NBA is huge and people worldwide watch it but I feel like you’ll find a very small amount of people interested in the WNBA and players in the WNBA make significantly less than their male counterparts, why?
In: Culture
It is simple economics. People are less interested in women’s sports and less willing to spend time and money on it, leaving less money to pay athletes in women’s leagues. There are a number of reasons.
* Ability – Part of the draw of spectator sports is to see the best, and that will almost always mean male athletes. If you just wanted to see the sport, there are plenty of college, high school, minor league and amateur leagues you could go watch, but people generally want to see the best, not the best out of some arbitrary group.
* Talent Pool – Fewer women go into amateur sports, and fewer of those try to become professionals. Part of that is because there is less money and recognition, but whatever the reason, many women who might have become great athletes choose other opportunities instead. This leads to a lower quality of athlete and a lower level of competition, above and beyond biological differences.
* Societal Expectations – For good or ill, athletics fits into our concept of being male more than it does being femaile. Men are supposed to be big and strong and aggressive and competitive, being an athlete is an extension of this kind of masculine identity. While women can be any of those things, they are not seen as aspects of femininity and will generally make a woman be perceived as less feminine. This has a big impact the advertising dollars that drive professional sports. Men will try a deodorant because they want to be like some big, sweaty superstar, while women have other role models when trying a product.
Latest Answers