A Look at the Business of Women’s Sports

No doubt you’ve heard of the glass ceiling and pay gap when it comes to the salaries of men and women in the workplace.  You might be surprised to see it – and the extent to which similar practices come into play in the business of women’s sports.

How pronounced is this disparity, you may ask? Consider the gap between the WNBA’s New York Liberty, barely making the same salary – as an entire team(!) – as the NBA’s league minimum for a single player.  Another anecdotal example is that only one woman was listed on the 2020 Forbes 50 highest paid athletes list.  And she’s been making headlines and will hopefully change perspectives: Naomi Osaka.

Last year, while women made up 40% of professional athletics, only 4% were covered by the media.  Even worse is the meager 0.4% of sponsorship dollars going to women’s sports.  Fear not –  for if you vote with your wallet and demand greater coverage of women’s sports, the franchises and sponsorships should follow suit.  

Learn more about the pay gap in women’s sports and what can be done to change the game in the infographic below: