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David Berri

@wagesofwins.bsky.social

1.9K followers 2.2K following 1.2K posts

Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University. The latest book is Slaying the Trolls. Also author/co-author of The Wages of Wins Stumbling on Wins https://www.davidberri.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Trolls-Wrong-About-Sports/dp/B0D33VK9SN/ .. more

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David J. Berri is a sports economist and professor of economics at Southern Utah University, known for his sometimes-controversial analysis of NBA basketball. He is a past president of the North American Association of Sports Economists, and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Sports Economics and The International Journal of Sport Finance. .. more

Economics 57%

Sociology 14%

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 12h

Open the pod bay doors, HAL!!! 😂

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 16h

It is fascinating how many men
a. know nothing about the WNBA
b. are not interested in the WNBA
c. have immensely strong opinions about the economics of the WNBA

We need to create special WNBA Dunning-Kruger stickers for these men:

"Congratulations! You are a WNBA Dunning-Kruger Effect!"🤣

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 18h

Just spent an hour working on my next book. Wrote about a sentence.

I would rather spend my time making so little progress than asking an AI program for help.

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 18h

I share this sentiment. I have zero interest in having AI write my articles and books for me. I can figure out my own transitions.

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 1d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 1d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 1d

I think I am showing this to my history students tomorrow. Time to tell my students about what dating was like once upon a time! 😂

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 1d

Detroit Tigers are still alive on Yankee elimination day.
My late father would be very happy!

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 1d

I definitely never heard it before and it sounds like something very recent. Until you hear the part that it is about a telephone call!

Once upon a time -- before texting, email, etc... -- we had to call people we liked! 😂

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 1d

Rick Barry had a theory that if you overcame a huge deficit and there was some time left on the clock, you would still lose the game. The team that lost the lead makes a counter-run at the end to win the game.

Will see if that is true tonight!

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 1d

The song from the Bumble ad is from 1971.

My wife and I like the song so much we are now both joining Bumble! 😂

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMMP...

Labi Siffre - Bless the Telephone (Official HD Music Video)

YouTube video by DemonMusicGroup

www.youtube.com

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 1d

I am not sure I can relate to a commercial where part of the story is a 9-year old having a catered birthday party (with an extensive staff).

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

The Detroit Tigers this past month seem to hit very well when it doesn't matter at all. When they needed a hit (game is close, runner in scoring position), they have been awful.

Pressure has just killed this team.

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

The AI sports ads are teaching people how to find spurious correlations.

Not so much artificial intelligence as artificial silliness!

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

Yep. Same dollars.

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

The capital raise -- along with the recent media deal -- shows a lack of faith in the WNBA product.

The NBA (the de facto majority owners of the WNBA) show us by their actions they don’t think very much of the WNBA.

And that is why they don’t want to pay the WNBA players what they owe them!

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

The WNBA and NBA sold off 16% of the league for just $75 million in 2022.

When the WNBA is worth billions in the future, that 2022 capital raise will look worse than the decision to give the Silna brother a piece of the NBA’s TV rights in 1976.

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

The NBA also had a crisis of confidence in the 1970s.

Someone decided to give the Silna brothers a share of future NBA TV money in 1976. This deal meant the NBA paid $800 million to fold the Spirts of St. Louis of the ABA.

The WNBA had its Spirts of St. Louis moment in 2022.

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

Sophie Cunningham said the WNBA “might be really great business people”. I don’t think the evidence supports that story at all.

The WNBA is now sprinting ahead of the NBA historic revenue and attendance growth path. But the WNBA is still worried about “sustainability”.

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

This is a rather lengthy story (really it is two columns) on how the fundamental issue in the WNBA is that NBA doesn’t truly believe the WNBA is just as good as the NBA.

wagesofwins.substack.com/p/the-wnbanb...

Here is a thread on this…

The WNBA/NBA Doesn’t Believe IN Phee

And Are the People of the WNBA/NBA Really Great Business People?

wagesofwins.substack.com

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 3d

Maybe!! Wish they would say!!

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 3d

Nice to see ESPN quote our New York Times story today.

But the big story here is this sentence:

"According to a report from Deloitte earlier this year, revenues are projected to top $1 billion this year."

If true, WNBA players are getting 2% of revenue!!!

www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...

'Beyond repair': Napheesa Collier, Cathy Engelbert and a WNBA teetering on the brink

Amid the WNBA Finals, two of the most powerful people in the game are locked in a contentious battle -- for public opinion, power and money.

www.espn.com

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Reposted by David J. Berri

Michele Dotson 🇺🇸🫶🏾⚖️🗳📬🇺🇦✌🏾🦾 @michelesgreenbook.bsky.social · 4d

A must-read for every #WNBA fan. ⛹️🏾‍♀️⛹️‍♀️🏀👏🏾👏🏾

SOURCE: @wagesofwins.bsky.social
@nytimes.com

GRAPHICS: Sara Chodosh

#GiftArticle: 🎁
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Opinion | The W.N.B.A. Is Making More Money Than Ever. Why Aren’t the Players? (Gift Article)

Other professional sports leagues give their players roughly 50 percent of the revenue, but the W.N.B.A. players get less than 10 percent.

www.nytimes.com

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 4d

Okay... that looks cool!! Thanks for taking the pic!

Reposted by David J. Berri

Erica L. Ayala @elindsay08.bsky.social · 4d

Sunday Times in the PNW. @wagesofwins.bsky.social

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Reposted by David J. Berri

Bryan Fischer @bryandfischer.bsky.social · 5d

Down go Mike and Holly.

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 5d

Tonight I am reminded of this clip from Veridian Dynamics (from the sit-com Better off Ted):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1di...

People lie.
Companies protect their interests.
It's different.
😂😂

Veridian Dynamics People lie

YouTube video by clasis

www.youtube.com

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 5d

I have a very hard time believing that Napheesa Collier just made up those comments.

The NBA/WNBA very much lacks credibility. It is not believable that losses have exploded while revenues have more than tripled (with no change in player salaries!).
www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...

Sources: Collier cancels meeting with Engelbert

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has cancelled her meeting with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert next week, sources told ESPN.

www.espn.com

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 6d

The New York Times asked me before my piece was published if I could respond to a few comments after it appeared.

So, this morning they sent me a few chosen comments and I decided to also post my responses on my substack.

wagesofwins.substack.com/p/writing-fo...

Writing for the New York Times!

And responding to comments!

wagesofwins.substack.com

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 6d

The commissioner is most definitely saying Caitlin Clark is getting endorsements from being in the WNBA. It is not hard to believe that she told Collier that Clark should be "grateful" to be part of the WNBA.

Luke Bonner @lukeybonner.bsky.social · 6d

Not word for word but certainly similar sentiment, video from 2024…

Reposted by David J. Berri

Luke Bonner @lukeybonner.bsky.social · 6d

Not word for word but certainly similar sentiment, video from 2024…

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