Jon Stewart: If Women Athletes Were Paid More, Brittney Griner Would Not Be Jailed in Russia
Jon Stewart has a theory about women’s sports that he believes could have saved WNBA star Brittney Griner from being arrested in Russia.
Griner, who has been jailed in Russia since February after airport officials discovered cartridges of hash oil in her suitcase as she attempted to return back to the United States, is still waiting for American aid to rescue her.
Stewart spoke with NCAA Coach Dawn Staley on the latest edition of his podcast The Problem with Jon Stewart about Griner’s situation.
“Brittney Griner is top five, WNBA player like she’s an all time great… because of the finances of the WNBA and the payment is in many ways, forced to play overseas as well. It’s how they end up in Russia and China and these other regimes,” Stewart began.
Stewart asked Staley, “Are we talking about this because of the disparity in what these athletes make now, because maybe Brittney Griner wouldn’t have even been in this situation, had it not been for that?”
“Part of me feels for the league, the WNBA in that it’s a startup league. You know, the same way the NBA started the NBA in its 25th or sixth or seventh year. They weren’t making the money that they’re making now,” Staley explained.
“They were probably, you know, very similar to what the WNBA is today, but they poured into the NBA and you continue to pour in and pour in and pour in and you make it incredibly valuable to be a part of it. If you are a sponsor, if you are owner, if all of those things — it’s not that valuable,” she added.
“These nascent leagues, haven’t built the foundation, the global reach, the global brand yet the college brand is still more powerful. Okay. The Olympic brand is still more powerful,” Stewart said. “What countries did you play in?”
“I played in Spain. I played in Italy. I played in France. I played in Brazil and I honestly, I hated every minute of it. Really. The only reason why I went over is because I wanted to be an Olympian,” Staley admitted.
“I lived out of a suitcase every day. Like I would wash my clothes, fold them, put it back in a suitcase, cause I was ready to go home at any day …. I just feel like — felt like it was just imitating the NBA,” she added.
Writer for the podcast, Kasaun Wilson, jumped in to ask, “(Griner’s) still in the same position to in the off season go overseas. Do you feel like the progress of what you kind of trailblazed hasn’t really translated into people like Brittney not having to go overseas in the off season?”
Staley said Griner had to go overseas because the paycheck could easily be five times what she was currently making in the WNBA. “That’s money on the table that you can’t leave on the table. So Brittney had to do it. Brittney, you got a small window to play this game and you have to make as much money as possible in that small window. So you could secure a future, like, you know, there’s not even, you know, there’s not even a future in, you know, in sports as far as women’s sports,” Staley said bluntly.
Listen above via The Problem with Jon Stewart.
