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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/

www.davidberri.com

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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 5h

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 · 5h

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 · 10h

Yep. Same dollars.

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 12h

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!

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 12h

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.

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 12h

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.

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 12h

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”.

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 12h

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

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 1d

Maybe!! Wish they would say!!

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 1d

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.

Reposted by David Berri

Michele Dotson 🇺🇸🫶🏾⚖️🗳📬🇺🇦✌🏾🦾 @michelesgreenbook.bsky.social · 2d

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

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 2d

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

Reposted by David Berri

Erica L. Ayala @elindsay08.bsky.social · 2d

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

Reposted by David Berri

Magnus Lehnsherr @i-magnus.bsky.social · 3d

After further review, the play has been determined as a common foul and Holly Rowe will shoot two.
#WNBA

Bryan Fischer @bryandfischer.bsky.social · 3d

Down go Mike and Holly.

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 3d

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 · 3d

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.

Reposted by David Berri

Lindsay Gibbs @lindsaygibbs.bsky.social · 4d

Engelbert deserves the criticism she is getting. But Adam Silver and the NBA are the biggest obstacle in WNBA labor fights. My latest for @cbssports.bsky.social:

www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/ge...

WNBA's Engelbert under fire — but the NBA's power looms larger

Engelbert faces blazing criticism from WNBA players, but the NBA's ownership and influence remain the central challenge to the league's future.

www.cbssports.com

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 4d

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

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 4d

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 · 4d

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

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 4d

No reliable data before 2019. Before that all we got is stuff I wrote at Forbes (where I guessed a number!).

Reposted by David Berri

Seerat Sohi @seeratsohi.bsky.social · 4d

great article from @wagesofwins.bsky.social on the financial state of the WNBA, including an estimation that players are only receiving 7 percent of league revenue: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 4d

I understand the WNBA commissioner is addressing the media today! Maybe someone can ask about what I wrote for the New York Times today.

The WNBA’s revenue has tripled in the last six years. Time to pay the players!!

urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...

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.

Reposted by David Berri

Dr. Zil Roars (Paul H. White, Ph.D.) @drzilwhite.bsky.social · 4d

Nice work @wagesofwins.bsky.social!

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 4d

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

“By many measures, it’s been the most successful season in league history” for the WNBA, David Berri, a sports economist, writes. “But the players aren’t fully sharing in that success.”

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

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.

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 4d

Wrote this for the New York Times today (hope this link works!)

W.N.B.A. is doing immensely well! Time to pay the players!!

Thanks to Sara Chodosh for asking me to write this (helping with the writing) and making the cool graphics!!

urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...

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.

David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 5d

So the Tigers had the biggest collapse in baseball history. Saw their division title taken away by the Guardians (who knew they would come back!!).

And then the Tigers eliminate the Guardians and effectively end up back where they were planning on being.

Baseball is so immensely random!