It exists for female athletes. Ophelia, Ben and Caitlin Clark are expected to be the top picks in next month's WNBA Draft. Last year, the No. 1 pick in the women's league earned $74,000 as a rookie, and the No. 1 player in the NBA draft earned more than $10 million. As a rookie. The difference is infuriating, I spoke to lawyers and professors who say Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 WNBA draft pick, will make more than $76,000 this year, which is more than her male counterpart. It's less than 1% of what you earn. I don't like that. That's not fair. I'm curious about that. It's not just female athletes. It’s also their coach. Iowa State's Lisa Bruder is one of the highest-paid coaches in the women's game, but the $1.4 million she will be paid this year is three times less than the $3.3 million that men's coach Fran McCaffery is making for civil rights. Historically, attorney Roxanne Conlin says, the excuse for the pay difference is that women's sports don't benefit universities as much as men's sports, she says. That may not be the case when Clark is on the court. The Iowa women's basketball team has sold out every home game this season, averaging nearly 15,000 fans per game, according to attendance records. Meanwhile, the men's team averaged nearly 10,000 fans per home game. Let's find true equality between men and women in the world of sports. A further example of a woman who deserves equality is Caitlin Clark. Everyone knows about Iowa State because of Caitlin Clark. Bonnie Morris is a lecturer in women's history at the University of California, Berkeley. She believes media pressure will continue to help close the pay gap between women and men in sports. Women have thought very carefully about compliance with Title IX laws and equal opportunity demands. I think the conversation, you know, should be every other night, if not every night. And the evening news and a civil rights lawyer I spoke to today said they hope things change for the better with the appointment of Iowa State's new female athletic director, Beth Goetz.She says more women in positions of power can make all the difference
The fight for equity: Closing the gender pay gap in college and professional sports
Updated: March 27, 2024 10:17pm CDT
Iowa State's Caitlin Clark is expected to be the top pick in next month's WNBA Draft, and records show her starting salary will be $76,535 in her first season as a rookie. The figures raise questions about women's pay in sports and how it compares to men's. According to Spotrac, during her 2023 draft in the WNBA, the No. 1 pick made her $74,305 as a rookie. According to Spotrac, the No. 1 pick in that year's NBA draft earned $10,132,300. “It's disgusting,” said Bonnie Morris, a women's history lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. “It's not fair.'' It's not just female athletes who are facing a pay cut. Iowa State's Lisa Bruder is one of the highest-paid coaches in women's athletics. But the $1.4 million she will receive this year is just over a third of the $3.3 million earned by men's coach Fran McCaffrey. Civil rights attorney Roxanne Conlin said that historically the excuse for pay disparities has been that “there are differences in women's sports.” “Colleges don't make as much money as men's sports,” but that may not be the case when Clark is on the court, she said. Attendance records show the Iowa State women's basketball team sold out every home game this season, averaging nearly 15,000 fans per game. Meanwhile, the men's team averages nearly 10,000 fans per home game, Conlin said, “Let's find true equality between men and women in sports.” “A great example of a woman who deserves more than equality is Caitlin Clark.” Conlin said having more women in positions of power, like newly appointed Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz, can help reduce disparities. She said it will help fill in the gaps. Morris said pressure from the media will also help, she said.
Iowa State's Caitlin Clark is expected to be the top pick in next month's WNBA Draft, and records show her starting salary will be $76,535 in her first season as a rookie. The figures raise questions about women's pay in sports and how it compares to men's.
According to Spotrac, the No. 1 pick during the WNBA's 2023 draft earned $74,305 as a rookie. According to Spotrac, the No. 1 pick in that year's NBA draft earned $10,132,300.
“It's disgusting,” said Bonnie Morris, a women's history lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. “That's not fair.”
It's not just female athletes who are facing a pay cut. It’s also their coach.
Iowa State's Lisa Bruder is one of the highest-paid coaches in women's athletics. But the $1.4 million she will be paid this year is just over a third of the $3.3 million that men's coach Fran McCaffrey makes.
Civil rights attorney Roxanne Conlin said the excuse for the pay gap has traditionally been that “women's sports don't benefit universities as much as men's sports.”
But that might not be the case when Clark is on the court, she said. Attendance records show the Iowa State women's basketball team sold out every home game this season, averaging nearly 15,000 fans per game. The men's team, on the other hand, averaged nearly 10,000 fans per home game.
“Let's find true equality between men and women in sports,” Conlin said. “There is no other example of a woman who deserves more than equality than Caitlin Clark.”
Conlin said having more women in positions of power, like newly appointed Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz, will help close the gap. Morris said pressure from the media will also help.
