Aunties Talk Sports

Ep. 108 | WNBA Pay, Deion Sanders & Knowing Your Worth in Sports

Khalilah & Jennifer Season 1 Episode 8

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0:00 | 1:20:41

What does it really mean to know your worth?

This week, Jen and KB explore one of the biggest conversations in sports: value. From the WNBA's collective bargaining negotiations to franchise economics and athlete compensation, Jen brings her financial expertise to unpack why understanding the business behind the game matters just as much as the action on the court. KB expands the conversation beyond the numbers, exploring what negotiation, equity, and self-advocacy reveal about leadership, culture, and the way we value women's work.

The aunties also react to Deion Sanders' emotional announcement that he is cancer-free, discuss Chris Paul's return to Los Angeles, celebrate the unforgettable moments from WNBA All-Star Weekend, and welcome Venus Williams back to professional tennis. Plus, they share a candid conversation about money mindset, entrepreneurship, and how our earliest experiences with money continue to shape the way we make decisions as adults.

From league finances to personal finance, sports headlines become the starting point for a deeper conversation about business, culture, resilience, and what it means to recognize your own value.

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Two aunties. Two mics. All game.

SPEAKER_01

Hey everybody, welcome to Auntie's Talk Sports, where we go beyond the game and explore the intersection of sports and culture for female fans. We are two aunties, two Mikes, but all game. I am... One of the hosts here, I am Jennifer, a.k.a. Jen Jen B., a.k.a. Auntie Jen. And I'm here with my lovely co-host. KB. Co-hostess. Yeah. Co-hostess with the mostess. So today, and I'm going to say the date. I'm not sure when we'll release this, but I'm going to say the date today is July 29th, 2025. And

SPEAKER_00

my

SPEAKER_01

mother... her birthday is today and she is 90 years old that's 90 years young just blessed that's an awesome blessing i know elijah like my great grandmama is 90 but uh yes and i talked to her today and we had a party birthday party for her on saturday her her she asked me early this year maybe February or March, you know, can I have a party at your house for my birthday? And so as the date was approaching, I would say, you know, we're going to have this party. She's like, yeah, if I'm still alive. Yeah, I'll be there. I'm like, okay. So Saturday it went down. It was great. You know, had friends and family come and she said, She remembered some people, but didn't remember others, but she was reintroduced to them, her nieces and nephews. And it was great. I have a big immediate family. Is it the baby of the family, right? I'm not the baby. I'm the youngest. I'm the youngest. I'm the youngest of 10. Yes, the youngest of 10. But yeah, it was great. It was another great Backyard, indoor, outdoor party. Mother Nature behaved herself. No rain, so that was great. But yeah, she is 90 years old today. Her parents lived to like 92, 93. You know, knock on some wood around here. You know, I got to get myself together. I love it. I love it. And you... Well, no, in addition to your mom's birthday, you celebrated a birthday. Well, we both celebrated a birthday since the last time we were here. We talked about mine last time. We're going to talk about yours now. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Birthday was... I think last Wednesday, so I didn't really plan anything. I kind of just took the day as it came, went to an impromptu lunch with a friend, dinner with the family, and then Friday night, Auntie did hang out a little bit, stayed out too late, and slept in too late because of that the next day, but had a really good time. to a happy hour and like I said stayed too late but one of the things that was just very interesting to me was like the whole the DJ there was like they played everything from like Sade to Bills Bills Bills to Old School Eve to like it was the most random eclectic crowd and music which was it was really odd I kind of like that But it was fun. It was fun. And my youngest, who's seven, told me that I could pass for five years younger than my actual age. So I take that as a win. Yeah. And that's what I told her. I like that. I like that, too. Tell Cam I need to talk to him. How old is he? What can I pass for? But I was like, okay, I'm trying to get four more years off. You think I can make it? So, yeah, but just a blessing all the way around. Another year of life and an opportunity to talk about sports. Yes, yes. There's still a lot of sports happening, a lot of sports stories, a lot of different things. Just yesterday, and I put this on my calendar because Deion Sanders said he was going to have a press conference yesterday at one it was he said central time or mountain time and so I was like what time is that in Michigan and I put it in my calendar and I went and watched it live and he announced that he had had bladder cancer and he had his bladder removed and he's depending on Depends now and you know he was very humble he had posted a video on his Instagram before that saying you know, he went through a lot and he had to create a will because, you know, he didn't know if he was going to live. And, and I was like, he, he, I think he had cancer because I had seen his appearance change. And yeah, yeah. So that was, I love Deion Sanders. I just, I love his, I love his brashness. I love his humbleness. I love, you know, he backed up what he taught and, you know, I love his, you know, the way he loves his family. So I'm, you know, glad that he's cancer free. Um, and so, you know, that was the story that I, that I saw yesterday. And so that was, that was a good one. Yeah. I thought that was, well, I'm going to say one thing first, then we're going to transition. Oh, I'm sorry. What you got, what you got? Um, so, uh, I think my question was more so like, I understand there was a lot of speculation around his health, but I did think that the press conference was a little odd. Like I remember when Harbaugh a few years ago, like had his health issues. I just don't remember kind of the big press conference bringing in all the doctors. I mean, I still feel like as a professional, you have the right to kind of keep some of your health history a little bit private. And I know he's a, you know, high profile coach. But I also felt like that's such a vulnerable kind of conversation to have. And just to put it kind of out there in the universe, I was a little shocked by how detailed they went into what happened, the diagnosis and then the follow up surgeries. I just don't know if I would have shared all of that. But then the kind of messiness. One, I'm like, Dion, you got too much money to not have a will up until

SPEAKER_00

this point.

