With the rise in popularity of athletes such as WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark, USC college basketball star Juju Watkins; gymnast Simone Biles, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, and track and field champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, women’s sports have been elevated to unprecedented heights. Still, with the exception of a few, which includes tennis standouts Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, women are not earning an equal amount of money as their male counterparts.
At the Sports Business Awards presented by the Sports Business Journal held at the New York Marriott Marquis in Midtown Manhattan on May 21, journalist Hannah Storm, businesswoman Julie Uhrman, and wrestler Chelsea Green of the WWE Superstars discussed how women are endeavoring to close the financial gap as their prominence in sports grows. “I’ve always known, I was, you know, the first play-by-play person for the WNBA, so I have always known about the magic of women’s sports and how amazing it is,” said Storm, who has also served as an ESPN anchor and NBA Countdown host. “But to see huge corporations come in and understand the return on investment in women’s sports now is just so gratifying.” Storm hopes that her three daughters, whom she had with her husband and fellow sportscaster Dan Hicks, will be part of the generation that will see the economics of women’s sports make substantial gains. “I think everybody really needs to look at themselves and answer that and understand that these things do take a while to build,” Storm said. “But in the meantime, in terms of deals for individual athletes, we have that happening at the college level, thank goodness, with NIL (name, image and likeness) and a lot of women are able to navigate that beautifully.”
Uhrman, who is president and co-founder of Angel City FC, a National Women’s Soccer League team based in Los Angeles, referenced some stark numbers when asked about the differences in what men’s and women’s sports generate. “Women’s sports has a long way to go,” she said, referencing a report by Deloitte that states while women’s sports collectively generates $2.35 billion annually in revenue, the number is a massive $471 billion for men. “We have a long way to go to be equal to men, but it starts with investment. Investing in the players, investing in the product, investing in the experience, and investing in the community.
“Each year, the National Women’s Soccer League has been increasing our salary cap so we can pay players what they’re worth, and my hope is that we continue to do that.” Female wrestlers are showcased by the WWE more than ever. Signature personality, Chelsea Green, hopes that expanded exposure, work ethic and commitment translates into increased status and financial gains. “As a female athlete, I know that that’s what I’m trying to do every single day that I clock into work,” she said. “When I go out there, I’m making sure I give it my all. I leave everything out there in the ring, and that’s all I can do. I can rest my head at night knowing I’m giving everything and more that a man would give to this industry and this job.”
She added, “And that’s all I can do. We can continue to fight that way by just showing up. That’s what we need to do, and we are going to keep fighting.”