Do you think women’s sports gain the salary and attention they deserve? There is a debate about the amount of money women get paid in sports. The United States women’s soccer team has won four world cups and the men have won none. The women’s hard work paid off and has been proven, yet their salary is still less than men. It is essential to regulate fair attention for females involved in sports to guarantee gender equality, equal facilities, and more attention promoted.
Billie Jean King is a famous tennis player who speaks of her concern about this ongoing feud. She was in charge of the US Open Tennis Tournament in New York, the first well-known sporting event to promise equal pay because of the determination and advocacy of King. In 1970, King won Italy’s Foro Italico Tournament. She proved her worth as a woman athlete which gave her the confidence to demand equal pay. She won 2,900 dollars less than the winner of the men’s tournament. She had a lot to say about this, “everyone thinks women should be thrilled when we get crumbs. And I want women to have the cake, the icing, and the cherry on top too” (Schultz 7). Why should women settle for less when they are doing better? The man that won the tournament did just as well as King but got paid over twice the amount of money for winning. She stood her ground and refused to continue in the tournament if it didn’t improve. Three years later the rule was set in place for equal pay for tennis in the United States. She didn’t just care about the money, she wanted to show women empowerment. Now, tennis is the only sport that has a close comparison in salary for athletes.
There is always a concern about the quality of facilities men get versus women. The women’s Division I basketball tournament voices their complaints about the facilities provided. There was only one stationary bike and dumbbells for the women’s use. The NCAA made an excuse about the lack of space provided for the tournament. There was a plan to improve this, but a plan is not good enough, they need to act. Dan Gavit, a senior vice president of basketball at the NCAA, expressed “what we pull together in months and years, we tried to do in weeks and days, that’s meant some shortcomings. I apologize and feel terrible about anything that falls short of our lofty expectations” (Jones 7). Gavit’s apology is not enough; women facilities shouldn’t just be an afterthought. Title IX requires equal facilities, and the NCAA should ensure these rules are followed. Men are always getting better facilities including field space and the quality of the field. When there is a competition between who gets the turf field, men will get it. Notre-Dame High School has a turf field, but Sacred Heart High School doesn’t. Xavier High School has a turf field, but Mercy High School doesn’t. Why do all-girls schools get a worse field than all-boys schools?
People noticed that women’s sports are not broadcast as much as men’s, which is part of the equality issue. There is not as much advertising revenue, which is causing the ad payments to drop. If there are more men’s sports on the internet than women’s, fewer people will watch women’s sports. ESPN has been expanding the variety of news being promoted which has helped increase the audience rate. 2021 was the first time the women’s Division I basketball tournament was on network television in decades. Promoting women’s sports allows an audience which creates popularity and heart toward different teams. It allows a fan base and athletes to become more popular. It is hard to be a fan of a team that you can’t watch. Broadcast media is the fastest way to build a fan base. Once the fan base expands more events start to happen to support these teams. Football parties start to occur allowing the media to expand because they get together and talk about the players. Notice all the parties occurring that have expanded the fan base are men’s sports. There are always parties for football or the world series. To build a fan base you have to go beyond the relatives and friends of the players. If women’s sports were on television more people could see their accomplishments. The women’s UConn basketball team is better than the men, but people won’t see that unless there is a large amount of fan base and broadcasting. All the well-known athletes are very famous because they are marketed so well. Without the large promotion of women’s sports, they can’t build their name, become more popular and earn more money. In general, men’s sports are more popular than women. It is hard to change what people like seeing. Title IX gave women the opportunities to play sports, before this they didn’t get the chance to show their talents. It is about giving women the opportunity to even play on a team. It started with people growing up playing the game, it then got into high school and college sports. The legislation says there should be equal treatment for all genders, which is not happening with the salary in sports right now.
As people start taking the initiative and following up with their promises, better equality in sports will come. Men are known to be more physical and people like watching the physical competition. If equality is progressing, the facilities are growing for all athletes. If the broadcasting expands then it is a step forward to helping women athletes. It is known most people like watching men’s sports regardless of the extra broadcasting. It is hard to change what people enjoy watching and what people are following, but there is a chance to make a difference so women can have better experiences and get the pay they deserve for their hard work. If there is more dedication to equal facilities, more games will be broadcasted, and more fan bases will develop allowing a better experience for women athletes. The road to equal pay requires all these elements or women’s sports will not benefit.
