This past week was monumental for women’s sports. With fewer than 100 days until the Olympics, athletes are scrambling to complete their final preparations. Participate in qualifying events. Check! Finetune training sessions. Check! Finalize travel plans. Check! Get a Brazilian bikini wax. Check!

Yes, you heard that right. Nike revealed the U.S. team outfits, featuring a leotard for women with bikini lines so high, it had some yelling, “Hello, hoohas!”

Then college basketball phenom, Caitlin Clark, was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft. Everyone saw it coming. What caught everyone off guard was that she could earn more as a teacher in Massachusetts than in her first year playing for the Indiana Fever.

Yes, ladies, we’ve certainly come a long way. From pin-up girls in Playboy spreads to the “choice” to spread our parts on TV in the Olympics. From earning roughly 60 cents on the dollar of what men earned in 1960 to earning less than 1% of our counterparts in 2024.

Remember, Caitlin Clark hasn’t just been the female basketball player to watch; she’s been THE basketball player to watch. She recently shattered Pete Maravich’s 54-year record to become the NCAA all-time leading scorer in both men’s and women’s basketball. And just a week later, she broke Steph Curry’s three-point record for a single college season.

Clark isn’t a “nanny goat,” she is the “GOAT” of college basketball. And people know it. It’s why 24 million people tuned in to the final to watch Iowa face off against South Carolina, marking the largest TV audience for a college basketball game, men or women. Clark is the reason young girls and boys line up to get her autograph. When Iowa fell short, even Gamecock coach Dawn Staley acknowledged Clark’s greatness, acknowledged her as a basketball legend and expressed gratitude for her contributions to the sport.

Despite years of disparate levels of investment, sponsorship, and media coverage (which impact revenue generation and player salaries), fans are shelling out the bucks purchasing tickets and driving demand. Indiana Fever tickets are already selling out, along with venues in other cities on the Fever’s schedule. But even as people question the value of investing in female athletics and the profitability, fans aren’t having it. And Clark is slaying it. She is “straight fire” and people are lining up to have their eyelashes scorched.

So, let’s circle back to her salary: Victor Wembanyama, the 2023 NBA No. 1 draft pick, signed a four-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs worth $55 million, guaranteeing a whopping $12.1 million in his first year. In contrast, Caitlin Clark’s four-year contract with the Fever is valued at $338,056, with her first-year earnings totaling just $76,535. This means she will earn less than 1% of her counterpart in the NBA.

Yes, I understand there is more to this. A significant portion of the gap between Clark’s salary and her male counterpart’s salary stems from different structures and revenue-sharing models within their leagues. The NBA’s revenue dwarfs that of the WNBA, generating around $10 billion annually compared to the WNBA’s $200 million. Consequently, the NBA has more money to compensate its players.

But it’s not just about total revenue. Proportionally, the NBA pays its players more. It’s about priorities. The NBA values its players and rewards them accordingly. Men receive 50% of the league’s basketball-related income under their collective bargaining agreement, or $5 billion. In contrast, women, per their collective bargaining agreement, receive only about 10%, or $20 million. (Though women’s earnings are based on incremental revenue, so this is approximate.) With a shorter season and lower salaries, it’s no wonder superstars like Britney Griner end up playing in Russia.

But what about endorsements? Doesn’t Clark have the potential to earn a ton of money from endorsements? Sure, she does. So what? So does Wembanyama. That’s not the point. The point is the message conveyed by the wage gap. You are the best — the absolute best — yet this is your worth. Solely because you are a woman. This sends a powerful message about how society values (or devalues) you. It reinforces gender stereotypes and inequalities. It manifests the playground taunts that still haunt us in our heads, “Boys rule, girls drool.”

Historical biases have long prioritized men’s sports over women’s. Salary structures, the lack of investment, and the continued sexualization of women athletes, the disparities are glaring. Don’t tell me we need to argue for better contracts or fight tooth and nail for fair compensation. It’s not about negotiating for what we deserve. It’s about doing what is inherently right.

Women must be paid proportionately to their male counterparts, not because of gender, but because they’ve earned it through talent, hard work, and dedication.

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