Women’s sports leagues and teams have long been known to pay less to their players when compared to men. The US Women’s Soccer team argued for equal or higher pay than their male counterparts, citing their success. But the rest of the sporting leagues haven’t had a say yet. Now with the way the WNBA is soaring on the backs of Caitlin Clark, Shaquille O’Neal wants change.
The NBA Hall of Famer was speaking with Mackenzie Salmon of USA Today Sports about basketball. When asked about the WNBA players earning so little, the Big Aristotle said as quoted by Lindsay Schnell:
Now it’s time for equal pay. They’ve always been great, but the space they’re in now, it’s time for everybody to be getting equal pay. I would love to see one of them make $10, 15, 20 million a year, they deserve it. But the fans have to continue to support … you gotta keep (going) to the games, buying merch, you gotta keep doing all that stuff and the more they do that, the more they’ll get paid.Shaquille O’ Neal on USA Today Sports
He was clear that the way the WNBA has taken over the sporting world, it will be right if they are paid equally to men. But that needs continuous support from fans.
That can come in two ways. One, as Shaquille O’Neal emphasized fans have to continue going to basketball games, buy merchandise, watch games on TV etc. The other is a continuous influx of marketable superstars from college. However, Shaq might be forgetting that the WNBA is still unprofitable to this day despite the NBA providing them $15 million a year.
It is not like the current crop of elite WNBA players is not marketable. But the league needs more players who can distribute the eyeballs over to other teams. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese alone cannot do that.
Shaquille O’Neal’s daughter could be part of that elite set of college stars
Shaquille O’Neal has four children of his own. Naturally, as a basketball father, he would like his children to follow his lead. Eldest son Shareef O’Neal tried but could not turn pro. But his youngest daughter Me’Arah O’Neal is a four-star recruit who has committed to the Florida Gators basketball team.
She too plays the forward/center position like her father. But she is the polar opposite of the 4-time NBA champion when it comes to shooting skills. She boasts a range that stretches across the half-court. Those skills made the youngest O’Neal a McDonald’s All-American. Me’Arah O’Neal also has the drive to be great. If she can continue her development, she will be a top draft pick in four years.
Until that time, the WNBA should continue to grow with the likes of Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins headlining upcoming drafts. Suggesting that by the time his daughter reaches the WNBA, they should be earning much more than what the likes of Clark and Reese earn now.