For Those Who Like to Watch (and/or Listen!)
Here I am talking about the WNBA to... well, everyone!
More Stories from the Stories I Publish! (i.e. this Substack) has seen a big increase in subscribers in the past few weeks. So, welcome to the new readers!
The purpose of this Substack (to the extent it has one!) is for me to offer a few more thoughts on stories I previously published (hence the name!). The academic publication that have most frequently captured people’s attention is the following article published last summer in the International Journal of Empirical Economics.
Exploring the Gender-Wage Gap in a World of Exogenous Revenue: The Case of Professional Basketball
This academic article very much builds upon the story we tell about the WNBA in Slaying the Trolls and was also the inspiration for the story I wrote with Sara Chodosh for the New York Times.
A quick scan of this forum reveals that the WNBA has been a frequent topic in many recent posts. This has also been a frequent topic for many people in the media who have recently been asking me for comments. In the past few weeks, at least twenty different stories in the media have quoted my work. For current co-authors wondering why my progress on our projects lately has been slow, this is a big reason!
There are links to all of these articles at my personal website. For those who don’t want to read all this, though, in the past few days I have done five interviews that you can just watch and/or listen to. These were all recorded in my office (yes, that is Baby Yoda in the background!).
This list begins with my conversation about the WNBA with the amazing Sarah Spain.
Here is how the podcast described our conversation:
Author and professor of economics David Berri joins Sarah to discuss pro sports leagues using financial reports to tell a story, the complex ownership structure of the WNBA, the reason revenue share is so important to W players during the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, and why it’s not worth trying to talk to the trolls.
If you listen the “Shit Sandwich” comment will make sense!!
And here is clips of that conversation that you can watch:
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There is also another clip to watch at Facebook.
2. I also recently spoke to Seerat Sohi of The Ringer WNBA Show about the WNBA’s labor issues. As the title indicates, this was an “emergency podcast” recorded a few hours after Napheesa Collier called out Cathy Engelbert. So, this is really an immediate reaction from Seerat and I!
Emergency Pod: Napheesa Collier Vs. Cathy Engelbert and the Future of the WNBA
Here is how the podcast described our conversation:
In this special episode, Seerat welcomes author and professor of economics at Southern Utah University, David Berri, to talk about Napheesa Collier’s exit interview where she called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert (0:38). They discuss the lack of trust in the WNBA board of governors (6:30), the disconnect between Engelbert and the players (17:53), the profitability of the league (26:14), Engelbert’s remarks about Caitlin Clark, and more (31:50).
3. The next podcast is Shooting The Breeze with Paul Camillos.
No. 214: Hoops Biz Volume 2: Explaining The Voodoo Economics of Women’s Sports with Dr. David Berri
This was recorded in early September but was just released in the past few days. You can also see a part of our conversation below:
The conversation eventually discusses women’s sports. But before we get to that, Paul wanted to know a few biographical details. Hopefully you will find the following biographical stories to be entertaining:
How I started studying music (and gave up on that!)
How I became an economist! (story is a bit different!)
How did I become a sports economist!
How did I write The Wage of Wins
How did I write a textbook on Sports Economics
How did I get involved in the study of women’s sports
How did The Slaying The Trolls come about.
Of course, eventually we talked about much more than this. Here is the complete description of the podcast:
It’s Volume 2 of Hoops Biz by Shooting The Breeze and we’re joined by unconventional economics professor Dr. David Berri.
A leading sports economist and professor at Southern Utah University, he knows how to challenge conventional wisdom when talking about economics and sports. Using a wonderful mix of human stories, economic theory and a dose of healthy journalistic skepticism he’s got lots of examples you can wrap your head around - which is how we like it!
Cue dramatic music (yep he studied a minor in music) as the WNBA and women’s sports more broadly enters the chat.
He’s published multiple articles on sports economics, authored and co-authored several books on the business of sports with an increasing focus on women’s sports, as highlighted in David’s latest book Slaying The Trolls, co-authored with Nefertiti Walker, researches the explosion of women’s sports amidst online vitriol and systemic discrimination setting the stage for the current battle unfolding within the WNBA.
This podcast was taped just before Davids’ recent article ‘What it Would Look Like to Pay WNBA Players What They Deserve (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...) ’ was published in The New York Times. This article covers the very topic we dive into in this podcast — the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which expires at the end of October and is generating huge headlines.
Forecasting how things might play out with the CBA makes for an intriguing but realistic look into human behaviour.
The outcome of this negotiation will influence women’s sports globally as the WNBA once again navigates uncharted territory for women’s basketball and women’s sports more widely. Enjoy!
4. I also discussed the WNBA on the China Global Television Network.
Obviously, this is entirely on video!
WNBA Players Fight for Pay Equity as League’s Value Soars CGTN America
Here is how this five minute conversations is described:
The Women’s National Basketball League in the U.S. is booming—teams are now worth $3.5 billion collectively. But players say it’s time to be paid like the men. CGTN’s Sean Callebs spoke with David Berri, author of “Slaying the Trolls! Why the Trolls are Very, Very Wrong about Women and Sports,” about the new labor negotiations and whether players will finally close the gender pay gap. #WNBA #basketball #sports #NBA #payequality #genderpaygap #biz #bizshow #TitleIX
5. The final video is from the Indian Sport Management Association. I was asked to comment on the where the Olympic movement in India should go. My argument is that India should focus on investing in women’s sports (yes, that was predictable!). So yes, eventually I do talk about the WNBA!
Winning beyond medals: Lessons from global sporting nations for India’s future
Here is how this discussion was described:
What does it take to build a nation of champions - not just in the arena, but in spirit, participation and opportunity? 🏅🌍 Join us for an insightful session with Prof. David Berri, a renowned sports economist, as he explores how countries across the globe have built strong, inclusive sporting ecosystems and what India can learn from their journeys.
This presentation was part of a larger conversation with the amazing Dr. Sandhya Manjunath of James Madison University. That conversation did delve deeper into issues surrounding the Olympics in India.
Let me close with one more podcast to watch and/or listen to.
The Buckets WNBA podcast posted this today: “WNBA Needs MAJOR Changes Next Season!”
In this podcast, Maria Marino explains to Jim Turvey and Dano Mataya the big issues in the WNBA’s labor dispute. I am not in the video but my work i mentioned around the 32 minute mark. These three do a great job of telling the story!
Again, this post today is for people who might prefer to watch and/or listen (instead of just read!).
My next story will likely just be a bunch of words I will write. And given Adam Silver’s insistence that he doesn’t want to “share” WNBA revenue with players... well, that probably will come up soon!
ima david berri fan