Draymond Green Says Comments About Women's Pay Were 'Extremely Misconstrued'

Joseph Zucker @@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVApril 9, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 09: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors looks on in the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on December 09, 2019 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green told reporters Thursday his comments on how female athletes should bridge the pay gap were "extremely misconstrued."

"I think it’s unfortunate that she thinks it’s unfortunate that that’s my view," Green said. "At the end of the day what Megan [Rapinoe] wants and what I want is the same thing."

Kylen Mills @KylenMills
“I think it’s unfortunate that she thinks it’s unfortunate that that’s my view. At the end of the day what Megan (Rapinoe) wants and what I want is the same thing.” Part of Draymond Green’s 15min rant today over criticism of his comments on women’s sports. @kron4news #DubNation pic.twitter.com/ascRo3t6l6

The three-time All-Star posted a number of tweets saying he thought women needed to do more to lobby necessary decision-makers behind the scenes to grow the scope of women's sports:

Draymond Green @Money23Green
The business. Stop allowing them to yell women empowerment for the look. No company grows without funding. Y’all business can grow with the proper funding and story telling. Make these huge companies commit money to y’all cause. That’s empowering! Or don’t yell women empowerment

Draymond Green @Money23Green
Well a huge part of that is because the payoff isn’t as big. It’s not the norm. How do you change the norm and y’all keep doing the same thing? All these companies yelling women empowerment can easily endorse Paige to make up for the lack of payment in y’all league.

Draymond Green @Money23Green
They can easily tell y’all stories. But they don’t have to because the request that are being made are falling on deaf ears because y’all keep saying pay me more, with no way to drive the revenue. Force hands! Paige number#1 pick 2021!

Draymond Green @Money23Green
Break the mold and change the game! Most importantly, change the BUSINESS. Call on these companies for support, after all they are using y’all to push WOMEN EMPOWERMENT , but not helping y’all. They’re simply saving face.

Days later, Green waded back in during a media call with reporters and said he was "really tired of seeing them complain about the lack of pay."

Kylen Mills @KylenMills
"I'm really tired of seeing them complain about the lack of pay, b/c they're doing themselves a disservice by just complaining."<br>Today Draymond talked about his Tweets about women's sports that received criticism from athletes like @mPinoe & @Layshiac @kron4news #DubNation pic.twitter.com/7iUQ982jx9

United States women's national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe responded to Green on Wednesday with a withering critique.

"You obviously kind of showed your whole ass in not even understanding what we all talk about all the time," Rapinoe told reporters. "... You don't think we've asked for more funding? What are we screaming about nonstop? That was really disappointing, and from someone who has such a big platform, that's just not acceptable at all."

Rapinoe was a part of the group of USWNT players who sued U.S. Soccer in March 2019 over unequal pay and treatment relative to the men's national team.

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The two sides reached a partial settlement in December, and the saga led to wider discussion about the pay gap.

While representing Team USA, WNBA stars Nneka Ogwumike and Angel McCoughtry took Green to task as well for his assertion female athletes aren't putting forth the effort behind the scenes:

The 2021 NCAA basketball tournament encapsulated some of the structural problems affecting female athletes.

Stanford sports performance coach Ali Kershner shared a photo of the weight rooms for the men's and women's basketball players at their respective bubbles. The men were provided multiple machines and stations over a large area, while the women had one weight set and yoga mats.

Oregon star Sedona Prince also documented the discrepancies in a video that has garnered 17.6 million views:

Sedona Prince @sedonaprince_
Let me put it on Twitter too cause this needs the attention pic.twitter.com/t0DWKL2YHR

NBC Sports' Alex Azzi detailed how the NCAA's treatment of the men's and women's players differed in other areas as well.

Speaking with ESPN's Peter Keating last May, Seattle Storm star Sue Bird explained how the fight for equal pay is more nuanced and not necessarily to be taken literally.

"These are businesses, and none of us are out there saying we want to be paid the exact same as the men," Bird said. "When I think of pay equity, I think of the opportunity that the NBA and other male sports leagues have to be successful."

Communication & Sport published a study on March 24 titled, "One and Done: The Long Eclipse of Women’s Televised Sports, 1989–2019."

The phrase "one and done" referred to what the researchers said happens when "a single women’s sports story [is] obscured by a cluster of men’s stories that precede it, follow it, and are longer in length."

For example, the researchers found that in 2019, women's sports coverage accounted for 5.7 percent of the airtime on SportsCenter. The figure would've fallen to 3.1 percent when taking away the 2019 Women's World Cup.