This past weekend, something historic happened. It wasn’t the Final Four and it wasn’t an MLB or NBA story. It was the NFL taking a big step towards gender equality among its workforce.
The Los Angeles Times broke a story Friday that former Conference USA referee Sarah Thomas will become the first full-time NFL referee. Thomas won’t be the first female referee used in the NFL, as Shannon Eastin officiated a game during the 2012 referee lockout. The NBA’s Lauren Holtkamp became the third full-time referee in the NBA’s history earlier this year.
Unfortunately, women’s sports are behind men’s sports in today’s society. The television ratings of leagues such as the WNBA are miles below those of the NBA. Women’s soccer, at least in the United States, is limited to the nine-team National Women’s Soccer League, the latest in a long line of women’s soccer leagues in America. The National Pro Fastpitch softball league has five teams. Finally, there are three American football leagues for women in the United States, the largest being the 43 team Women’s Football Alliance, many of whose teams play at high school fields.
Women also earn much smaller salaries as professional athletes than men. The average WNBA player in the 2013-2014 season made $72,000. In the same season, the minimum NBA contract was worth $490,180. In the 2010 season, the average National Pro Fastpitch softball contract was around $2,500, with a max salary of $5,000. Kobe Bryant is earning $7,015.89 per day this year.
The massive disparity between men’s and women’s sports needs to change. In today’s society, where more and more focus is placed on eliminating discrimination and sexism, this is not acceptable. Obviously, these women’s leagues can’t start paying players like Kobe Bryant. They don’t make enough money to pay such lavish contracts. However, something has to be done to close the gap.
With the passage of Title IX in 1972, collegiate athletics took a huge leap forward in gender equality. More women’s athletic programs are in existence today because of it. However, there is still work to be done. The hiring of Thomas, the first woman to become a full-time referee in the testosterone-fueled NFL, is a big step towards solving this problem.
