Female athletes have experienced inequities for their participation in sports for generations. Up until Title IX, the groundbreaking ruling passed to level the playing fields in the NCAA for women and men, only men’s sport programs would even be considered for sponsorship, or in some cases, creation. Now, with Title IX in effect, for colleges to build new men’s sport programs they must provide equivalent opportunities for their female student body as well. Even with all of the progressive laws and movements society has fueled towards gender equality, sports tend to still show themselves as masculine events, or male dominated. Even though the dynamics of sports do not create a gender barrier, our society continues to view sports in traditional ways that they belong in the masculine realm. This can be easily observed in many sports, but perhaps one of the greatest differences we see is the difference between women’s professional basketball and men’s professional basketball.
Ever since the foundation of the WNBA, we have seen the female athletes who compete be mistreated. These women give their all game after game, practice after practice, yet continue to be viewed as insignificant compared to men’s basketball. In the NBA, popular athletes are widely celebrated throughout the country. Their names are generally identifiable in many locales and regions, and their jerseys make large numbers of sales. Comparatively, I personally could not tell you of a time I have ever seen anybody wearing a WNBA jersey. The NBA also shows men like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade making $14.5 million and $14 million in one season, respectively. This is completely blown out of proportion, because women who perform the same job and entertainment service make only a small fraction of that. Professional women’s basketball players make an average of $46,000 to $60,000. The average salary for females is the equivalent to what Shaquille O’Neal made in about 12 minutes of game time. However, the differences in earnings does not stop there- female basketball players are given salary caps, compared to the minimum salaries their male counterparts are promised. WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson was told that she can make a maximum of $87,000, where Shawn Bradley, considered to be an NBA disappointment, was guaranteed a minimum of $1.1 million. The inequality in compensation for the same entertainment service that male and female professional basketball players provide is a huge disappointment.
How many women’s basketball games have you watched or even seen being played on major sports channels? Now compare that to the amount of NBA games that are broadcast during basketball season. Men’s sports make up 90% of sports media coverage. Media companies would argue that women’s sports receive lower ratings. How would they know this when they have never displayed even coverage of both genders’ sport events? Some of the highest ratings for covered events come from Wimbledon and women’s World Cup Finals, proving that women do have the capability of attracting large audiences and fan support. Now compare the stereotypical sport audience for games broadcasted on television to the Olympics, where almost 50% of athletes are females, and over 50% of the spectators are female. Women’s basketball is an Olympic event where we see a majority of watchers are women; why do companies not air more WNBA games? The latest broadcasting contract for the WNBA has ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2 air a minimum of 18 games each season, compared to the NBA, which has no need for television contracts due to existing beliefs that everybody wants to see a male-centered, male-dominated sporting world.
Clearly, with the underrepresentation on media networks alongside the unfairly low amounts of pay that these athletes have to endure, it is fairly easy to say that WNBA players are horribly mistreated and unappreciated compared to NBA players of similar stature. It is high time we do something about this, and stop the mistreatment of these highly skilled, specialized female athletes. The WNBA has shown its attraction to athletes and fans alike as it has continued to grow over the years- more teams have been added throughout the nation as more players have become interested and signed, as well as attendance for games continuing to rise. As these female warriors continue to battle through the hardships they face, they continue to focus on the main point of their career: the love of the game. Some of their male counterparts have begun to sell out to the big money and have lost sight of what truly matters, but professional women basketball players put up with the mistreatment they face all to play the game they love. For this, they deserve recognition. For this, they have gained the respect and support of thousands.st ratings for covered events come from Wimbledon and women’s World Cup Finals, proving that women do have the capability of attracting audiences and fan support. Now compare the stereotypical sport audience for games broadcasted on television to the Olympics, where almost 50% of athletes are females, and over 50% of the spectators are female. Women’s basketball is an Olympic event where we see a majority of watchers are women; why do companies not air more WNBA games? The latest broadcasting contract for the WNBA has ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2 air a minimum of 18 games each season, compared to the NBA, which has no need for television contracts due to existing beliefs that everybody wants to see a male-centered, male-dominated sporting world.
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