Women athletes still rank far behind men in earnings

The GIST: Sportico released its list of top 100 highest-paid athletes — and none of them are women. In fact, women don’t even make the top 200. Last year’s highest-earning female athlete, Coco Gauff, raked in $22.7M, light years away from overall No. 1 earner Cristiano Ronaldo’s $275M. Keep reading for some key findings from the report.

⚽ The gap is much greater in team sports. Erica Wheeler netted $242K as the WNBA’s top earner in 2023, while Steph Curry will earn $51.9M on the court this season. Similarly, women’s soccer players cash out at $500K, while men’s soccer’s highest earners are paid over 100x that amount. Deflating.

📺 Media revenue is boosting sports salaries. And since men’s leagues have been around for decades, they have a sizable head start for media rights values. The NBA’s media deals are worth $2.6B annually, compared to the WNBA’s estimated $30M. UK soccer also offers a dismal contrast — Manchester United’s women’s team led the WSL in revenue with $9M in 2022-23, yet the men’s side earned nearly $800M.

• The future remains bright, however. The NWSL’s record $240M media rights deal helped break the league’s salary record twice this offseason, and reworked NCAA rights are expected to bring more money to women’s college basketball, with the same expected for the WNBA in 2025.

🇸🇦 Saudi money is drastically influencing male athlete earnings, but women could eventually cash in, too. Saudi Arabia’s investment in men’s golf boosted earnings for LIV players like Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. While the influx of money widens the gender pay gap, the country’s efforts to enter women’s sports could result in a big athlete sponsorship. Ons Jabeur, anyone?

💰 Women athletes boast higher endorsement value. Combined, the top 15 highest-earning women athletes earned nearly triple their salaries ($44.8M) in endorsements ($129.5M), while the top 15 male athletes earned only half their salaries ($1.2B) in endorsements ($570M). Women offer high ROI as brand ambassadors, but their limited exposure leads to fewer endorsement deals. Waiting for the boys to get on…