Female and male athletes have been subject to inequalities in the sports workplace for many years. Female athletes are being paid a fraction of the money that male athletes are being paid, which is a problem that needs to be addressed.
The two main sports that have the biggest gender pay gap are soccer and basketball, with male athletes making anywhere from 25 percent to 100 percent more than female athletes.
Many nations have tried to reduce this inequality. The US Soccer team has since made the pay between womens and mens soccer equal, eliminating the lifetime long gap in salaries between the two.
A main factor in the pay gap is revenue acquired from game sales and merchandise. Although male sports make more in revenue because of their attendance and viewership, that does not change the fact that they should get paid so much more than females.
According to The New York Times, athlete’s salaries are practically based on revenue. The NBA generated around $10 billion, while the WNBA generated only around $400 million.
“I do see that side [as to why the revenue may play a part],” Macy McAmis, junior, said.
According to Medium.com, if female athletes got paid more, they could attract more talented players and better stadiums to eventually bring in more fans. The article also stated that equal pay can lead to more people promoting gender inequality throughout sports.
“I think women athletes just don’t get as much coverage, or kinda social media presence, which causes them to not receive the money they deserve,” Raymond Collum, senior, said.
One popular saying about this topic is equal play, equal pay. This means that athletes should be paid for the work that they do, not for the popularity of the game. If more people would watch female sports to help raise their attendance, more money could be put to training, stadiums/courts, ect and then it would eventually become much more popular than it currently is.
“I feel like there should be equal opportunities [between female and male athletes],” McAmis said.
Women’s sports are becoming more popular every day. Caitlin Clark is bringing many fans to women’s basketball which is helping the WNBA gain more viewers.. The same goes for Alex Morgan who is on the US Women’s Soccer team. She has brought in many fans to womens soccer, and even though she is retired, many of her fans are still watching the sport.
The New York Times explained that Caitilin Clark’s salary over the next four years is $338,056, which is only a very small fraction compared to Victor Wembanyamas contract of 55 million.
Many people were enraged to hear this news because they feel Clark is just as hard working as any male athlete.
“I think [women athletes] go through the same training,” Collum said.
Self respect is also a very important part of professional sports. If female athletes are known for being paid less than male athletes, it could result in a drop in confidence.
Womens and mens sports both require a significant amount of dedication and passion to persevere and play. Both are equally as hard working, but one gets much more support.
