Professional Basketball Seniority System - Research Paper Example

Professional Sports Seniority System: Women National Basketball Association Introduction The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) runs professional women basketball in USA. The association runs the professional basketball league which currently has 13 teams from all over the country. The women’s league, founded in 1996, served as an alternative to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Some teams in the WNBA such as Chicago Sky, the Atlanta Dream and Los Angeles Sparks are independently owned. This independent ownership plays a crucial role to the growth of the WNBA, because a time existed where all teams in the WNBA run league belonged to the NBA (Dohmen, 2005). The WNBA has a system for collective bargaining for the players that put strong emphasis on the seniority of the player in the team and the league. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) History of the CBA The Women National Basketball Player Association (WNBPA), formed in 1999, appointed Pamela Wheeler as the Director of Operations. This association coordinated negations between the WNBPA and the WNBA, culminating in the first ever collective bargaining agreement in June 1999 for Professional Women Basketball Players. The WNBPA enjoyed a unique place in professional sporting history as the first professional women’s athletes’ labor union (Preville, 2005). The player’s association comprises the Executive Committee and representatives of the players. These representatives cover a broad spectrum of the league, and they negotiate with WNBA representatives. The goal of the WNBPA, as it reaches agreements with the WNBA, is to achieve the best deals for the players. WNBPA negotiates for a CBA after every four years. All Professional Women Basketball Players are persuaded to attend the negotiation sessions since they should participate in the activities of their union (Hunter, & Orender, 2008). During bargaining for the players, the WNBPA, which is a democratic organization, solicits all the player’s viewpoints. The negotiating council encourages players to call the members and staff of the association whenever concerns, opinions or questions arise. Ultimately, players vote for or against any CBA reached by the representatives (Preville, 2005). Tenets of the CBA The CBA recognizes the Players Association and enters into agreements with it on behalf of the players. The basic tenets of the CBA are check off, union security and dues. On membership, Section one of the WNBA CBA requires that, as a condition for employment, any player who becomes a member of the Players Association and is in good standing must maintain her good standing. All members within 30 days of the commencement of their employment or membership must pay an annual service fees to the players association (Hunter, & Orender, 2008). The WNBA and the teams are not liable for any bonuses, monetary claims or salaries that result indirectly or directly from a player’s suspension. The Players Association holds harmless and indemnifies all teams and the WNBA against such claims. The WNBA teams reserve and maintain their rights to direct and manage the operations of the teams in any manner that they deem right. However, operations of the law and the provisions of the agreement limit these rights (Dohmen, 2005). Compensation System and Player Perks Professional players sign a contract with the team through a Standard Player Contract. The President of the team nullifies any contract entered between the team and a player that has amendments not specifically permitted by the CBA. Execution of a contract between a player and a team follows that this contract cannot be changed or amended. In their contract negotiations, veteran players can amend provisions in the standard player contract by agreeing upon salary provisions. The veteran player can also negotiate for the protection of her base salary in part or whole, in case the team decides to terminate her contract for reasons of the player’s unfitness or disability, lack of skill, and injury (Dohmen, 2005). Players who have stayed with the team for long periods of time earn depending on the time they have been in the professional league. Standard Player Contract is subjected to a Base Salary. The minimum Base Salary for this contract was $34,500 for the 2008 season, $35,190 for 2009, $35,880 for 2010, $36,570 for 2011, $37,260 for 2012 and $37,950 for 2013 seasons for those with 0-2 years with the same team (Dohmen, 2005). For those with three years and above seniority, they get salaries of 50,000, 51,000, 52,000, 53,000, 54,000, and 55,000 US dollars for the 2008-2013 seasons respectively. This at least goes to show that aspects of seniority apply in this professional sport (Dohmen, 2005). The maximum player salary for a Standard Player Contract provides that a Qualifying Veteran Free Agent with six or more years of seniority and extension of the Rookie Scale Contract with Draft Rookies, get a maximum salary of 97,500, 99,500, 101,500, 103,500, 105,500 and 107,500 US dollars for the 2008-2013 seasons respectively (Dohmen, 2005). The aspect of sport capitalism can work remarkably well with seniority in women professional basketball. As the salaries for the players portray, continued service to the team and to the league is most rewarded in professional women basketball (Hunter, & Orender, 2008). Player Average Career Length In the 2011 season, only two players from the inaugural 1997 season remained in active basketball; Tina Thompson and Sheryl Swoops. The record number of years in professional basketball by a professional player is 15 years; held by Tina Thompson. From 1997, the longest tenured basketball player was Lisa Leslie; her entire career was spent with the Los Angeles Sparks. Most Professional Women Basketball Players start out when they are 22 after their college education, which is mandatory for Professional Women Basketball Players (Dohmen, 2005). They play three years as Rookies with an optional fourth year, and latter drafted as core team players. The professional players are therefore, involved in active professional basketball for at least 10 years, after which they start looking for alternative professional leagues abroad or alternative careers (Dohmen, 2005). Evidence of the Seniority System Articles V and XIII of the CBA indicate seniority in profession women’s basketball. These two articles concern team selection and salaries for the professional players. Junior players go through a process of drafting into the league teams, in which they are selected from college teams. Senior players do not undergo such rigorous selection. They are traded between teams or acquired as free agents. The compensation system is not equitable because the professional, senior players earn according to their seniority in the professional league. In salaries, the remuneration for a Rookie is lower than that of a senior player (Hunter, & Orender, 2008). Comparison of Seniority in Professional Leagues Professional basketball, baseball and hockey industry; comprise a unionized labor that bargains collectively with their parent association. The difference comes in structure of their Player Associations. The hockey Players Association is structured to facilitate reward for performance and mobility. This system bases salaries on abilities and skills. When the hockey player’s contract comes to an end, they can seek competing bids from other teams, which ensures a fair wage on the open market (Dohmen, 2005). This has seen a dramatic rise in the player’s wages for professional hockey players with the top earners exceeding one million dollars per annum. Baseball, which uses the, same Player Association system as hockey also, has experienced a rapid rise in player wages with the highest player earning 8.5 million dollars. This is unlike professional basketball where player’s wages are capped on seniority; how long one has been actively playing in the professional league. The wages for professional basketball players in the United States are capped to a maximum depending on a player’s seniority. This helps counter the massive wage increase for the players as experienced in other professional leagues (Hunter, & Orender, 2008). Issues and Considerations in Future CBAs The Women’s National Basketball Players Association does an admirable job of representing the players in negotiations for better terms of payments. The Players Association also does exceptionally well by collecting player’s views and concerns before they present their position to the WNBA. However, the Players Association could do more by assessing the future and current market climate and financial situation when presenting their long term projections (Dohmen, 2005). Societal trends and issues affect professional women basketball immensely. The WNBPA needs to consider these issues when designing disciplinary actions (Hunter, & Orender, 2008). Conclusion The WNBPA represents all the players in all professional basketball negotiations. The association is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that players get the best possible deals in all the negotiations. The association considers seniority in its remuneration plan, where the most senior players, with over three years in the league are considered both in terms of selection and salary. This system ensures that the young players come through the ranks responsibly and through hard work. References Dohmen, T. (2005). Performance, Seniority and Wages: Formal Salary Systems and Individual Earnings Profiles. Institute for the Study of Labor. Page 3-15. Hunter, W. & Orender, D. (2008). Women National Basketball Association: Collective Bargaining Agreement. Page 4-37. Preville, P. (2005). Blowing the Whistle on Sports Capitalism: Super Salaries in Professional Sports. The New Federation. Page 1-3. Read More