The average salary of an NBA player is 80 to 100 times that of a WNBA player. Although strides have been made to bridge the gender inequality in the sports industry historically, we are still so far from it being equal.
WNBA vs NBA and Women’s soccer popularity have been rising in popularity. These sports especially remain in the hot seat when it comes to these kinds of discussions. Despite recent progress, gender equity remains elusive, and there are still so many barriers keeping women’s sports from being equal to men’s sports. It is time for the people as consumers to recognize these factors and stop feeding into what has been holding women’s sports back for too long.
Due to the disparities in funding between professional women’s and men’s leagues, women’s sports are often the victims of budget cuts which bite directly into the salary of the players.
The pay gap specifically between the NBA and WNBA is massive, with the 2023 average NBA salary being $10 million, and the average WNBA salary being $113,000 for the same year — and many viewers defend it. It is a fact that the NBA generates higher revenue, but we need to acknowledge the factors that put that system in place (i.e media bias, and scheduling disadvantages.)
“People say WNBA players the players don’t make as much money—but how can it, when it’s never been funded or promoted like the NBA?” says Chiney Ogwumike, a member of the WNBA for the Los Angeles sparks. These discrepancies don’t go unnoticed by the players and are undeniable. It is easy to be discouraged by these ridiculous injustices, why is this normalized? Viewers should be questioning why Steph Curry currently earns more in a single game then most WNBA players earn in one season.
This is not only basketball, but also an issue across the professional sports industry as a whole. The U.S Women’s National Team (USWNT) has won 4 World Cups, which is an astounding achievement, you would like to believe the USWNT was compensated properly for these accomplishments.
Yet, until 2022 the men’s team earned significantly more, the same team that hasn’t reached a semifinal since 1930.
These problems aren’t far away, it has only been three years since equal pay was reached. It didn’t just take the women’s team existing for equality, but it took undeniable and astronomical levels of success to be taken as seriously. It’s so normalized for women’s achievements to be overlooked that only with overwhelming levels of success are women equal to the men. Although we are lucky that the Equal Pay Agreement has been reached, we must recognize globally that disparities still remain.
If you’re questioning why you haven’t heard enough about this, you’re right the system is working how it is designed, women’s sports are designed to perform inferior to men’s. It’s not only about salaries but media coverage and sponsorships are contributing factors that are wildly unequal. Out of sports media coverage all together about 4% goes to women’s sports, which creates a cycle that continues to perpetuate itself. The lack of exposure from media outlets sinks viewership, which impacts the sponsorship opportunities, which ultimately impact revenue.
Recently we have seen that with the proper marketing to the consumer, people are more inclined to watch. For example, Women’s Final Four, Angel City FC, and even individuals like Caitlin Clark. If people were willing to invest in the under-recognized market that is women’s sports, this gap can be closed.
“You can’t grow a business you don’t invest in” Megan Rapinoe, former local player for the Seattle Storm, said, which perfectly sums up the stem of the issue. If brands aren’t willing to watch, we the viewers must invest in the success women’s sports are clearly capable of.
Women’s sports aren’t the charity case the media wants you to believe. Progress has been made like the USWNT equal pay, the increase in WNBA popularity and larger brands like Adidas and Nike backing women’s sports. There is still room for improvement: true equity will include equal media investment, better scheduling, and a better culture surrounding women’s sports. Value women. Value equality. Value the game.
If we don’t change the culture and demand progress, no one will.
