#EqualPlayEqualPay Newsletter (03.11.20)
We can't stress this enough when it comes to gender equality: #EqualPlay deserves #EqualPay. Anything short of #EqualPlayEqualPay must be challenged.
Have you ever noticed how, or asked yourself why, men’s sports receive more media coverage, television licenses, and sponsorship deals? Sports are a big part of our culture, both nationally and globally. Sports have positive impact on physical, mental, and emotional health of kids and teens. Sports bring communities together, and have even been used as an entry point for diplomatic breakthroughs. Sports matter, and the world of sports is certainly not immune to gender inequality.
When we look at the pay differences and opportunities across sports, the gender inequalities are compounded. Here's a look by the numbers:
Annually, boys get 1.13 million more sports opportunities than girls.
40% of teen girls are not actively participating in sports.
The top WNBA salary was $117,500 in 2018-2019; the top NBA salary was $37.4 million.
The team salary cap for the National Pro Fastpitch softball league is $175,000; the Boston Red Sox split $227 million in 2019.
The WNBA generates roughly $25 million annually from its TV deal with ESPN; the NBA's TV revenue from ESPN and TNT is 100x that.
Nike hasn’t made a signature shoe for a WNBA player in over 20 years.
Last year, inspired by the activism of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, we launched our Equal Play Equal Pay program to empower student-athletes in high school and college to lead change on a local level. We provide community organizing skills and support for student-athletes to create Equal Play campaigns and make "equality asks" of their principals, coaches, and community to ensure equal investment and equal resources for girls and womens' sports at all levels. Our goal is to level the playing field, literally and figuratively.
The onus of change doesn't just fall on female athletes, though; we all play a role. As consumers, as fans, as parents, as colleagues, as community members, and more - we can all take action to ensure that women and girls are seeing their fair share of investment, salary, resources, and recognition in sports. When it comes to #EqualPlayEqualPay, the gender gap is real, but so is our individual ability and collective power to close it.