Critical Thinking
There has always been a lack of representation and equal pay for women across all sports, and with the rise in popularity of Caitlin Clark and the WNBA, the pay gap is glaringly obvious. In April, 2.4 million people watched the WNBA draft to see Clark, the NCAA all-time leader in points, get drafted. Her entry into the WNBA has already significantly increased ticket sales and prices, and many teams moved to larger venues. Despite this, Caitlin Clark’s salary for the season is roughly $ 76,000, significantly less than her male counterparts, whose salaries start at over a million dollars. Women athletes make 21x less than men, and this number jumps to 108x less in basketball. One historical cause of this pay disparity is the total lack of media coverage for female sports. Many critics of female sports blame the athletes themselves, claiming that the pay gap is largely due to women’s sports being inferior to men’s, but this just isn’t the case. There has always been an assumption that there is no audience for women’s sports on TV or even in sports magazines, and because of this they have been vastly underrepresented in the media. This means that it is significantly harder for female leagues to generate revenue and pay athletes fairly. There are many consequences of the pay gap that have a negative impact on female athletes. It forces female athletes to get second jobs or go play overseas just to make ends meet. This lack of pay may also discourage young athletes from pursuing professional sports, as it can be a lot more difficult to receive adequate pay and opportunities.
One core competency that I feel I have utilized effectively in this course and assignment is critical thinking. After reading the article, I was able to analyze evidence from it to form my own conclusions about the causes and consequences of the topic. I determined both the cause and the reasonings and belief systems behind it. I was also able to use my reasoning skills to consider the potential consequences, and how it impacts women. Moving forward, I would like to work on improving my ability to connect my own experiences to course material and ask questions to further my understanding.