The coverage, recognition, and salary difference between men and women sports have been occurring for a significant amount of time. Though this year’s NCAA women’s tournament turned many heads to their attention, some women are still in no rush to go to the WNBA. For obvious reasons, the WNBA is not as fitting as its brother league to most of its athletes. The average attendance or viewers for the NBA is at an estimate of 1.59 million views and is covered over a span of ESPN, TNT, and ABC. The WNBA, however, estimated an average of 400.3k views and is mainly covered on ESPN. The result from this means that the WNBA is only getting about one-fourth of the recognitions and views that the NBA gets.

The lack of views and recognition then has a domino effect on the endorsement deals, coverage, and salaries of the WNBA. The average salary for the NBA is roughly over nine-million dollars, and it’s lowest salaries are just under one-million dollars. Contrasting salaries from the WNBA have an average estimated range of $100,000 to $147,700, while the lowest is roughly $62,200. In addition to higher salaries, the NBA also have one of the largest played video games and receive more endorsement opportunities.

Despite the huge differences between the brother and sister leagues, collegiate female athletes still have a chance of making more money before they get to the league. Huge NCAA stars such as Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson, and Caitlin Clark are currently making significant amounts of money from Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. Reese is said to be earning an approximate $1.9 million in her NIL revenue. When asked in a recent interview, Reese stated that she is “in no rush to get to the league. I am making more money than some of the people in the league that might be top players,” stated the LSU superstar.

Reese’s teammate and close friend, Flau’jae, is earning around $600,000. Clark, one of LSU’s biggest competitors, also earns NIL revenue that is almost seven times the average WNBA salary. It is quite astonishing that college athletes are earning more than professionals. But, at what point was collegiate salaries deemed more important than professional salaries?