The wage gap in professional sports, and how endorsements perpetuate the issue

You've probably heard about how "sure, there is still a wage gap between males and females, but it's not as bad as before, it's now just a really small difference". While this may be true for some countries such as Canada and the United States who have worked to lessen the gap, this does not always apply in the world of professional sports.

Take Sue Bird for an example. She's an accomplished WNBA player, and one of the highest paid. After 17 seasons in the WNBA, she won 4 championships, getting paid $215,000 plus an additional $11,356 for winning the finals. We all know Lebron James, who after 17 seasons in the NBA, and after winning 4 NBA championships, gained a salary of 37.44 million dollars and an additional $370,000 for winning the finals (Shotclock Media). With the same stats, these two showcase a wage gap of $37,225,000!

In some professional sports, like Tennis, the wage gap is less and sometimes women may actually get paid more than men, however, this is unusual for most professional sports. This is only because Billie Jean King, among other female tennis players, fought for equality. After threatening to boycott the U.S. Open in 1973, all major tournaments award the same prize money to their male and female winners. In the 10 highest paid female athletes of 2018, 9 were tennis players (Forbes). Generally, in single person sports such as tennis or racecar driving, the wage gap is less. But team sports are a whole different story.

Delanie Gourley, professional female softball player said that “The Yankees bat boy salary is more than [her] professional softball contract" (Forbes). The U.S. women’s soccer team got $4 million for winning the Women’s World Cup, whereas the French men’s team got $38 million. The issue of the wage gap in soccer was so prevalent of an issue that the U.S. women's soccer team filed a lawsuit for unequal pay.

So why is the wage gap so staggering?

The main cause of the wage gap is the money allotted to female and male athletes. A large amount of athlete's earnings comes from endorsements and sponsorships, and it seems like media companies are more interested in giving male athletes these endorsements and sponsorships than female athletes. This issue goes back to a larger issue, which truly shows how deep of an issue the wage gap is, and how it stems from many different things. The issue of the lack of endorsements provided to female athletes comes from the limited airing of women's sports on television. With limited exposure for female athletes comes limited opportunities for endorsements. After taking a look at the graph below for a clearer analysis of media coverage and fan attendance in the NBA and WNBA, it becomes evident that it is much harder for women to gain exposure, when their games are not often put on television, or they have poor fan attendance, due to this lack of television coverage. It is just a vicious circle that harms female athletes who are working hard and striving for success.

Look at Steph Curry's iconic partnership with Under Armour, or Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods, Lebron James, and Michael Jordan's successful Nike endorsements. Kevin Durant has made about $26 million from his Nike KD shoes.

Nike hasn't made a signature shoe for a WNBA player in 20 years (Forbes).

After looking deeper into the issue of the wage gap, it seems to be a more systemic issue rather than a surface level issue that some people perceive it as.

All of this information seems to be depressing. But the good news is that since we are able to identify the roots of the wage gap in terms of professional sports, we are able to advocate for greater change in this area. Some professional athletes have been already doing this. NBA players have shown their support of the WNBA through wearing orange WNBA sweatshirts when they were playing in the bubble in Orlando. But the general public is also needed to make meaningful change in regards to this issue.

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

In all, there are a few main things that need to be changed in order to resolve the issue of the wage gap. Primarily, television channels need to air more women's sports. Secondly, more sponsorships and endorsements need to be provided to female athletes. And finally, average people need to advocate for the rights of female athletes. Although it may seem like you have no say in the issue, you do, and can make a change, through small actions like signing petitions, to large actions, like writing to companies, governments, and officials who perpetuate and contribute to the issue of the wage gap in professional sports.