SPEAKER_01

I was mortified. I was mortified. Who was around you? The video, it came out and he's like, oh, I had to do my will last night. Anything could have happened. You could have died in an accident. You could have, I mean, people drop dead every day. And so to not have a will created or like you said, a trust or any sort of indication about how your assets would be distributed to your children and your grandchild. I was just really shocked by that. Now, I will say that. I don't know if he didn't have anything in place. It may not have been updated. You know, I always got to give people. You see my face. I'm like, I know you're such a Leo. People on that side have been talking about how to do my will last night. I'm going to venture to guess that he had a will. He just had to update it. Maybe he needed to write. Maybe that's what it was. Um, but I, I see why he did the press conference. He wanted to show that vulnerability, right? He said that there are a lot of people out there dealing with the exact same thing and they, you know, he wanted to urge men to go get, especially men, to go get checked out. You know, he had to get checked out. Had he not had to have these regular scans, they would not have found this. And so he He wanted to urge people, go get checked out, go, you know, and, you know, face whatever you got to face. Yeah. So I kind of like that. What I didn't like was Shador Sanders was at his press conference in camp and they're asking him about Dion's health. And, you know, they're like, you know, your father's health. And they were like. he's like, I don't know what's going on with him. I'm here focused on football. Can we keep this on football? And the lady still tried to turn it to, and he didn't lie because Dion, I don't, I believe that Dion didn't really tell them his players and his family, everything that was happening. The only one that probably knew was Bucky, his oldest. But, you know, I, I, the, his press conference was that kind of like the, I'm taking my talents to South Beach type thing. But, you know, I, I, you know, I like when people are vulnerable and, And I felt, you know, everybody was in his business anyway, like speculating. And he's just like, I'm just going to tell you. Yeah, I just wouldn't have told everything. I don't think people need to know you had a part of your bladder removed. They use part of your intestines to recreate your bladder. You know, that's just to me more detail. I like to hear that. Why? I want to know, I want to know like what... what options there are. Because sometimes, especially as black people, they might not give you some options that, you know, someone that, you know, other people don't have, like the other people get. So I like that, you know, because he had two options. And sometimes people aren't presented with two options. You know, I kind of like that. Okay, I can get it. I can understand it from that. perspective I think about so I was just laughing because you know many of us many black women in particular are anemic so I tell everybody don't waste your time with the pills don't waste your time with the liquid iron just get your iron infusion and to your point I've had a lot of women tell me like oh my doctor never told me that I could get an iron infusion or I didn't know or I didn't know that that was available and so for me in particular iron infusions have been like game changers I didn't know that I'm calling somebody tonight with that information because I didn't know that see you telling that on this podcast today thank you for being vulnerable so aunties y'all out there with your hair falling out you're cold you're eating ice and everything else get your iron infusions I got a call to make it get your iron infusions but the real tea that aunties was talking about you already know all of these people texting me right now was Karuchi trend in that video and that That is the most random, as the kids say, eye, so they don't have to cuss, random eye thing that came out of that video. It was like, why? Why did they post that? Well, months ago, there was rumors that they were dating. I never heard it. Yeah, there were rumors that they were dating. So that was the hard launch. That is the most ridiculous hard launch of your relationship that's possible. They said he was with old Roxy. Right, but she kept saying, nope, nope, nope. He kept saying, nope, nope, nope. But she put one of her girls on. But one, Carucci is not even 40. Like somebody was like, baby... Right, Auntie Tate, if you want to get you an old man, get you one with his bladder and all of his toes. They're like, Tracy Edmonds, Karuchi Trent. Right. And people were like, you too young for this. You too young for this. I have a really close friend. She just got married, but she is, you know, it's like approaching her 60s. She's like all the men who are in my age group had serious health conditions. Like they were looking for a maid, looking for a nurse. Right. So So, people were just like, and I agree, I think that was random. That's not how you hard launch your relationship. That is giving. I need a check. Yeah. Well, Hulk Hogan just passed away. His wife is 46 and he was 71. She did a press conference statement real fast. They were like, dang, that's the fastest statement I ever heard. She wasn't ready for him to die. I was like, oh man. I am not against May, December relationships within reason. But... But Shannon Sharpe and the 19-year-old, I'm against that. Right. That's why I said within reason. But that wasn't really a relationship. That was a business arrangement. Yeah. And they settled. And you know, whether they're male or female, right? So a lot of people also have a lot to say about Jalen Green and his relationship. And so I do think that whether it's the man being older or the woman being older, we... should be able to recognize that people sometimes fall in love who have different who are vastly older or younger but to your point hovering around 18 19 and I also think it's weird when you're in a relationship with somebody who's the same age as your children right you know that's to me odd whether you know it's legal but what What do I want to have in common with someone who maybe is the same age as my fictitious son? And your kids annoy you, but your kids get on your last nerve. But this 25 year old, he don't get

SPEAKER_00

on my nerves. Right.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. So that. I would say that relationship, you know, Dion and Carucci's relationship pretty much, at least on social media, eclipsed his health. And to your point, this is the first public relationship he's had since he and Tracy Edmonds went their separate ways. And so I think for a lot of women, right, of a certain age, it's like you don't whatever reason, this relationship couldn't work out with someone who is your peer, who's similarly stationed in life, right? Establish older children. And now you with this younger. Where does he even meet Carucci? That's what I was like. Where are you hanging out that you meet Carucci? But that's enough about Dion. You know, we got, we do it a deep dive on Dion. I ain't trying. So, yeah, so that was, you know, one of the most recent stories. Um, I got to talk a little bit about baseball a little bit. I still ain't been to a game. My Tigers, they lost six in a row, and then they won one. I was like, okay, we're back. Then they lost six in a row again. They are not in first place overall. They are still in first place in the Central Division. But the Milwaukee Brewers are in first place overall, which is random. But I just want to shout out my Tigers. They just traded for a pitcher who they believe in that we really need. But I have to mention my Tigers because I still think they're having a great season.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah,

SPEAKER_01

yeah. We are second in the American League, so that's good. We're in the top six overall, but I still think that they will be number one, end up number one. And win the World Series. I'm still counting on that. She's still calling it. That's her prediction. Still calling that. You were talking about a little bit Chris Paul. Oh, yeah. You know, I love me some CP3. I love him. I really want him to win a championship. You know, we were talking about the whole trade season or, you know, Earlier in the summer, I was saying that I was really excited about where he was going to go. I hoped that he was going to end up in Houston. That didn't happen, but I think this obviously signals that probably this is his last year, and he's going back to where it all began for him in a lot of ways. I don't think the Clippers is going to win it, but I do feel like this could potentially be a nice season for him to go ahead and retire, although I hate to see it. I know he's a jerk on the court, but I think he's a consummate professional. Yes. And he's ready to accept a lesser role and mentor people. I wanted him to go to the Lakers because I wanted him to go back home to his family. He's been away from his family during the season for years. And so I wanted him to go to the Lakers. So I feel like the Clippers are a good consolation prize. Now, I'm not going to count the Clippers out. They do have some good pieces. We'll see what they could do with it. But... I am glad that he's back in L.A. with his family. Yeah. And so that was, you know, the biggest thing for me. I love I love Chris Paul. I mean, I look like the little the little meme, you know, the girl who's like, oh, because I'm like, what pieces? The pieces still ain't healthy. They can't stay healthy to save their lives. I mean, now they have Bradley Beal. That's a new piece, but- Harder than Kawhi. They have pieces. I didn't say whether they were broken or- As Evelyn Lozado used to say, they are a MF and non-factor. I'm sick of them. I'm sick of Kawhi. It's like- It is a soap opera every single season. He won his ring and he was like, I don't need anymore. He was like, that's

SPEAKER_00

right.

