There’s no doubt that women are undermined in almost every aspect of life. We are looked down upon and degraded as if we are not as good as men. In life, we are known as weak, sensitive, and incapable of completing tasks that are “ for men”. One topic that is controversial between women and men is sports. Sports are a huge topic that women are highly disrespected in, especially basketball. When it comes to pay, how they get treated and the support they receive is extremely different. The WNBA, The Women’s National Basketball Association, is an organization for women basketball players. The NBA, The National Basketball Association, is the organization for male players. In this article I will talk about the inequality in women’s basketball that includes salary, fanbase, and recognition.
The biggest issue that makes women’s basketball unequal to men’s basketball is the salary. Women players approximately make around $79.000 to $117,500 maximum. Men players start off at approximately $893,310 to millions of dollars. For example, LeBron James makes up to $134.9 million dollars. That’s not including money from other contracts and under the table money he gets from simply being LeBron James. Women deserve higher salaries! Did you know that referees make more money than WNBA players? Yes, the NBA has been around since 1946 and the WNBA started in 1996 there has been more than enough time to give these hardworking, underestimated players the pay they deserve.
Another factor that plays into the inequality of women’s basketball is the support. Women’s basketball is not as supported as men’s basketball because people find it “less entertaining”. Most of the WNBA games are not filled with dunks or jaw dropping alley hoops, but there are fundamentals of the game that the women are masters at and passion that is constantly shown from these players who love the game. Yes, the more people watch women’s basketball could increase their pay due to the amount of streams. Yet, that doesn’t take away the fact that the sport doesn’t get nearly as many views or fans in attendance to watch the game live. Women need more fans and support not just because they want a pity party, but these women work just as hard as men to not get the support they deserve. They’re already women, playing a sport that was originally created for men in a world full of doubters and critics. It is extremely difficult, we must reinforce the talent of these women.
Last, but not least, recognition. ESPN is a sports network that airs games from the past and present, highlights of games, and basically a news channel for the sports world. Women do not get broadcasted as much as men do. Men games get aired way more than women games and men get more accolades than women do. Women players do great things that won’t even touch the media, but the media will talk about the same player in the NBA four days in a row. That shows how less appreciated women players are by not broadcasting their talents. If games are not aired or the media doesn’t spread positive news about the WNBA, how will people know what they’re up to? Women players deserve to be presented on TV just as much as men do.
This topic is extremely important because women’s basketball evolves each year. More girls are starting to play and the talent is showing at young ages. If these same players stay with basketball the WNBA will have more talented players, drawing tons of fans. a The media will have no choice but to air their games more often. I see the future of women’s sports in general taking off, these women are demanding respect and people are starting to listen. You can see the determination they have to completely shift women’s sports into a hot topic. More male players are starting to give the support women deserve by attending the games or wearing their jerseys. Expressing that they are with them in this journey to sports equality. Women are vocal, filled with grit, and supportive of each other which gives women’s sports a strong foundation. Soon women will be the topic and the subject in the sport’s world and I can’t wait to see them take off!