The drastic gender pay gap between men and female athletes is an undeniable injustice and a growing conflict that devalues female athletes and their groundbreaking achievements and accomplishments. Despite decades of attempted progress in gender equality, female sports earn barely a fraction of what male athletes make. Not only does this belittle females, but it’s a clear statement about how society views female athletes. This prevalent problem is essentially justifying lower pay which is overdated, biased, and simply wrong. As a female athlete myself who is active in many sports, I believe it’s time to hold sports organizations, sponsors, and media accountable for doing something about this unfair system.
If this inequality wasn’t clear enough, there’s so many resources online that support this with facts and many statistics that we can look at to further educate ourselves. The average American woman earns just about 83% of what the average man earns, even worse this average has barely changed in the last decade. In sports, the gap is even more eye-opening. Male athletes in basketball, golf, soccer, baseball, and tennis make anywhere from 15% to 100% more than women. Even in cases where female athletes achieve more than men, they are still paid less. Example, in 2015 the U.S Women’s National Soccer Team won the World Cup and received only $2 million in prize money. Meanwhile the U.S men’s team placed 11th in 2014 and earned $9 million. If this drastic indifference wasn’t apparent enough before, I hope it is now.
The controversy opponents argue is that men’s sports generate more revenue, attract larger audiences, and bring more in sponsorship deals, which therefore justifies the high pay for male athletes. However, this reasoning ignores the systematic barriers that have kept women’s sports from reaching the same financial heights. Women’s sports receive significantly less media coverage, reducing sponsorship opportunities and overall visibility. This lack of investment manifests a vicious cycle- without exposure, women’s sports struggle to attract fans, leading to fewer financial opportunities. Instead of using these disparities to justify the pay gap, we should be actively working to eliminate them.
The solution is clear and very doable. Equal pay initiatives must be implemented to ensure female athletes are compensated fairly with their organizations and competitions. We won’t see an immediate change, I know that but even lowering the gap between the two genders sounds like great progress to me! Increased investment from sponsors and media outlets will help boost visibility, leading to a greater audience engagement. Additionally, grassroots development programs must be expanded to build a larger base of female athletes and fans, ensuring that women’s sports thrive for future generations. Finally, governing bodies must enforce regulations that promote gender equality in sports, preventing institutions from continuing these unfair practices.
I know these seem like unreachable steps but we can even start small. I would argue even at Olympia High School we see a gap between girl and boy athletes. Not necessarily wage as we aren’t being paid, but funding amongst programs. As a softball player here at the highschool, it can be frustrating seeing the brand new cage being used by all the boy athletes whenever they please but us softball players only getting access once a week. Wouldn’t it be fair for the girls to also have a roofed cage as well? Or at least equal usage between the two sports. I even see teams from outside our high school using the cage when they please, which seems unfair to me.
This issue matters because it not only directly affects us but it reflects a broader fight for gender equality. It matters today because, despite the progress women have made in other industries, sports remain one of the most glaring examples of gender-based discrimination. As a female athlete, I have personally experienced the bias that prioritizes men’s sports over womens, and I refuse to accept it as being accepted or the “norm”. The pay gap in sports sends a message to young girls and even myself that we are less than those of men. Completely unacceptable in my opinion and I believe it’s crucial that we change this narrative.