SPEAKER_01

Harden. I'm going to shave his beard. The same thing. I think Harden needs a resurgence kind of like Luka. I don't see it coming. It probably is. It isn't, but I think ever since he got the rap, he just wants to hang out, he wants to party, he want to fly back to Houston for the weekends, go to the strip club. I think in order for people to take him more seriously, he needs to show like, oh, I'm getting back in shape. I'm changing my lifestyle, but no. It's just, it's not exciting anymore. Bradley Bill. I like Bradley Bill. Because I think his, yeah, like his wife, I think is from Cali, like LA. But again, I just don't think that gets him over the hump. No. I mean, no. But they have pieces. We'll see what they can do. I feel like anybody can win a few games. We'll see. Oh, yeah. They'll win a few. They'll be... Oh, and we forgot. They got Ben Simmons. Woo, Lord. Yeah. I wasn't... I mean, that's a non... You know, that's... That was not even worth it. Yeah, they got Zubat. They got Bo Donovich. I mean, they do. Like you said, they got some pieces. They got some pieces. Yeah, role players. Patty Mills. Yeah, role players. A lot of older

SPEAKER_02

people feel like. Yeah, that would be my one concern would be the age. The age. The age thing. Yeah. Because a lot of the players on that team are, you know, advanced in, you know, where they are in their careers. Right. And, you know, especially in today's game with, you know, how low management is. Right. And, I mean, we've seen it with Kawhi. The Clippers are, you know, very willing to sit players out, they're not going to be afraid of doing that. And if you get into a situation where a lot of these players are struggling to play 60 or even 70 games, I could see that getting ugly quick. I looked it up. It says with... including the addition of Chris Paul and accounting for, you know, training camp. And, you know, we're not sure exactly what the rush is going to look like, but the, about the estimate is about the average age is going to be around 30, 31 years old. And that's by far the oldest in the

SPEAKER_01

league. So, yeah, that's, that was my, that's my main thing. I was like, they have pieces. He's going to come in there, just be a mentor. He's need to come off the bench. He's probably, you know, and I'm not expecting much, but who knows, you know, Anything can happen. That's all I have to say. Hey, the geriatric team might get out there. Well, you know what ain't going to happen. His beloved 76ers having a healthy team. Paul George,

SPEAKER_02

right?

SPEAKER_01

He's going to be back. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

I

SPEAKER_01

was just like, man, oh man. So, but yeah, and you know, that's our, that's a little bit of the NBA and that transitions us to my favorite. The W. I love how they call it the W. The W. Look, so they started calling the NBA MNBA. I'm like, what y'all doing? Because the WNBA, I'm like, no, it's just the NBA. That's funny. But hey, I predicted something right. Team Collier won the game. Oh, yeah. Actually, they were blowing them out. But I want to start, though, the stars of the weekend were the stud buds. I can't believe I was watching that stuff. I was really watching their stuff on Friday and Saturday night because I wanted to see the party. I wanted to see who was doing what at the parties. It was out of control. It was great. It was entertaining. It was great. Because they'll knock each other's heads off on the court. You can definitely see that there was a lot of camaraderie among the players that they really, for the most part, fooled with. one another but yes the buds was the highlight of the weekend um it was authentic you know what i mean right it was entertaining right and it was pure comedy right you know 72 hours of live stream yeah and i'm not a um a streaming person like i i get it but i also don't like it you know what I'm saying so it was like to me that perfect convergence of something that's really hot you know what I mean with the league which is what they needed I never knew about those two players prior to the weekend no I mean I think I've seen them but it was like the pink hair you know like it was just it was a moment it was a cultural moment a pop culture moment I'm trying to think my highlights were the commissioner dancing to was it Nuck If You Buck? That was gold. T and her budding crush on Angel Reese. When she went from Scottie Diggins to Angel Reese. No, I love Angel bad. Right. And it was like, Angel, I think you've given this a little too much, a little too much attention because at one point, I think somebody had to pull her away. Like, just leave Angel alone. Like, you've been following her all night. She told Angel she was too expensive for her. Right. She did. She did. She's like, you know what, Angel, been playing basketball with you know uh stud buds for many many years you mean just for many many years oh yeah it was like it was the dancing so i gotta i got some of the see this is how i know that men try to act like they're bowlegged because why does courtney williams try to walk bowlegged why? so for our listeners did you see it? so for our listeners out there this is a pet peeve of Auntie Jen Jen she hates when people who are not bowlegged try to walk as if they are bowlegged I hate it and the number one perpetrator of this fraud is LeBron James yes I said look he's not bowlegged but he's trying to walk my brother is bowlegged I know what bowlegs look like okay It is a fact that men try to be

UNKNOWN

...

SPEAKER_01

Remember we were at the baseball game a couple weeks ago and the guy was walking and he's going to have hip problems because he's trying to be bow-legged and he's not. This is hilarious to me because Jen hates this. Evidence by the fact, Courtney Williams is trying to walk bow-legged. I swear I saw it. I saw it. Jen hates this. I also try to think, I think the highlight too was some of the fashion. Yes. But others like- Dress. I'm going to tell you what. Last year, the WNBA All-Star Game was in Phoenix. And that was my favorite one to date. It was like they implemented, you know, they had a new vibe going on.

