The gender pay gap has been a hotly debated topic for many years. Although there is still a way to go, many industries have made progress to ensure that men and women in similar positions are paid equally. However, one industry that is often forgotten in this debate is professional sports.
There are many factors at play and many opinions on the subject. Nonetheless, there are clear cases in sports where women do not receive an equal proportion of league winnings compared to men. We decided to take a closer look at the gender pay gap in sports, its history and what we can expect in the future.
History
Discussing the wage gap in sports is nothing new. For example, the 2017 film Battle of the sexes tells the story of Billie Jean King, who fought for equal pay for tennis players. As reported The GuardianKing took away only £750 for winning the 1968 Wimbledon tournament, just over a third of what the men’s winner earned.
A few years later, King participated in one of the most famous tennis matches of all time. After 55-year-old Bobby Riggs (who had been the number one tennis player in his prime) claimed he could defeat any female opponent, King swept him 3-0 in 1973. This victory was a huge moment for women’s tennis. sports and had a positive impact on the Women’s Tennis Association, founded by King a few months before the match.
More recently, Venus Williams has made great strides to achieve equal pay for women in tennis. In 2007, she became the first women’s champion to win as much as the men’s champion at a major tennis open. Today, tennis is one of the few sports known to pay men and women equally.
The U.S. women’s national soccer and hockey teams have also made progress toward equal pay in their respective sports. In 2015, the American women’s soccer team won the World Cup and received $2 million after playing the soccer game with the highest number of American viewers ever. The U.S. men’s team, on the other hand, received $8 million for its loss in the first knockout round the previous year at the men’s World Cup.
It’s true: men have won four times more by losing than women have won by being world champions.
After filing a complaint, the women’s team reached an agreement new employment agreement in 2017 with American football which will allow them to benefit from significant increases, larger bonuses and daily allowances equal to those of the men’s team.
Similarly, the U.S. women’s hockey team has seen its salaries increase in recent years. After threatening not to participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in 2017, the United States women’s national hockey team has signed a four-year labor agreement with USA Hockey. Details of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it likely looked like the $68,000 annual salary they were asking for, plus perks like playing more games, babysitting their kids, and taking time off maternity.
Although these are just a few examples, they show that fair pay increases are possible in women’s sports and should be expected in all major sports.
Today
Although there have been successes in ensuring that female athletes are compensated fairly, there is still a long way to go.
This is especially true in professional basketball, where the wage gap is most apparent. For example, the number one pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft, A’ja Wilson, will earn approximately 1/130 of what the number one pick in the NBA Draft, Deandre Ayton, is expected to make – $52,664 versus $6.8 million of dollars. . However, those who try to point this out are met with arguments based on the fact that the NBA makes far more money than the WNBA.
While this would be a valid argument if WNBA players got a similar cut of their league’s revenue, that’s simply not the case. According to an article from Central Standthe NBA spends 50% of its revenue on player salaries, while the WNBA only spends 20% on its players.
These numbers just don’t add up. WNBA players are paid disproportionately. Plus, the league is growing. The 2017 season saw 1,574,078 people attend a WNBA game, the highest total attendance in the league. Additionally, 2017 saw an 18% increase in purchases at WNBA stores compared to the previous year.
So while the league’s billionaire owners may complain about “losing money,” the league is showing that it can be profitable. Nonetheless, leagues like the NBA should be responsible for promoting their female counterparts.
If you’ve watched sports channels recently, you’ve probably seen the Sales Wealthsimple which features WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith. In this commercial, she explains how an average NBA prospect can earn up to 100 times what a WNBA superstar. This problem is starting to be noticed by everyone. WNBA players should expect to earn 50% of league revenue as NBA players. This could result in a salary increase of up to 2.5 times for players across the league.
Although this case is far from over, we hope it becomes another movement toward equal pay for men and women in professional sports. However, to ensure that female athletes earn fairer wages, they need support. Not just support on Twitter or other social media platforms, but also fans who go to their games and buy their merchandise.
The closest women’s professional teams to us are the Seattle Storm (which plays in the WNBA) and Reign FC (which plays in the National Women’s Soccer League), and recently announced plans to become Tacoma, Washington. The Storm are the defending WNBA champions and will begin their season in May, while Reign FC will begin their season in April.
