women in sports like Serena Williams and Candace Parker take home less than men. For some reason, women are often perceived to play a watered down version of games their male counterparts play. "You throw like a girl" is a common insult to every young boy throwing with weak force. This is a comment that seems so small is so powerful against women everywhere.
What is so wrong with throwing like a girl if your serve has a force like Serena Williams? Achieving a Candace Parker dunk is more inspiring than most NBA players. Having the skills of a soccer forward as good as Abby Wambach is something to be proud of -- it's the goal of any sports legend's career.
Yet day by day these women get paid and respected less than men who aren't as athletic as them. With less recognition, these athletic women are also oppressed by major league sports fans.
today I learnt NBA refs make more than a WNBA player and the 12th man on a NBA team makes more than a WHOLE WNBA team đđđ
â Elizabeth Cambage (@ecambage) June 19, 2018
Basketball: WNBA vs NBA
The WNBA was founded 22 years ago with the backing of the NBA board. Despite being a major league organization, they do not have the same process as the NBA due to physical attributes that women tend to have such as being shorter than men and therefore having a lower hoop.
The marketing for the WNBA appears to expect failure.
It's rare to see a commercial promoting a WNBA game on local or popular sports channels. From 2010 until 2018 the WNBA Finals were broadcast mostly on ESPN and ESPN 2. Meanwhile, every NBA Finals has aired on ABC since 2000.
There is not a chance to get the same reception for the WNBA if it isn't introduced the same way. The WNBAâs marketing should change by having their players go on TV interviews, be guests on sports shows, or even gain support from other major league players by attending or promoting a game.
One outstanding representative of recognition for women in sport is Andy Murray, the Men's ATP tennis player, the Independent Uk reports. Perhaps other successful sports stars should also speak out.
Women play 41 percent fewer games then the men do (34 WNBA vs. 82 NBA), which leads to most players either having a second job or a short lived career.
As previously mentioned, women do not get paid nearly as much as men but that is also because people aren't watching their games as much as they should. If the WNBA could at least double the season's total games then it could give them a chance to get more revenue to play their players.
Men's college basketball is played differently yet still has more broadcasting and reception than the WNBA. College athletes can't even keep the money that is being made from this. Simultaneously, coaches and fans still compare male basketball players to WNBA players in such a negative light, promoting it as not good enough.
Soccer: USWNT vs USMNT
The fastest growing sport in America is Soccer. The most gifted team is the least paid: The United States Womenâs National Soccer Team.
In the last 10 years, the womenâs team became the 2015 FIFA World Cup champions, meanwhile, the Menâs national team didnât win anything at all. Therefore the conversation of equal pay was necessary.
Men were getting five times as much as women. It is beyond disrespectful to underpay them when they are bringing in a bigger profit. The WNBA V. NBAâs biggest issue is that there is little revenue coming in from the WNBA. However, the womenâs soccer team brings in $6 Million while the men brings in -$1million.
The Womenâs soccer team decided to sue in 2016. FIFA decided to make the bonus an equal pay of $15 thousand.
The sports industry is rapidly growing and within it, the employment of women is growing.
However, athleticism and competition is no joke, so why are we treating female athletes as one? Thereâs nothing wrong with throwing like a girl, so perhaps we should all try to.
Nevertheless, kudos to the female athletes who are standing up for their rights in sports. One in particular who comes to mind is Hilary Knight who plays hockey for the USA. CBC cites her as saying, "I have been on top of podiums and stood next to those at the top, but my proudest experience is fighting for equality. And that battle has been dragging along, back and forth for far too long."