SPEAKER_00

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01

Indiana is my favorite one to date. Like it gets, it's getting better. Yeah. Yeah. I love the orange carpet. Um, I'm trying to think. I definitely liked Angel's outfit. Angel was, Angel was sharp every day. Yeah. She looked, I thought Skylar Diggins brought it. I thought Sid Coulson. Yeah. She brought it. Um, I actually liked Sabrina too. I liked how her partnership with Nike, you know, evolves. They had the, and actually look, I want a pair of those Nike tight stockings. Did you see those? I don't know. She wore a skirt and a jacket and her tights were Nike logos. I loved it. I also thought that of course you know everybody looked really nice but you could tell that some people were really you know really trying to make the carpet their moment I really loved Paige and she was saying somebody asked her about her style and I think this is like one of the first times that she's kind of verbalized more so the androgynous style and she was saying that she's a umptee right so saying that she really tries to embody that feminine in, as well as the masculine energy in her looks, and then also the hard launch of her relationship. Yeah. The five questions about your D1 girlfriend. That's right. That's right. So many people speculated it for a while. That was the worst kept secret ever. Everybody knew. When do you think you knew? Over the past year. After they won. I mean, they do everything. And then she had the phone case, you know, that I'm Paige's girlfriend or something like that. Oh, no. I didn't see that. I did see when she showed up. Azizi Fudd showed up at the draft. And I think people were like, well, why is she sitting down there, you know, with Paige? Yeah, they do everything. So social media, they're together a lot. So, I mean, there's always been the talk. It wasn't, I don't think they tried to hide it at all. Well, they were quiet about it. Yeah, it's nobody's business. But they hard launched it, though. So, yeah, that was like. Yeah, that was a highlight, but no, it was a good- We want to be hugged up at All Star Games, so we're about to- It was a good weekend. Then also, the conversation about the collective bargaining agreement definitely took center stage. I'll say, before we get into that, the New York Liberty dominated All-Star Friday night, so Natasha Clout won the skills challenge, and Sabrina Inescu won the three-point shooting contest. She was lights out. I mean, nobody was about to beat her. The skills challenge, they got to improve that, because you can... miss throwing the ball through the hoop or the ring and all that and still win and i just feel like that's not a skill like that's just a timing you just beat the timer um but team collier like i said they dominated wire to wire they won 151 to 131 yeah and um they implemented the the atmt four point Now, do you like the four-point? Because some people felt like, nah. Because all they were doing was jacking up fours the whole night and missing them. I feel like there should be, like, you could shoot fours, like... a certain time, you know, like the last minute of the quarter or something like that. Because they were just jacking them up. I'm just like, oh my gosh. Everybody was shooting them. But it was good. That was a good game. But another highlight, like you said, was the collective bargaining agreement. So 40 players showed up and that was the largest in-person crowd to have a meeting about the collective bargaining agreement. But while they were in town, they had a meeting on Thursday. I believe it was Thursday, not Friday. And they didn't get anywhere. And so for the listeners, the collective bargaining agreement that they have is, let's say it's their union contract is what I call it. And they have had their contract. They signed their last one in 2020. And they opted out last year. They want to renegotiate. And the 2021 was a milestone CBA. I want to say about Kathy Engelbert. She is a former CEO of Deloitte, one of the big four professional firms. And so she comes with that financial knowledge. And she has... really grown the WNBA she's grown revenue I want to say she's doubled or tripled revenue or maybe even more um she came in in 2019 and I believe she was brought in to help them negotiate that collective bargaining agreement and you know they they um improved the salaries so the the maximum was in the you could make um I think the highest plate payer paid player now is making like 250 and that's Jackie Young and she came in and she improved revenue you know got them up to comfort plus airlines and then last year they had to change that to charter flights because of the you know people the harassment that was happening to the players in the airport and you know but As the league evolves and as it grows now, the players want better options. And in particular, they want a higher share of the revenue that is generated. And just to give you a glimpse of that, like in... the TV deal that the WNBA just signed that goes into effect in 2026, 2027 is $2.2 billion over 11 years. So that's, you know, $200 million a year. So the players are banking, not just on the revenue that here's the, here's the, here's the narrative. So, okay. In the, in the game, in the all-star game, in the shoot around the players unzipped their jackets and they had a shirt that said pay us what you owe us and that caused an uproar the crowd was even chatting after the game like pay the players pay them what you owe them and all these men I'm going to say mostly men is who I'm hearing object to it the league is $50 million in debt first of all so I went when they said when they keep throwing out these numbers I went and I said well how much let's just pause I want people to understand Jen's day job is an accountant so I think like she about to dive deep into these numbers and I want the listeners to understand this is what she does this is what she does because I think it's important a lot of times people don't understand you know businesses right they can show a loss yes right based on just the numbers and you know their deductions and all of that and so i think people should know we got somebody who really know what they talking about here thank you jennifer don't know what she talking about i know a little so i know how to read financials okay so but the first thing i did was i went and i said the players Caitlin Clark is making $76,000 this year, something like that. Ridiculous. That's ridiculous. Yeah. So I went and Googled, how much does Kathy Engelbert, the commissioner, make? They said, oh, that's not public knowledge. So you mean to tell me your public knowledge is that the league is losing $50 million, but you can't tell me how much of that Kathy makes, right? It's just like the NFL. The NFL used to be a nonprofit, so they used to have public... Public books. Public books. And then once Roger Goodell started getting to the $30 million, they became a private company because everybody was questioning the salary. So I said, okay, so the speculation is that she makes about $3 million a year. And I understand you were the CEO of Deloitte. I get that.

