Improvements to gendered pay gaps are still not enough.
Internal structures in various sport leagues wage against getting female athletes equal pay
The majority of women’s sports leagues started, on average, 32 years after their male counterparts. This prolonged gap of active support and heritage in women’s sporting competition now manifests into the internal operations of the leagues and the management of their players. Popular sports with prolific men’s and women’s leagues, such as basketball, soccer, and tennis, have made efforts to decrease the pay gap, but is it enough to finally be called equal?
Over the past five seasons, women’s sports has experienced an increase in viewership across game attendance, broadcasting platforms, and social media networks. As numbers continue to rise through exhibition games, event matches, and popular tournaments, there is hope for female athletes to see the payout that their male counterparts recieve.
Lack of Quality Argument Unsupported
The fight against equal pay has long been protected by the argument that women’s sports showcase a lower quality of play. In a study done for the Sports Management Review Journal, researchers revealed that the quality of performance argument derives from perceived gender stereotypes. Scholars compared performance scores (1=poor, 5=excellent) given by two participant groups; one group reviewed 10 highlight videos from FIFA and UEFA soccer games where a player’s gender was identifiable. Another group reviewed the same 10 videos where the players gender was made unidentifiable.
The performance scores gathered from participants who could identify the gender of the players rated the men’s performance at 4.012 and women’s at 3.839 on average. This significant gap almost disappeared for participants who watched the videos that concealed gender. They rated men’s performance at 3.583 and women’s at 3.556 on average. This difference in ratings contradicts the stereotypes of women’s soccer lacking quality play, and questions what other factors may contribute to unequal pay in women’s sports.
Current Pay Structure
Athletes earn income through set salaries, tournament prize money, and potential endorsements they are selected for. The individual league’s investment and monetary payout structures form the base of an athlete’s earnings, however they also contribute to issues of gender pay gap. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have garnered recognition for their substantial financial changes through successful Collective Bargaining Agreements that players have advocated for.
In 2020, WNBA players saw a 30% increase in revenue payout after the league’s agreement to an equal 50-50 revenue split. NBA players, in comparison, settled on this split ten years prior, which lowered NBA player revenue by 7%. Improvements in broadcasting visibility has also raised investments into the WNBA. The league signed streaming rights with ESPN in 2016, allowing endorsement patches on jerseys, and the launch of the WNBA Changemakers Program that encourages youth engagement and player development.
In the NWSL, salary caps are projected for a historic increase from $3.5 million to $5.1 million by 2030 after the league’s decision to extend their current contract with the NWSL Player Association. Star names such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapoine, United States Women’s National Team (USWNT), Aitana Bonmati (FC Barcelona, UEFA), and Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit, NWSL) are some of the highest paid female soccer players with salaries that reach $2 million annually.
To make anywhere near the numbers that male soccer players do, female players rely on endorsements and advertising payouts. During the 2023 Women’s World Cup, both Morgan and Rapione made 80% of their $7 million earnings through their off-field collaborations. Shortening the gap of unequal pay may hinge on player visibility and popularity that appeal to corporations, brands, and private investors who financially support sports teams.
Hopes of an Equal Present and Future
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) set a good example for equalizing the pay gap between men’s and women’s sports. Across four major tennis tournaments: the US Open, Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, men and women athletes receive equal prize money. This solution both monetarily and socially rewards female athletes.
Having regulations for equalizing prize money shrinks negative female athlete stereotypes by positioning them on the same performance level as men through financial means. Soccer leagues in Europe have taken on similar changes to tournaments monetary payouts. In 2025, UEFA increased the Women’s Euros tournament prize money by 156% from 2022, accumulating to €41 million ($66 million CAD) to be split amongst the winning team. Despite this step in the right direction, true equality remains far away. The €41 million in prize money is just ¼ of the Men’s Euros prize money.
As the interest in women’s sports grows amongst Millennial and Gen Z generations, there is hope that leagues will turn toward advancing player development and funding initiatives that will continue to increase women’s sports visibility and media engagement. With continuous investment into women’s sports leagues and the acknowledgement, and change of structural biases that impact gendered salary gaps, female athletes can start to inch closer to receiving the financial payout they deserve.
