It is no question that male athletes are paid significantly more than female athletes. Sports such as soccer and basketball are the two main sports that draw attention to the difference in pay. But what causes this difference in pay and is it fair?

Now obviously, female athletes are amazing athletes and are some of the best at what they do. They train and prepare their bodies just like the men do. They are playing at the highest level of their sports but still not being paid nearly as much as the men. There is a reason for this.

It is a fact that men’s sports bring in much more money than women’s sports. Forbes Magazine states, “The top WNBA salary was $117,500 last season, compared with $37.4 million in the NBA.” This shows that women athletes don’t make nearly as much as the men do. The women’s teams also don’t sell as many tickets as the men’s teams do.

Men’s sports draw more attention and get all of the hype. ESPN says, “There were 17.3 million brackets filled out for the men’s tournament compared to 1.5 million for the women’s brackets.” This proves that more people want to get involved with men’s sports than women’s sports. Less views also leads to less money. Less money being made is less money being paid to the players.

Even though these female athletes work hard for what they do, they simply won’t get paid as much as male athletes, at least not until they start bringing in as much money as men’s sports. It is all about money and views, and when you don’t have the money, you can’t give it out.