UNKNOWN

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But show me the books that say that they're losing $50 million a year. Show me the books. Because the way I look at it is like a profit and loss statement. You have revenue, and then you have costs that generate that revenue. The costs that generate that revenue are the players. That's your cost of revenue, your cost of sales. So anything after that is like overhead, you know, marketing and payroll, which Kathy should be in that overhead number. But the players are only getting 9% of all the revenue that's generated. And they want a higher percentage where the league wants to cap the percentage that they get. The players want to gradually make it more. I see both sides of it. But you have to come if you want the percentage to be fixed, you it's got to be higher than nine percent. Yeah. Well, I also think that this conversation probably would have been drastically different if Steph Curry's interview with Speedy Norman. Right. Hadn't come out like the next week because I think that this is important. And so Steph. you know, was talking about regardless of how much players make, it pales in comparison to the valuation or future valuation of the teams that they play for. And so Speedy was like, well, you your estimated net worth is around two hundred and forty million dollars. Like, do you think that that's and he's the third, I think the third highest paid right player in NBA history after LeBron Durant. And so, Steph made the comment that when you compare, so I think when he got to Golden State, and I want to pull up the specific. So, the Warriors now are worth $8.8 billion. And when he got there, they were, I think, worth maybe like $300 million, right? And so, his whole point was that If this was a tech company or kind of any other enterprise, I would be able at some point to participate in that upside. But he was like, players can't. So I think that players are still underpaid in comparison to the money that we bring in. And I think the WNBA is, to your point, at this critical juncture, they know that there's about to be an upside because they're helping to create it. Right. And so they should be able to participate in that upside. Right. And I think that, you know, that's fair. And any other business person will want the same thing. You know what I'm saying? So I'm sure Kathy has some sort of incentives right in her contract. So why not incentivize the players as well? Yes. The. They are banking on future players. like, like to the future valuation. So if they just say, okay, we'll take 9% of the, no, that that's still okay. They're not. So, so they talk about, oh, they're losing 50 million. Sometimes businesses show a loss on purpose. That's right. That's what I'm saying. Not just, you know, show a loss. They show a loss on purpose. And if I'm showing a loss, you know, in my smaller business, you know, for many, many years, they're going to just say it's a hobby and they're going to be like, girl, get out of here. But the WNBA could do it because it's designed like that. Come on. And why is it at a loss? Show me the books. I want to see the books that, that I want to see the financials that show that says that they have this $50 million. I don't believe it. So until you show me that, because why, what, who's going to continue to, okay. Philadelphia, Detroit, and who's the other one that got the team? Cleveland. Yeah. They are not going to pay $250 million to enter into a league that's about to tank. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. They paid $250,000. The past teams, what did they pay like? a fraction of that. But this is the thing, and we know this because we did our research also for our DAC, is that female fans it's not just about the team in itself it's also about the sponsorship opportunities the audience because female consumers control the majority of spending across any vertical right so it's a wonderful opportunity and most women are early adopters early adopters of products of new technologies of all of that so to your point people see the opportunity so I I also think we know by and large, women are vastly underpaid compared to their counterparts. So get all the money you can get because there's inherent disparities baked into that. Right. And you have... unrivaled who is proving the WNBA wrong. They're not on their level yet. And the WNBA is threatened by them too. Was it Gabby Williams? Gabby Williams was saying that the WNBA does not want them to have other leagues like unrivaled because It's just like that. We'll show you that the players can have equity in the team and you can make money. And child care can be taken care of as female athletes. Now, I caught a little bit of that today, too, where she was saying that if the W really tries to push this, that people are prepared to sit out. And then perhaps Unrival will extend their season. You know what I'm saying? So it's on and popping. And I love the fact that Unrival has built in the equity stake from the beginning. And that is going to make the product better. It's going to make people work harder because they know that they can participate in the upside. And And the NBA went, I want to say, 40 years without making a profit, but they still paid the players. Back in the 70s, they were making $300,000. They were still paying the players more than the women now, and they weren't profitable either. And the WNBA is on pace to be more profitable faster than the NBA is. Yeah. That tired old narrative, y'all don't understand financials and you don't understand. They're not paying them out of the... They shouldn't be paying them out of the profit. They're asking for the revenue, not for the profit. That's what I'm saying, off the top. So I know, nephew, you want to be in the front office one day. And so what do you think about this whole collective bargaining agreement thing? And how, I guess, if you were in the front office of one of these teams, how would you play it?

SPEAKER_02

Well, I can understand from a business standpoint how you're trying to conserve money. I'm not a financial expert. That's real house. But I do think just from an outsider's perspective, seeing the percentage of revenue that WNBA players make, and especially as opposed to the people in the NBA. The 50% or... Yeah. And I think that's what a lot of people kind of get twisted, is that they're not asking to be paid the same amount as the NBA players. They're asking to be paid the same percentage of the revenue. Right. And that is lower than the NBA's, but if it's the same percentage, then that would be a more... equitable way to do it. And that's what they're pushing for. Not saying that they're asking for money that isn't there. They're asking for the same percentage as players in other leagues, not just the NBA, but the NBA as an example, get paid.

SPEAKER_01

Or the potential to get there. Because they're not asking for it off the rip, but they're asking for a gradual way to get there.

SPEAKER_02

So I don't think that's unreasonable at all.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, I'm excited to see How the negotiations go. I also think some of the backlash is because also people misconstrued Kelsey Plum's comment when she was talking about Team Clark. And people felt like she was coming for Caitlyn again. All of the trolls couldn't help but jump. But she was basically just saying that people was hung over. They were up late partying. So they were slow coming to the meeting. It was like, like a whole inside joke. But yeah, I hope. I actually think that this moment is bigger than just the WNBA. I think that this is an opportunity for women also who are in business to understand the leverage that they do have and the power of negotiation. I also think that the WNBA players are more aligned. I think back to some of the past conversations on the MNBA side and how you had Like the, you know, stars versus the journeymen. You know what I'm saying? They just they weren't as tight kind of in their negotiation and in their positioning. But no, it's back when Derek Fisher sold them out. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And they was hot. They was mad. But yeah, it's. It's so much. I'm glad we got to talk about this, too, because your experience as an accountant definitely comes into play. But, yeah. And, you know, here's the thing, too. I own a business. And I'm learning that, you know, I know accounting, but I didn't know business. And I'm learning business, you know, in these past three years like never before.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

