By Bryce Kelly, Staff Writer
COVID-19 has impacted the world for over a year. However, thankfully we have been able to see some semblance of normalcy recently. NBA games are out of the bubble and back in home arenas – with fans, too.
The men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments also returned after being absent last year because of COVID-19.
The Baylor Bears ran through the men’s bracket to secure its first national title. On the women’s side, the Stanford Cardinals won its third national title.
Usually, most of the conversation centers on the men’s tournament, especially this year since powerhouses Gonzaga and Baylor seemed destined to meet each other in the national title game.
But this year the conversation shifted more toward the women’s side because of one player: guard Paige Bueckers of Connecticut.
Bueckers is a budding legend already as a freshman. She broke numerous records for UConn, one of the most decorated women’s programs in history. She was the AP national player of the year.
But there’s one problem: Bueckers is returning to UConn’s lineup next fall. She should have been allowed to turn pro and probably would have been selected first overall last week in the WNBA Draft.
But the WNBA continues to enforce an outdated rule that bars any player from entering the draft unless they are 22 years old. This is unfair to the players and hurts the WNBA.
The WNBA has only been around since 1997. Since then, the women’s game and its pro league have grown immensely.
The WNBA was seen as the baby of former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who led the NBA for 30 years and had a huge role in keeping the WNBA afloat in its early years.
While the WNBA has survived, it hasn’t thrived. The league averages hundreds of thousands of viewers, while the NBA gets millions of views.
The WNBA struggles because the game isn’t as exciting, fast or aerial as the men’s game. The NBA is more athletic than the WNBA, drawing far more interest.
With these struggles, why wouldn’t the WNBA allow an elite player like Bueckers into the league? Ratings would jump since Bueckers is the most touted and exciting women’s player in a generation.
Besides, how much more can Bueckers really improve? She averaged 20 points, five rebounds and six assists per game. Those are elite numbers, and she has three more years in college until she can go pro under the current rule. Wouldn’t her game be better served to improve against the best in the WNBA? What does she have left to prove in college except winning a national title?
The WNBA should change its draft eligibility rule to mirror the NBA’s rule. The NBA allows players who are one year removed from high school to enter the NBA Draft. Why couldn’t the WNBA have the same rule?
I can already guess an opposing argument to my proposal: It’s too risky for these young women to leave college early as WNBA salaries are nowhere near the NBA paychecks.
This is true. The average WNBA salary in 2020 was around $100,000. The average NBA salary in 2020 was around $7 million. This is a huge difference.
Still, $100,000 is a nice living. Why not be able to make that earlier?
Also, the sooner a player leaves college, the sooner they can sign endorsement deals and profit off their name, image and likeness. This would be key for Bueckers as she already has a following.
There is a risk with allowing players to leave college early. However, elite young players like Bueckers and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark should have the freedom to pursue their dream if they want. Great players entering the WNBA faster would improve the league and its competition level.
Who wouldn’t want that?
kellybw19@bonaventure.edu
