17 Mar 22
@suzianne saidFor all people like me who are not closely following basketball:
FREE BRITTNEY!
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60701050
Brittney Griner a pro basketball player ("arguably the greatest female basket ball player of all time"😉 has been arrested in Moscow "apparently on drug charges".
The whole affair seems quite intransparent and I agree with Holly Honderich, the writer of the linked article, that the uproar would have been gigantic if a male player of the same relative caliber would have suffered that.
17 Mar 22
@ponderable saidI don't think it's a matter of male or female, it's more a matter of level of fame. Female basketball players just don't have anywhere near the notoriety of male players. I've been an NBA fan since I was ten years old, and even I've never heard of this woman.
The whole affair seems quite intransparent and I agree with Holly Honderich, the writer of the linked article, that the uproar would have been gigantic if a male player of the same relative caliber would have suffered that.
It's not a matter of male or female, it's about level of fame; if this was Serena Williams or Simone Biles, all hell would break loose.
18 Mar 22
@vivify saidAt the same time, if she was paid as much as the male players of her sport, perhaps she wouldn't have had to supplement her income playing for a Russian team in the off-season.
I don't think it's a matter of male or female, it's more a matter of level of fame. Female basketball players just don't have anywhere near the notoriety of male players. I've been an NBA fan since I was ten years old, and even I've never heard of this woman.
It's not a matter of male or female, it's about level of fame; if this was Serena Williams or Simone Biles, all hell would break loose.
18 Mar 22
2 edits
@suzianne saidI brought this point up in a thread I made about the WNBA, that female athletes can't really support themselves on just their salaries from basketball, and have to go overseas.
At the same time, if she was paid as much as the male players of her sport, perhaps she wouldn't have had to supplement her income playing for a Russian team in the off-season.
This fact keeps women from focusing more on their sport (especially if the need employment outside of their sport) and they train less as a result, resulting in a negative feedback loop where sports fans are less interested in watching them, generating less revenue for the league, and lower salaries.
But even in sports where women generate just as much revenue, they're still paid less, like in U.S. women's soccer. Their ratings (and accomplishments) far surpassed the U.S. men's team, but they still were paid less. So unfortunately, higher ratings and better performance don't guarantee better pay for women, which is an immense injustice.
But there is hope. Serena makes a lot more from endorsements than most male tennis stars; Rhonda Rousey was the highest paid UFC athlete, male or female.
22 Mar 22
@vivify saidI don't think any of this excuses Russla from holding her indefinitely.
I brought this point up in a thread I made about the WNBA, that female athletes can't really support themselves on just their salaries from basketball, and have to go overseas.
This fact keeps women from focusing more on their sport (especially if the need employment outside of their sport) and they train less as a result, resulting in a negative feedback loop where sport ...[text shortened]... sements than most male tennis stars; Rhonda Rousey was the highest paid UFC athlete, male or female.