it's very nuanced and then unless you're in it and know about it you can talk on the sidelines and say oh they're but they're not generating the stuff that the men are it's not about that it's like this is their this is their job they can make more They were going overseas only because they could make a million dollars in a few months. And this was just to really grow the game. But I think to your point, and this is a pet peeve of mine, I'm so tired of the comparisons to... the men's game or to talk about will the men do this we talked a little bit earlier today about shannon sharp his conversation with flage about and it started with uh with aja right about oh can the best w nba players be just you know a scrub in the nba and i i'm i'm I'm just so shocked that for a lot of men, they have to bring it back to, well, we can still beat you. Right. It's so stupid. If you talk to 10 WNBA players, they're going to tell you they grew up playing against men on the playground courts.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That's why they play the way that they play. Yeah. They did play against men, and they beat them. It's not impossible for a woman to beat a man at any sport. But I'm tired. Like you said, I'm tired of that narrative. Just stop it. Well, the Aces can't beat a high school team. The Aces aren't playing a high school team ever. Yeah. And actually they do have men in their practices. The WNBA players. And in college too. And colleges. And they have men that they practice against every day. Like stop it. Yeah. It reminds me of when Diana Taurasi and Draymond Green got into the argument. Got into an argument. during the Olympics you know what I'm saying and they were shocked because Diana was giving it to them you know what I'm saying like um and I think that people underestimate the competitive nature of women's sports to your point it's like I think back to those days you know uh in the boys club where our coach would. They would be like, come on, I need a team of five guys and you're going to run against my girls. You know what I mean? And eventually it was like the guys would be like, oh, I don't want to, you know what I'm saying? I don't want to play against them or I'm not going to try my hardest or I don't want to guard no girl. She think that I'm going to be trying to fill on her or whatever. It would be like all of these, you know what I'm saying? Like all of these objections. And then we would be like, let's go. You know what I'm saying? And then it was like, oh, once they saw that we was playing and we didn't care that they were dudes, then it was like their pride was engaged. Like, oh, no, I ain't going to let no girl go around me or I ain't going to let no girl. You know what I'm saying? And then without a doubt, it was going to be a hard foul. You know what I'm saying? Because somebody is getting, you know, took to the hood by a girl and it was in their feelings like, oh, no, I got to shut this down. So, you know, I'm a hacker. or I'm going to inadvertently push her down. You know what I'm saying? And so that's what it reminds me of, you know, just like an attempt to say, oh, we still got one on you. And what is interesting to me is that none of the conversation, and we already know Shannon Sharp is probably a misogynist, but none of the conversation is about, right, the... I would say the strategy behind the game. It's about physical prowess. They don't think the woman can run around the man. And even with Flage, I was like, girl, why are you the one talking? Because everything she kept coming back to was they can dunk. They can dunk. Have you seen them? They can dunk. And it's like, okay, beyond running and jumping, you're saying that men just couldn't beat the women unless they could dunk on them you know so and that's you know so I get all the money one of my favorite I don't know her name but there's a lady on Instagram well she's probably on all social media and she goes to gyms she goes to the gym she puts her phone on the floor oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah and they and talking junk at the same time and they get so mad we need to have one of our favorite yes have you seen those clips i'm gonna find it we gotta we gotta find it but yes and it's like she will knit all of the clips together and it's like she'll just put her little phone on a tripod in the corner they playing at like a gym or you know i don't know a high school gym or like a workout facility and she'll be in there beating them to death you know what I'm saying still five on five but the worst one I saw was like the dude did he go and get his girlfriend or it was like his mama somebody like he was hot like you know really really mad and so he brought a couple of women in there like no no she ain't about to do this to me and it was like dude but again the pride and The pride of it all. But yeah, I mean, I just think that the... the archetype of women has to be expanded to include a high competitive drive. And I think that that is underestimated. And look, every player in the WNBA may not be able to beat every player in the NBA. Because obviously they talked about Kevin Durant, right? Like, what do I look like going flash? What do I look like going up? You did make a good point, like talking about dunking and stuff. So Somebody else came back and said, well, yeah, they could probably be somebody like Muggsy Bogues or something. Not necessarily. It's like Duncan is it. But I do believe they're going to score. They're going to get a couple of buckets. They're going to surprise a lot of people. But our value as women doesn't have to always be in comparison to what men can do. Well, that's, it's always men that are saying it. I don't think I've ever talked to my female friends about, Hey, you think she could beat him? No, I just, it's always some man like Shannon's shirt. Talk about, why would you even have that in your interview questions? Like, why are you doing that? Because, I mean, but that, first he asked Aja Wilson, or somebody asked Aja Wilson. She said, yeah, she thought some players from WNBA and so on. I get it, but why you ask, why is he, why is that on your card to ask during the interview? Well, that's what I said. We all know Shannon Sharp is misogynistic. Yeah. So, I'm like, kill that. Except when he on OnlyFans. I'm