Anything but equal

Sports such as golf, tennis, basketball, swimming and bowling aren’t limited to guys; females compete in leagues of their own or alongside the men. Typically women have equal opportunities to play sports as men, but, too often, the compensation is anything but equal.

In many cases, if not all cases, the men are making a lot more money than their female counterparts; it's not uncommon for men to make almost four times the salary of a female athelet. That shouldn’t be surprising because men’s sporting events typically garner more media exposure, higher attendance and greater amounts of sponsorship dollars----BUT WHY?

One example of gender inequity in sports, and reasons why it’s occurring, is represented in the contrast of Sue Bird and Shaquille O'Neal.

Sue Bird - WNBA
WNBA maximum salary: $87,000

Shaquille O’Neal - NBA
2005-06 salary: $20 million

Sue Bird, a member of the Seattle Storm in the WNBA, has been called a poster child for women’s athletics. Unfortunately for her, that fame hasn’t exactly translated into tremendous riches. At the beginning of her maiden year in the hoops league, she made just $57,500. Eventually, her salary increased, but not above $87,000, which, according to InsideHoops.com, was the maximum pay in the WNBA. She and her teammates received a $10,000 bonus for winning the league title in 2004.

Compare the salaries of Bird and her fellow WNBA stars to those in the NBA and you’ll see the gender gap is as big as the Grand Canyon. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, the average NBA salary rose to $3.17 million per player in the 1999-2000 season, while the average WNBA salary was about $55,000. That means the men made almost 60 times more than the women. A few WNBA players earn more than $100,000 a year, but that is only because they have side jobs, such as playing in other leagues or helping with WNBA marketing efforts.

Why is the pay so much lower in the WNBA? Attendance is one reason, as less money comes in at the gates for WNBA contests. In Seattle, the Storm hosts around 7,000 fans per game, while the Sonics sell more than twice as many tickets. Ticket prices are also a factor: Storm tickets range from $10 to $35 per seat and the Sonics charge between $10 and $120. In addition, the Sonics have much more television exposure and revenue; 71 of their 82 regular-season games are locally televised, compared to just five Storm games that are aired in the Pacific Northwest.