Women’s sports have really gained traction recently. In fact, just in 2020, viewership of women’s sports grew by 300% with 653,000 views. Of course, part of this is due to the fact that we were stuck in our homes watching sports on TV rather than going to live events, but that has no bearing on the fact that 84% of sports fans are interested in women’s sports.
Let’s take a look at the WNBA. On average female athletes are earning only 63% as compared to their male counterparts. The NBA pays its players up to 51% of the league’s revenue, whereas WNBA players take home less than 23%.
If we look at the NYC area – the New York, Knicks salary cap for the 2020-21 season was over $109 million. Compare this to the WNBA’s New York Liberty’s pales in comparison at just $1.3 million – this is about the NBA league minimum for an entire sports team.
There is also a lack of media coverage, which not only affects the ability of the fanbase to see what they want to see, but it affects female athlete’s opportunities for sponsorships, as well as hindering progress in closing the gender wage gap in sports.
It’s time for women’s sports to be taken as seriously as men’s sports.