sorry. Oh, man. But, again, We now understand. So you have a man continually talking about women in a disparaging way. Talking about women taking advantage of him because he has money. Talking about how he won't take women out to a nice restaurant. He want to take them to Applebee's or something. You know what I'm saying? Because he don't want them to... He doesn't go pick them up. He sends a car. He sends an Uber. So doesn't want them to take advantage of right his his financial means then you get slapped with a a rape allegation by a 19-year-old model on OnlyFans, you settle and you got to pay money. When you were talking about all these other women, now you have to pay her to settle, and the day that you settle, the day you settle the suit, she announces publicly that she has now retired from OnlyFans. So, when we talk about who is taking who- I don't need to go back to OnlyFans anymore. Right. Who is taking advantage of who? Right. He... So, yeah. So, that's what I'm saying. That's why. Because of the type of person or type of man that he is. Hi, my name is Bianca and- um shannon sharp retired me from only that's right and people and all the aunties now we're gonna give it up all the black aunties out there was like what what do you mean you didn't talk all this trash about us coming after you for your money and you get taken to the ringer by a 19 year old better listen to monique now so i want to see who he pops out with next Girl, he ain't popping out with nobody. His little fashion consultant? Ain't nobody popping out. Ain't nobody popping out with Shannon Sharp. He gonna be like, Dion popped out with Carucci. I could pop out with somebody. Yeah, okay. Nope. I'm trying to find the settlement amount. I thought they didn't disclose it. No, they didn't disclose it, but she was suing him for $50 million. Yeah, she didn't get no $50 million. She probably got 10, 15. She probably got the original 10 that he offered her and called it a day. Can you imagine paying $10 million to settle some BS that you didn't get yourself into? Yeah, when you got a $100 million deal you trying to secure? Yeah, so that's why he asked the question. Yeah. You know, just like when he was talking to Young Miami, right? He was like, so you be getting Birkin bags and stuff, Chanel bags? She's like, mm-hmm. Yeah. Oh, I got to stay in my pay grade. I can't be dating you. Right? So everything is cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap. Yeah. But you just, you had to pay. Yeah. You had to pay. So, yeah. So women, get yours. Get what you owe, what you worth. because you deserve it you deserve it before we leave on the WNBA Cameron Brink who was the number two drafted player in the WNBA last year so Kaitlyn Clark was number one Cameron Brink was number two and she tore her ACL last year so tonight She's making her season debut from her torn ACL. So everybody's anticipating that because she was just playing like a rookie last year. So they want to see what she can really do. So I'm happy to see her come back. They love to compare Angel to everybody. So they, you know, there was some poll that came out. But anyway, I want to see that happen. Angel's been out with a back injury, even though she's doing all these TikToks. They're like, isn't your back hurting? And the sky had been getting blown out, so they really need her back. Caitlyn's still out. So it's an interesting season. Dallas Wings, Paige Beckers, and Arike Agumbawale are starting to gel. They beat the Liberty last night. Liberty lost two games that they should have won. So, the WNBA is heating up. Yeah, yeah. So, that's my take on that. So, football. The Lions are in training camp. They're saying that... The receivers are being allowed to run the routes that they want to run. They're opening up their offense even more. I'm excited to see that. We've had a couple injuries in training camp. It'll be interesting to see what they do. Everybody loves the new offensive coordinator. We'll see if that translates to a good season. I think it's going to be a tough season, but I can't wait for that to start. I'm trying to get my outfits together for the Lions. The past couple of years, I have not been satisfied with my Lions gear. Girl, girl. All my gear is old. I got to get my Lions gear together this year. Yeah. Go Lions. Yeah, Pistons, we're going to see what they're going to do, but Red Wings, we're going to see what they're going to do, but you know, I always got to talk about my home teams. Oh, I just want to touch on this. 45-year-old Venus Williams is out here trying to keep her Cobra insurance, and she is playing and winning some matches, and she's going to be in the US Open doubles, mixed doubles, so Welcome back, Venus. Come on back. It was good to see her out there. One of the reporters was like, you're 45. Why are you out here? She said, why not? Right. Their relationship with the media has always been contentious. I didn't understand when the guy was asking her about what he felt she had to prove. And she was like, I don't have to prove nothing. Right. You know, and so again, I'm here because I really love it. Right. Right. This is been my whole life I can still do it at a high level compared to us mere humans she looked really healthy she looked well rested and I think that was after she talked about her Cobra insurance like dude I really they sent me a letter which was hilarious I'm always at a doctor I gotta keep my insurance and I was shocked and I was like what why are they doing what's up with the WTA But I was shocked, too. I was shocked that she didn't get a lot of backlash about that comment. Because I'm also like, Venus, you got more than enough money to pay for your medical needs. Why? When you can have their cobra. But I mean, I understand wanting the insurance, but it's not like I mean. I hate to get political, but we are living in a time where literally Medicaid is going to be cut for millions of people living in poverty. A multimillionaire talking about coming back because they need their COBRA. That's my girl, but it was a little tone deaf. Because you can afford it. You can afford to go out and to pay. Coco golf saying she didn't have any debt. She called it depth She didn't even know how to say that because she ain't got no debt, right? That's to me. Okay This is a good good segue and we're gonna wrap it up in a

