I'm actually about to quit this podcast and make one in Turkey.

Welcome to Spinsters, a podcast where we shouldn't have to go overseas in order to make a living.

I'm Jordan Liggins, and today we are joined by our contributor, a wonderful journalist, and a friend of Spinster's Natalie Weiner.

Natalie, what story do you have for us today?

Today, what I'm hoping to talk about is a thing that I think we all sort of take for granted,

you know, watching the WMBA, basically just the fact that all of the players play overseas, you know, in addition to their commitments with the WMBA.

So a lot has changed over the WMBA's 25 seasons, but one league defining reality has remained constant.

There's just not enough money to go around.

Penny Toller is one example.

Penny Toller is best known for scoring the first basket in WNBA history.

She was a point guard who had played in Israel, Greece, and Italy

before joining the W for its inaugural season.

As a long-time professional, she had a single plea for the league's commissioner at the conclusion of the first WNBA season.

If I could ask Val Ackerman to do one thing, she said, it would be to raise the salaries to the point where most of us wouldn't feel

like we have to go overseas anymore to play.

Yet today's WNBA players, nearly 25 years after Penny's first basket, are still compelled

with few exceptions to play overseas

every offseason if they want to maximize their potential as professional athletes.

So my flight there, like I got on a flame and I probably cried for like a good 45 minutes old.

Like I'm really going over here and about to be over here for seven months.

Like this is insane.

That was the Indiana Fever's Victoria Vivians talking about her first stint overseas in Israel.

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