in several different ways. The WNBA will hopefully keep growing and become as established as the NBA someday. â€Å"Atlanta Becomes 14th WNBA Franchise In League. † The Associated Press. 2007: 20 Feb. 2008 . Brown, Renee. â€Å"Hoops 101: Renee Brown. † WNBA Media Ventures. 2002: 19 Feb. 2008 Harris, Fran. â€Å"WNBA: The WNBA Is On Its Way. † Buzzle. com. 2008: 12 Feb. 2008 . Issaquah, Rebekah. â€Å"How Much Money Does the Average WNBA Player Make Per Year Compared to an NBA player? † Yahoo! Inc. 2004: 12 Feb. 2008 . â€Å"NBA Salaries. † InsideHoops. com. 2008: 14 March 2008 . Owens, Thomas S. Teamwork: The Houston Comets in Action. New York: Rosen, 1999. Owens, Thomas S. Teamwork: The Los Angeles Sparks in Action. New York: Rosen, 1999. â€Å"Pistons Schedule and Results. † NBA Media Ventures. 2008: 14 March 2008 . â€Å"Shock Schedule 2008. † WNBA Enterprises. 2008: 14 March 2008 . â€Å"WNBA’s 2008 Schedule: Season Tips Off May 17. † WNBA Enterprises. 2008: 22 Feb. 2008 . â€Å"WNBA Draft History. † InsideHoops. com . 2008: 19 Feb. 2008 . â€Å"WNBA Players Plan Futures. † BlackAthlete Sports Network. 2005: 14 March 2008 . â€Å"WNBA Salaries. † InsideHoops. com. 2008: 14 March 2008 .