SPEAKER_00

minute, but

SPEAKER_01

I am And we've talking about business again, right I Our money mindset starts when we're young and I people expect multi-millionaires to, to like, to, to be, you know, to talk like they want them to talk. Like why she talking, acting like she can't afford, she didn't say she couldn't afford it. She just don't. But, but we are like, we, we, we want them to be embarrassed about having money sometimes. And I'm not saying you're saying that I'm saying, um, It just comes across as tone deaf. That's what I'm saying. Like, at the end of the day, you can afford to pay. And that's I love Venus. But and people didn't take the take that I'm taking now. Right. People were like, oh, this is a great, you know, ha ha ha he he he. I laugh, but I was also like, ouch. Right. For people here in America, many of who are going to have their benefits cut off and don't have the means to actually benefit. go out and pay for their medical services. I was like, it just appears to be tone deaf for this moment in history. But what if they can go get a job and work and get benefits to do that? They're going to go get that job. I know a lot of people that go... to work or stay at a job so that they can keep the benefits that they have. I don't, I didn't really take it as tone down. I don't know. I just, I felt like it, like it doesn't apply to me cause I'm not a multimillionaire. So I, you know, but I didn't, I wouldn't expect her to say just cause I have a multi, I'm a multimillionaire. I'm just going to go buy my own insurance. Hey, shoot, they might have a great plan. And I'm surprised they even have to pay for it. That's the thing. I'm, I'm, you know, like some sports, I think you get. Or some companies, you might get health care for the rest of your life. I don't know. Right. So this is my moment because professionally, I work in philanthropy. So I'm going to have my moment. And I guess this is like I said, I know everyone doesn't have access to this information from a policy standpoint. But based on what's being proposed, between four to seven million people will be going without insurance. health insurance because of plan cuts to Medicaid. Right. And so we're talking about seniors. We're talking about those who are living in poverty. And the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the total number of uninsured people will rise to 17 million by 2034. And again, this is in exchange for a lot of tax cuts, like we were talking about early, right, to corporations. So this moment, at least in my field, people are trying to strategize about what are we going to do in our communities as the number of uninsured people rise. So that's what I'm living every day, like, you know, foundations and nonprofits trying to think through not just uninsured, but cuts to SNAP benefits. So I think that's why it kind of for me was a little tone deaf because the majority of working class Americans and those who are in poverty it's about to get a lot harder for them I know you know I'm in the non-profit sector you know and my clients are you know they one of my clients in particular has a food bank and they have cut you know they've cut FEMA funding and all that but But let's think about the audience that Venus was talking to. She was at a tournament where people buy tickets. It's a luxury to buy a tennis ticket. I don't know. I got to debate you on that. I'm not saying that. I got to debate you on that. It was off the cuff, right? It was, I think, a joke because everybody knows that she could pay. But to me, that moment just showed like, you're a multimillionaire, right? Because most working class people in this moment are... definitely thinking about the impact to their bottom line. And she's got many more options. So that's all, you know. Girl, you know you can pay your copay. Girl, you know you can pay. If you got to pay out of pocket, you can pay out of pocket for your mammogram. You may not want to. But why would she if she could just go play a tournament? But that's what I'm saying. I think she wanted to get back. Like, if she didn't want to, she wanted to get back out there. Right? So it's not like you can't. That's what I'm saying. Right? So better to say that you came back. And that's why I said I think it was a joke. You love the game. That's why you're really out there. She's not playing because financially she has to it was I took it as a joke but I also was like it's a little tone deaf at the moment but I just don't want people to and I was saying this in a group one day I don't want people to be embarrassed about making money or having money or anything like that because just because it might like you say it might be tone deaf to other people I want I want business owners to have a booming business. Oh, yeah. And some business owners, they don't want people to know that they have this booming business. And I used to be like that mindset. Like, if I was around people that weren't, you know, if I was doing well and other people weren't doing it, I would, like, tense up. It didn't make me feel good to see that, right? Right. And so I would, like... You would dim your light. Dim my light for that sometimes. No, you don't. But on the flip side, and it's so funny because I have a colleague who advises high net worth individuals. And I think on the flip side, sometimes people with money go out of their way to try to communicate that they like everybody else and not from a... you know an embarrassment standpoint but more so like ooh they're uncomfortable with people knowing that they have money so she would tell me she would be in these conversations with people and they would be like oh it's so awkward or oh you know I feel so guilty especially like if they inherited the money and so she would say I know somebody like that I have a strategy I have a strategy to help you with your guilt and you know i know something that we can do that's what she said she said she would tell him oh you can give me all your money and then that will help you with your guilt and she said they'd be like oh yeah no i'm just playing like i mean i just didn't wouldn't say i didn't feel guilty but this is what i was saying earlier your money mindset comes from how you grew up It's how you saw money as a child. I'm doing a whole business thing. Y'all stay tuned. I'm not going to get all into it. And I'm a product of this. Yeah, yeah. And this is good because Venus and them definitely grew up working class, whatever. Absolutely. And so doing whatever you got to do. Absolutely. And that's what I'm trying to convey here. But now, baby, Venus, baby, you don't need to work. You don't need to work in order to have insurance. But that money mindset is still, ooh, these bills coming in. It does not go away. The money mindset that you have as a child, the way you saw your parents or your guardians or whoever you were raised by, it carries through. You want me to be very vulnerable? I went to the store when I was young. And we were on food stamps and I had food stamps. And I looked around to make sure that none of my friends were in there. And as soon as I gave the guy the food stamps, my classmate walked in and he was like, oh, you got them things. And that was back when the food stamps was like real dollars. And I remember that like that was yesterday. You could call my friend Sierra right now and you'll say, why was Jennifer crying when y'all had to go to the store when you were young? This is a whole separate incident. To this day, she tells me, remember that time your mother had sent you to the store with food stamps and you were crying because you didn't want to go to the store? I didn't want to go because my friend, my classmate already ostracized me for having food stamps. And that is why, and I didn't realize this until recently, as an adult, my mindset about money is to hide it to like to a certain extent so this makes sense then because About two months ago, we went to a concert together, and Auntie Jim pulled out a thick knot of money. It was all cash, too. I said, Jim, what you got that knot for? She was like, Context, please. She hurried up. Context, please. We went to a concert. We went to a concert. I had my money. My sister brings me money to pay me back for stuff, right? So that's how I have cash. And I'm like, and I had it in my purse. And I took. It was a knot, y'all. I couldn't take the purse to the concert. So I had to take the money and put it somewhere. So I was rushing. I put it in my pocket. I had to pay for parking. I pulled out the money to pay for parking. So imagine we pulling. We pulling up. I'm somebody. I'm somebody. I had a good night at the strip club. You did, right? Sorry, Eliza. I'm so sorry. I'm someone who never has cash, so we pull up to pay for parking. Me and the two people in the passenger side, we trying to pull out our cars like, okay, we about to contribute. You got cash yet? We about to contribute to the parking. Jen, like I said, pull out this knot, and she start peeling off. I'm like, Jen, what are you doing? She is exaggerating. I am not. I didn't know she was going to say anything. I'm like, oh my goodness. So then like the week later, she was like, I can't believe you put me on blast. But she was, she was trying to kind of hide it. I was looking like a pimp or something. I'm like, no, I just had on jeans and I had the money in the pocket. And I was driving, so I had to put, yeah, context. But I have to think about this a little little bit more I'm gonna do so my business podcast I don't want to mix it here but I'm gonna have a whole series on that it's money it's money mindset it's a mindset that you get when you're very young and it Venus and Serena are examples of that so for me I grew up with my family extended family being entrepreneurs another side of my family working in the plants my mother being a teacher right so like working class or professional individuals for me my and you said this to me because I was an entrepreneur as well I think I have always had the ability to get money

SPEAKER_00

and

SPEAKER_01

And it doesn't come hard for me. It just comes. And I would say so for me personally, like in relation to my mom, our money stories are totally different. And so my challenge has been right now. moving beyond right the stress of money to know that I've always been able to as my sister says make it happen and then you reminded me right a couple of weeks ago like do you understand when you had your business like It was coming, and I was like, I guess it was, right? I was reading the financials. I mean, I was reading, you know, many people struggle, many business owners struggle to even make six figures, and you know, six figures is like a dream to them. Yeah, and so Jen reminded me, like, do you realize that your business was making six figures, and you didn't? And I was like, oh, I guess so. Like multi-six figures. So I think for me, A part of it is in relation to my mom. and her story, but I think also claiming another part of my story, my family's story and legacy, because up until I was an entrepreneur myself, I never really associated my family's money story with entrepreneurship, right? Until I started to reflect back on what I really learned. Like I would talk about what I learned from my grandmother, but I would never center the entrepreneurship story in that. And I think having Having that experience, taking the risk, gave me a level of confidence, which is why we're about to get this money when it comes to our podcast. So when you be on my podcast, you're going to be a guest on my podcast and you're going to talk about this deeper. I will. I will. So Venus, release. the working class it is in there Compton you far from Compton now it's coming but yeah that's a that's real that's a good that was a good bring it back around but this was fun this was fun So are we signing off? We are signing off. Thank you to Elijah.

SPEAKER_02

Always. Thank you. Thank you guys for having

SPEAKER_01

me. You're welcome. Thank you for all your input. So again, follow us on all of our social channels and comment and like and send us questions and topics that you want us to talk about. But we are signing off. We are ATS, Aunties Talk Sports. Two aunties, two mics. All game. Peace. Peace.