The Thought Creator

Welcome to edition seven of The Thought Creator, my first for 2024.

I won't go into too much detail about why it's been a while since I sat down to write - let's just say I received some feedback that I found very hard to work through, and something that made me question my love of writing and sharing stories to create impact.

For me, writing has always been something that helps me to reflect - a cathartic kind of process where I work through thoughts and feelings. With my desire to make a difference, I started to think that sharing in way that is relatable could be an opportunity for someone to have one of those ah ha moments when you see or read something and think "thank goodness it's not just me!"

That's the intention behind The Thought Creator; my aim is to create a space where you can take a mindful moment to be inspired. In a world moving at considerable pace, I hope to provide you with an opportunity to take five, make a cuppa, sit, read, and create a thought. Where you take that thought will be up to you, I'll just be planting the seed.

In today's issue I share some reflections on privilege!

The Oxford dictionary defines privilege /ˈprɪv(ɪ)lɪdʒ/ (noun) as a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.

Other definitions include:

• a special advantage or right possessed by an individual or group. A privilege is a right or advantage gained by birth, social position, effort, or concession (Oxford Learners Dictionary)
• Privilege is unearned access or advantages granted to specific groups of people because of their membership in a social group. Privilege can be based on a variety of social identities such as race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, ability status, sexuality, age, education level and more (United Way for Southeastern Michigan)
• When you're privileged, you enjoy some special right or advantage that most people don't have. People can be privileged in many different ways, but it always means that they're getting some unusual deal that others probably envy (Vocabularly.com)
• A particular and peculiar benefit or advantage enjoyed by a person, company, or class, beyond the common advantages of other citizens (thelawdictionary.org)

For those who may not be aware, I was Head of the WNBL (Women's National Basketball League) between 2016 and 2019, and in that time I was involved in some significant pieces of work that were spoke of as agreements that marked the end of the amateur era.

1. 2017 - The inaugural WNBL Players Minimum Conditions Agreement
2. 2018 - Establishment of the WNBL’s first Parental and Pregnancy Care Policy
3. 2019 - Increase to the minimum player payment, an agreement that guaranteed WNBL players a minimum base wage of $13,000 for the next season, which represented a 73% increase on the previous season

“Our players just competed in one of the best WNBL seasons in league history and the WNBL wants to ensure they are recognised for being the driving force behind that success. The WNBL’s vision is to be Australia’s most accessible, inspiring and globally elite women’s professional sporting League. To continue to strive towards that vision becoming a reality we need to continue to raise the bar for our athletes’ salaries and conditions. Young girls playing basketball need to see there is a clear career pathway and continued improvements in conditions for our WNBL athletes is a high priority. We want the best athletes in our League, and we want to see girls making basketball their sport of choice.” ~ Me!

I recall the immense amount of joy and pride I felt across these historic moments in time. So many people were involved in bringing these improvements to life; the clubs, the ABPA (Australian Basketballers Player's Association) and my team at Basketball Australia - it was quite literally sweat and tears kind of stuff, and I think for the first time there was some real hope that things were going in the right direction for WNBL athletes.

At the time I also remember reflecting on my own WNBL career and how very little money I earned. For memory I was paid $1,500 for my first season coming out of the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) in 1992. Moving forward throughout my WNBL career the highest contract I earned was $10,000 when team captain in my penultimate season at Dandenong. In what would be my last season competing (1999/00) I moved to Adelaide and dropped back to earning $5,000. Across the 10 years I played in the WNBL I might have earned around $50K.

Conditions had dramatically improved since I was playing, so all was bright and rosy, right?

Fast forward to September 2023 and AFLW (Australian Football League Women) athlete Saraid Taylor wrote a powerful piece about her time as a WNBL development player. Her story forced me to reflect on my own privilege and how it influenced the way I led and made decisions.

To try and summarise, Saraid spent six years in the WNBL as a development player, signed on six separate ‘contracts’, officially termed as voluntary services agreements, and was never elevated to a roster. Saraid's article questioned the WNBL on its use of the term 'minimum player payment' and how that term could exist if not all players were being paid it, citing that "development players are contracted WNBL athletes in every way except reimbursement and name."

