04/17/24
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, April 17th.
National Cheese Ball Day.
This is about a ball of cheese, not someone being cheesy.
And now, the news.
Caitlin Clark’s Paycheck
I’m in a mood, so what I thought I would do is start with the thing that put me in the mood, and then for the rest of the episode, as I continue to be in a mood, you’ll at least know why.
Despite being the top scorer in all of NCAA history, achieving the most 30-point games by any player, man or women, in the past 25 seasons, achieving the most 3-pointers in a single season (again, men and women – she got the most), having her WNBA jersey being the top-selling draft pick across ALL sports in Fanatics history (before ever even stepping onto a court in said jersey), and being a part of a group of players that brought so many new eyes to women’s NCAA games that the women’s NCAA championship game was the most watched game, men’s or women’s, collegiate or professional, since 2019 – Caitlin Clark, who was obviously a first round draft pick on Monday will make… $76,535 for her first year, $78,066 the second, $85,873 the third, with a fourth year option of $97,582 for a four year total of $338,056.
$338,056.
For contrast – the first round draft pick for the NBA was Victor Wembanyama for $55.2 million.
In fact, the minimum an NBA player can make is $1.1 million a year.
“Oh but Kim, it’s different because no one watches the WNBA.”
First of all, the draft averaged 2.4 million viewers – just for the draft.
And there are a lot of things that go into this… the league lengths are different, the W’s collective-bargaining agreements are different, viewership is different… but all of those are just simply more symptoms of the same problem.
NBA players make more money as the league grows – thanks to their CBA, they make 50% of things like ticket sales and broadcasting rights, WNBA players don’t. 40% of all NBA league revenue goes back to the players. In the W, that’s 10%.
All of that leads to Caitlin Clark making 1% what her male counterpart is expected to make.
And yet, with all of that, everyone’s like – oh! Caitlin Clark’s going to change the W! People are going to start watching!
People do watch… but networks don’t air the games as often as they air an NBA game. And how is it on one player, who again makes 1% what her male counterpart will make, to do change all of this?
Listen, if the W isn’t bringing in as much money, right now, as the NBA does – okay fine. But listen to Las Vegas Aces’ Kelsey Plum. “We are not asking to get paid what the men get paid. We’re asking to get paid the same percentage of revenue shared.”
That shouldn’t be that revolutionary of a thought.
Invest in women’s sports. Talk about women’s sports. Watch women’s sports.
And for the love of game… can these women please get a better CBA and, when those negotiations start, can they be repped by someone who cares about their success?
See? A mood!
West Virginia Trans Ban Banned
-via ABC News
On Tuesday a West Virginia federal appeals court overturned the state’s law that bans transgender athletes from playing on the team of their gender identity, arguing that the ban violates Title 9.
Good job West Virginia federal appeals court judges!
Mayorkas Impeachment Heads to Senate
-via CBS News
House Republicans have officially handed over Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ articles of impeachment to the Senate. The Senate is expected to be sworn in as jurors today, which is what they’re called in the impeachment hearings. They will hear the case and decide whether Mayorkas should be able to keep his title.
When we know more, we’ll know more.
SCOTUS & Jan 6TH
-via NPR
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday over whether January 6th rioters can be charged under a law that makes it illegal to obstruct or impede an official proceeding. It was a law that was enacted after the 2002 Enron scandal, which included document shredding and fraud.
So the law makes it a crime to "corruptly" alter or destroy documents and records related to an official proceeding or otherwise obstruct or impede an official proceeding, including a congressional proceeding.
But a rioter who was already charged for his role in the 6th is arguing that the law was never meant to be a catchall.
If the rioters can’t be charged with this law, it also puts into question a few charges against the Trump. But don’t sweat that, don’t time travel – dude has a lot of charges against him.
Anyway, the Court seemed split on what they wanted to do, with the liberal Justices looking like they should be charged, the conservative justices more skeptical of the broadness of the law, and historical badman Justice Thomas was like – please don’t send my wife to jail!
We’ll see what happens…
The Election Continues to Not Have Been Stolen
-via CNN
And my mood continues with this story… OAN and the voting tech company Smartmatic have settled the defamation lawsuit that began when Smartmatic had the nerve to accurately count votes and then OAN decided that, because things weren’t going their way, they’d just start saying that the company was a part of the conspiracy that led to Joe Biden’s fake win.
It wasn’t a fake win. President Biden won the election. Donald Trump lost it and the continued to go around the country and lie about it.
Fox News did the same thing and had to pay $787 million to Dominion Voting Systems.
The settlement here is currently unknown, and it should be noted that Fox News also has a smaller suit pending.
All these consequences for actions.
All because Donald Trump, who has a record of losing all around the world and in every single genre possible, lost the election too.
Perhaps his consequences can be whatever it would look like to jail a former president and then also never electing him again.
Would be cool.
Trump Jurors
-via AP News
And finally – day two of the jury selection has come and gone, and the fraud against voters trial, formerly known as the hush money better name pending trial, has themselves some jurors!
Seven, in fact!
Eleven will still need to be found and sworn in, but hey – seven, that’s a nice start.
The day also included Trump getting in trouble with the judge for speaking loudly and gesturing, though it’s unclear what he was talking about, as the judge questioned a potential juror about a social media post.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I’m proud of… women’s sports!
Also known as sports.
Also cheese…
Hey, why is Christmas the cheesiest holiday? Because of baby cheese-us!
That’s so funny… I just Alta Vista’d cheese jokes, and that’s my favorite. So more than cheese balls, because you’re a cheeseball and it’s the best… I’m proud of you.