Abstract
If you were to Google the following question, “Which tennis player spent the most time ranked number one?” You would be presented with a list of articles highlighting Novak Djokovic’s tennis career and crowning him with the title of longest time spent at the number one position in professional tennis. As of the end of February 2023, Novak Djokovic has held the number one position for 377 consecutive weeks. Interestingly enough, if you were to also Google “How many weeks was Steffi Graf ranked number one?” You would find that during Steffi Graf’s professional tennis career, she also held the number one position in professional tennis for 377 consecutive weeks––a title that Djokovic has only recently accomplished. If you were to Google, again, “Which soccer teams have won the most world cups?” You would be presented with articles only referencing men’s soccer. In fact, you would have to conduct an entirely separate Google search including the words “female” or “women” to find any articles on women’s soccer.
None of the above search questions involved any reference to male sports or athletes, yet Google first fed the searcher information directed solely to the male gender. This is a prime example of how the media remains the underlying issue for the gender disparities within professional athletics.
This Note addresses the impact that male-domination in the sports and media industries has on the financial opportunities available to female professional athletes. Specifically, this Note provides a thorough analysis of how the media continues to widen the gender pay gap in professional tennis, basketball, and soccer by promoting outdated gender norms that ultimately hinder female athletes’ ability to gain equal opportunities for media coverage, sponsorships, endorsements, and more. The lack of gender equity within the sports and media industries has serious consequences for female professional athletes, and there is a call for major policy changes as a result. This Note not only provides an explanation of the legal remedies available to female athletes facing discrimination, but also proposes a policy change that could help narrow the pay gap by providing female athletes with more opportunities for media coverage.
Recommended Citation
Kluska, Michaela M.
(2022)
"The Ongoing Battle to End the Gender Pay Gap in the World of Professional Tennis, Basketball, and Soccer and How the Media Remains the Underlying Issue,"
Florida Entertainment and Sports Law Review: Vol. 2:
Iss.
2, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/feslr/vol2/iss2/5