"It is farcical; not for the players and the players’ association who have fought so hard for each increase, but that any of the increases would even be claimed as a minimum at all. It is not a ‘minimum player payment’ if not all players are being paid it." ~ Saraid Taylor

Notes:

• In 2017 a new minimum player pay and conditions agreement was reached via the introduction of a WNBL Players Minimum Conditions Agreement which would allow for players to earn a minimum of $7,500.
• Commencing 2019/20 and running through 2020/21, another new agreement guaranteed WNBL players a minimum base wage of $13,000; representing a 73% increase on the previous season.
• In November 2023 the WNBL and the ABPA announced another new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for WNBL players for the 2023/24 season that would see a player's minimum base wage increase by 33%.
• In June 2024 the WNBL announced a successful agreement and implementation of another new CBA, which would be valid for the 2024/25 season only. The agreement would provide financial uplifts including a minimum wage uplift by 15%, from $20,000 to $23,000 and the Development Player honorarium would double, from $2,000 to $4,000.

So what does this all have to do with privilege you ask?

After reading Suraid's article I remember feeling overcome by a wave of sadness. Something that I was involved in, and was so proud of didn't feel quite so good anymore. Yes, I recognise that there was some incredible progress made, but there was still a group of athletes that weren't considered - how could I have made this mistake?

Suraid's article taught me an incredibly valuable lesson in how my own privilege significantly influenced my decision-making and shaped my perspectives. My lack of awareness about the challenges faced by development players ultimately affected the decisions that were made, because throughout my own basketball career I'd never sat on a bench or been a development player. I played lots of minutes, captained teams and didn't have a sense of what life was like for 'benchies' or 'DP's'. Because I didn't have this lived experience, I didn't give appropriate consideration to development players when making decisions, and I certainly didn't advocate for them - I'd never been one!

In the time that has passed since Saraid's article first impacted my life I've invested a lot of time into ensuring that I understand more about how privilege operates. I've worked to examine the advantages that can come with privilege and lead to a lack of awareness about the challenges faced by others, ultimately affecting how decisions are made, and the bias that can then surround the outcome. Using my time leading the WNBL as an example, I now recognise that I unintentionally prioritised my own experiences and needs while overlooking the implications of the choices we made when developing player payment policies.

All this self-reflection doesn't mean that I haven't worked hard or experienced some disadvantage myself along the way or that I've had an easy life. But while getting uncomfortable with my WNBL reflection I recognise that open mindedness is a critical lens in understanding my own inherent privilege.

Thanks to The Line here are some simple questions to help you reflect:

• What sorts of things do I take for granted as a member of a privileged group?
• How are my experiences different from those of a disadvantaged group?
• Why do these differences matter? What do they look like in the real world?

Other helpful advice includes:

• Take the time to understand the impact that your privilege, and the privilege of other people has on more marginalised communities.
• Listen to the experiences and opinions of others, try to avoid becoming defensive – this isn’t a personal attack on you or your actions. Acknowledging and validating your differing experiences is important.
• Most importantly, seek out further information and educate yourself, instead of relying on others to inform you.

I now have a far better understanding of how privilege operates and how crucial this understanding is when looking to make decisions that need to be equitable and inclusive. I'm committed to acknowledging those moments when there is 'privilege' sitting around the table making decisions, working to always ensure that all the people who will be impacted by the decision are represented and have a voice.

I sincerely thank Saraid for her bravery in speaking up; her story is one that has dramatically influenced the way I now approach everything I do.

Enjoy exploring your privilege and the impact it has on the decisions you make!

Sal xo

The Announcements

2017 - HISTORIC PAY DEAL FOR WNBL ATHLETES | WNBL

2018 - PLAYERS ASSOCIATION AND CHEMIST WAREHOUSE WNBL INTRODUCE PARENTAL AND PREGNANCY CARE POLICY | WNBL

2019 - Chemist Warehouse WNBL and ABA secure minimum player payments increase | WNBL