LSU women’s basketball star Flau’Jae Johnson knows that some of the conditions she’s grown accustomed to in college are better than what they’ll be like should she join the professional ranks.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Johnson, 20, did not hold back when asked about what she’d like to see improve about the WNBA.
“The conditions for the players,” Johnson said.
“You go to college, and you’re treated like a pro. Then, you go to the pros and you’re treated not like a professional. In that way, I say the league can be better. I know everybody will say revenue, but it’s going to take time for the game to get to where it’s supposed to get.
“I think just the conditions for the players — living arrangements, travel arrangements — that’s very important to the athlete. I was fortunate enough to be in college for the NIL era, so I’ll be more than fine going to the league. But, yeah, that’s very important.”
As a sophomore, Johnson still has two years of eligibility remaining at LSU.
The travel arrangements Johnson is talking about refer to flying — whereas college programs like LSU take charter jets, WNBA players have been in a lengthy battle about flying commercial.
One relevant factor here is Title IX.
At LSU, a ton of resources are poured into the football program, and this means that due to the law of men’s and women’s sports getting funded equally, the women’s teams benefit.
A recent story from Baton Rouge Business Report claimed LSU’s women’s basketball team ran a deficit of nearly $8 million last year despite having won the 2023 national championship.
The WNBA made some allowances for more charter travel heading into last season, but it will likely remain a hot-button topic until private flights are the standard across the league.