Money, Power, Respect

Book excerpt: An inside look at how women athletes are leading the fight for equality—on and off the field Women’s sports receive a fraction of the airtime allotted for men’s sports, as well as a fraction of the marketing dollars, media coverage, and training resources. For every dollar that the NBA’s highest-paid player brings home, the WNBA’s highest-paid player earns just half a cent. But while misogyny in sports is particularly visible, it’s not unique. Women athletes face the same sexist barriers found in all career fields: the motherhood penalty, transphobia and misogynoir, underpromotion, and more. But women in sports are fighting back, debunking myths that women aren’t as skilled, competitive, or capable of generating revenue as men. Drawing on exclusive interviews with prominent athletes—including Allyson Felix, Megan Rapinoe, and Billie Jean King—journalist Macaela Mackenzie shows how women are using sports as a platform for change. As women athletes push for the same things all women want in their careers—money, power, and respect—their wins are showing the rest of us what’s possible in the fight for equality.