I noted that about half or close to it, of the players in the WNBA are white. Because this is very different from the NBA (I recall all 24 in the All Star game at MSG a couple years ago were black), I wonder why. My best opinion is that if a female is a great athlete, besides tennis ,golf & track, where is the money? There is no football, hockey, baseball, race car driving, horse racing etc.available. So, hence basketball.
I have only been posting here a month or so, & quite frankly am very impressed by the very knowledgeable & intelligent thinkers.
I would say the lack of earning potential is key.
It’s been a long while since I followed the women’s college game, but “back in the day,” the percentage of black women on the teams roughly reflected the overall student body demographics. Other than a “free” education, there wasn’t much incentive at all for anyone to play women’s sports other than a love of the game and when you factor in the time commitment and injury potential it was a pretty lousy deal unless it was the only way to get that education.
I suppose if the women earned the same paychecks as the men of the NBA, anyone of lower socio-economic status with seemingly few other opportunities and a measure of athletic talent, regardless of race, might be willing to potentially waste her youth and adolescence trying to become that aptly named “lottery pick.”
Lorenzo- you told me why so relatively few black females, which naturally opens up more places for “less athletic” whites. Very good point, & one I hadn’t even considered. Of course, the average pay in WNBA, absent endorsements,is only about $50,000.
For the purposes of this, the rules on who counts and who doesn’t are fuzzy. An asian player is not black. A Brazilian is. Not perfect, but close enough.
Based on the WNBA player page, 119 of 179 players are “black”, 66%
Based on the NBA player page, 320 of 415 players are “black”, 77%.
I would guess that women’s college basketball is a lot less popular than men’s. Less popularity means fewer scouts and scholarships. Fewer scouts and scholarships means less people are discovered and even if they are less can afford to go. Just my somewhat educated guess.