Draymond Green has some things that he wants to get off of his chest concerning women athletes. The NBA superstar recently went on a rant on Twitter to passionately share his thoughts on the matter.
The Golden State Warriors power forward shared lengthy posts on his thoughts concerning the media’s exposure as it pertains to men’s versus women’s games. Green also touched on the pay gap between the two. His words stirred conversation from many, with some agreeing with him but many arguing that his choice of words could have been… different.
I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about the pay gap between women and men. Especially in sports. It’s not even close. But let’s stop allowing y’all complaints to fall on deaf ears due to numbers. As long as y’all make the argument about pay, while the revenue stays the same…
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) March 27, 2021
They will continue to point at the revenue not being high enough to cover bigger salaries. While that is true in damn near every business, how do we take that card out of their pockets? That’s the key to changing the pay. There’s no argument for lack of revenue, unless…
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) March 27, 2021
You make those that say they stand for women actually stand up. The NBA wasn’t always the global game that it is today. It wasn’t always driving as much revenue as it does today. But there were people behind it, building the platform, and more importantly telling INDIVIDUAL…
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) March 27, 2021
You make those that say they stand for women actually stand up. The NBA wasn’t always the global game that it is today. It wasn’t always driving as much revenue as it does today. But there were people behind it, building the platform, and more importantly telling INDIVIDUAL…
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) March 27, 2021
Green’s rants continued on during a conversation with NBC Sports reporter Kerith Burke on Wednesday. “I’ve seen so many complaints recently of women talking about the pay gap between what we make and what they make,” said Green. “And I feel where they’re coming from. I know what I put into this, to be great. They put in the same time in that we put in. So, I understand what they’re saying.”
He added, “I’ve seen so many complaints recently of women talking about the pay gap between what we make and what they make. And I feel where they’re coming from. I know what I put into this, to be great. They put in the same time in that we put in. So, I understand what they’re saying.”
In one of his tweets, he shared that he turned a corporation down that asked him to do a PSA on women empowerment. He went deeper into his thoughts on said corporations. “Stop allowing them to do that,” Green said. “Call these people out specifically. ‘Hey, this company says it supports women empowerment, yet you have not put a single penny toward the WNBA. You have not put a single penny toward these women athletes. Yet, plastered all over your website is women empowerment.’ Call these people out specifically. Make them react to what you’re saying. If you call these people out specifically, they have to react to what you’re saying.”
Green’s comments, although filled with good intentions, drew some criticisms from women athletes and others as well. While many shared their appreciation for Green and his passion for the rights of women athletes, people from ESPN’s Maria Taylor to Napheesa Collier of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx joined a number of women who had something to say about Green’s statements.
Let’s be careful not to place the responsibility to fix the problem of a patriarchal society’s apathetic view of women in sports on WOMEN. Just like we shouldn’t charge POC with fixing the issues associated racism. But certainly appreciate you watching and searching for solutions https://t.co/ZHGaFc7NSj
— Maria Taylor (@MariaTaylor) March 27, 2021
WNBA Players Association President Nneka Ogwumike gave her thoughts while at the TEAM USA camp, calling it “ignorance” and “miseducation”.
“To be honest… I think what I’m feeling is a lot of miseducation and ignorance,” she said. “I’m always careful about using the word ‘ignorance’ because I think we’ve grown up to believe that it has a negative connotation when it really doesn’t. And it’s great to know that there’s allies out there that are seeking to see the women’s games better and the women’s business be better in sport. But I do think that a lot of that education and dispelling of the ignorance that we experience just on an individual level, it can really be kind of dissolved by us having conversations.”
“I think what I’m feeling is a lot of miseducation and ignorance…I do appreciate Draymond coming out and using his platform to talk about it. I would like to take it a step further…and continue the discussions, even if they’re offline.” @Nnemkadi30 on @Money23Green comments. pic.twitter.com/y0nIXubKyi
— Khristina Williams (Founder, Girls Talk Sports TV) (@Khristina2334) April 1, 2021
What are your thoughts?