Sophia Smith of the US celebrates with teammates after scoring her team's first goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup match against Vietnam at Eden Park on July 22, 2023, in New Zealand [Buda Mendes/Getty Images]
One of the most significant contributors to the inequities witnessed in female sports relative to men's sports is the lack of equal media representation afforded to female athletes. According to Forbes, in 2022, the average sports media share for women was only 15% (Darvin, 2024). This marked progress, as Forbes' data showed that from 2019-2022, women's representation in sports media almost tripled. While this upward trend reflects a broader movement towards equity, 15% is still blatantly unequal. Forbes estimates that by 2025, this share will rise to 20%, suggesting that equal media representation is still far from reality.
Moreover, not all media coverage is created equal. When analyzing the time slots and channels that companies like ESPN and Fox afford for female sports, it's evident that numbers alone don't tell the whole story. For example, Forbes noted that “for the second straight year, ESPN announced it would not place the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game in a primetime slot, instead opting for Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. EST.” This disregard for even the most important games in popular female sports highlights a systemic bias. Additionally, the quality of female sports broadcasts often pales in comparison to that of male sports. Broadcasts for women's sports frequently feature high rates of objectification, fewer camera angles, and commentators focusing on athletes' appearances and personal lives rather than their athletic prowess.
These multilayered disparities present significant barriers that female athletes must overcome to achieve equity and change the national culture around women's sports. Until big-brand advertisers like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour commit to pressuring media companies to level the playing field, female athletes will continue to receive less exposure, thereby hindering their progress towards equal pay.
The case of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) and their fight for equal pay relative to men’s teams starkly illustrates the sexist hypocrisy in financial considerations. Critics argue that women don't deserve equal pay because they generate less revenue. However, by this faulty logic, if women brought in more revenue than men, they should receive not just equal but greater pay. This logic doesn’t apply to the USWNT, which has historically been more successful and profitable than the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT). Despite this, the USWNT only recently achieved equal pay.
After their fourth World Cup victory, the USWNT pursued equal pay based on Title IX. Politifact points out that “The women’s team has won four World Cup titles while the men’s team hasn’t won any. And if both teams played and won 20 "friendly" matches in a year, the women would earn a maximum of $99,000 and the men would earn an average of $263,320. In this scenario, players on the women’s team would earn 38% of what the men earn” (Austin, 2024). Beyond success, Politifact revealed that “from 2016-18, the women’s team brought in $50.8 million in revenue, while the men’s team brought in $49.9 million. That’s a difference of less than 2% in the women’s favor” (Austin, 2024).
How can the logic of revenue generation be applied to justify inequity when the women's team outperforms the men’s team both in success and revenue? Critics of female sports often argue that women don't deserve equal pay because they generate less revenue. However, multiple pieces of evidence debunk this argument. Even when female athletes bring in more revenue, they still don't receive equitable pay (Elsesser, 2020).
The argument that female athletes don’t deserve equal opportunity because they bring in less revenue is fundamentally flawed. Instead, it should be reframed to acknowledge that because female athletes are afforded fewer opportunities, they generate less revenue. Increased media exposure and better broadcast quality would naturally lead to higher revenue for women's sports, creating a more equitable environment.
The hypocritical nature of opponents to equal pay for the USWNT lies in not recognizing that the perceived revenue disparity is a result of unequal opportunities and media representation. By flipping the cause and effect in this rhetoric, it's clear that enhancing media coverage and exposure for female athletes would bridge the revenue gap, thereby justifying equal pay.
References
Darvin, L. (2024, February 20). Media Coverage For Women’s Sports Has Nearly Tripled In Five Years, According To New Research. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/lindseyedarvin/2023/10/31/media-coverage-for-womens-sports-has-nearly-tripled-in-five-years-according-to-new-research/?sh=7c67e7ba5ebb
Austin, S. (2024). PolitiFact.com - A closer look at the U.S. women’s soccer team and pay equity. @Politifact. https://www.politifact.com/article/2019/jul/11/does-us-womens-soccer-team-bring-more-revenue-get-/
Elsesser, K. (2020, March 11). U.S. Soccer Says Women Don’t Deserve Equal Pay Because They Have Less Skill. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/03/11/us-soccer-says-women-dont-deserve-equal-pay-because-they-have-less-skill/?sh=1121005f6bb0