Photo Credits: Lajja Patel
In the United States, everyone knows big names in basketball like Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and so many more. However, would you know who A’ja Wilson and Candace Parker were without looking them up? If I surveyed numerous individuals, both genders, if they get excited to watch the WNBA draft or even who won the most recent Women’s NCAA tournament, most will simply remain silent. Even asked a few of my closest friends if they cared about women’s basketball, and their response was, “No one really cares or wants to watch women play.” As someone who was a former basketball player throughout most of my life, I’ve seen a pattern where hardly anyone came to my games besides parents, but then everyone showed up for the boys’ varsity games, flooding the entire student section with posters, theme nights, etc.
Therefore, this leads me to wonder why there is such sexism in a sport that either gender can play. I’m confused as to why men and women are treated differently when it comes to various examples like TV time spots, yearly payments, or even the quality of the locker rooms they get dressed in.
The introduction of this sexism issue originated from yearly revenues that NBA players receive (roughly $6 million) compared to WNBA (roughly $80,000). Most well-known athletes are sponsored by large companies, which will bring more money into their revenue, and sadly, not many female athletes are shown on Gatorade or Nike ads. A’ja Wilson, a Las Vegas Aces WNBA player, wanted to break the pattern of male-dominated attention in the professional world of basketball, by releasing her own shoe brand collaborating with NBA star, LeBron James, with the LeBron 16 shoe specifically designed for women. Slowly, since the NBA and WNBA have a 50-year gap since each company has been established.
Moving down from the professional level, the NCAA has received several lawsuits during March Madness specifically and backlash for how they treat women’s and men’s basketball differently. However, many teams in each division require a lot of traveling around the country for this tournament, along with getting provided meals, a weight room, and free gear. Though the NCAA makes the men’s tournaments look glamorous, the women’s teams get the opposite. Sedona Prince, a TikTok influencer and team member of the University of Oregon women’s basketball team, released this video on the truth about the NCAA and the little care they have for women’s basketball, enraged other female athletes on the conditions. Providing to the women’s team boxed food and a rack of dumbbells, whereas men get a whole buffet system, full weight room, and a bed full of fun gear. It’s not even just about the conditions, but also can revolve around the number of people attending their games on average during the season.
I took this photo of Evie DePetro while at a women's basketball practice
I can fairly say that the turnout average for games between men and women are significantly different, at least what I’ve noticed working for Furman for almost two years. It was a struggle last season to find contestants for halftime mini games during the women’s games. However, it was easy to find people during a men’s game. Simply because no one was in the student section during a women’s game, even if it was a Friday night game. Seeing it in real life compared to what is being said about sexism online is eye-opening to understand how people care more and will pay more money to watch a sport that has turned into a male-dominated network currently.
In the next few years, the game needs to be changed when it comes to ending sexism. ESPN and the NCAA should construct new ways to get people’s attention not just to male-dominated sports but including more equality in revenue and spectator participation to make women feel more important in athletics in this era.