Opinion

Pay time versus play time

Women are not paid the same as men in professional sports

Elyse Lenglet ’27, Web Editor

March 20, 2025

Throughout history, society has looked down on women in social, economic and political aspects. People grew up believing that women should stay in the background so men could show how a real leader should act. Women have fought so that one day they might have a larger role in society. Now in the 21st century women have finally started to come out from behind the curtains.

Although we may believe now that women and men should be seen as equal, there are still many issues to be dealt with. For example, there are many women’s sports teams that have become more sought after. These teams play the same amount of games as the men’s teams, and yet, according to the Menlo Bowman Library, “Male athletes in basketball, golf, soccer, baseball and tennis make anywhere from 15 percent to nearly 100 percent more than female athletes.” Women deserve more.

In sports, there is an overarching stereotype that men are stronger and more athletic than women. I believe this stereotype needs to come to an end. There is a sufficient difference in women’s professional sports and men’s professional sports. When one turns their TV on they may notice how there are multiple men’s sports games to watch. What about women? The Nieman Lab found that 15 percent of women’s sports are covered compared to the majority of men’s sports that have their own channel. Why is this? I believe it is because women are still perceived as weak, unathletic and useless.

There have been multiple examples of how women can show strength, and should be no reason that they are not paid the same. They work equally as hard as men. Furthermore, women show determination by putting up with the men who still constantly degrade them to this day. I find it unimaginable to be in a position where one is consistently criticized for playing a sport that they have a passion for. In conclusion, these athletes are not only excellent at their sport, but they have to put up with more than men do. I will forever stand by the fact that women work equally as hard as men and for this, they should be getting paid equally.

About the Contributors

Elyse Lenglet ’27, Web Editor

Elyse Lenglet ’27 is a first year web editor on Tower. When she is not dancing on the sidelines at Friday night football games or spending long nights practicing with her competitive dance team, she enjoys baking in her limited free time. Elyse is looking forward to the opportunity to be able to write for The Tower and bring a creative mind when it comes to writing. “I have always loved writing, so I am super excited to try something new involving writing such as Tower,” Lenglet said. Aside from having a passion for writing, Lenglet is also excited to be able to work on The Tower Pulse website, aiding in the editing process.

Gus Nutter ’27, Web Editor

First year web editor Gus Nutter ‘27 is excited to write and edit for Tower this year. Nutter is looking forward to being able to use skills learned in Tower for college and useful for the future. He is thrilled to be able to write about exciting topics that interest him and hopes his opinions will carry through throughout Tower. “I’m looking forward to using the Tower for future experiences like college and work,” Nutter said. Nutter is also part of a dance team which he is very passionate about and has been dancing all his life. It helps him destress and allows him to incorporate different emotions through his dancing. “Dancing along with writing helps me be able to express myself along with writing about topics going on in the world,” Nutter said. Nutter has also worked with customer support and reception which has helped him with a lot of social skills like talking to adults. He’s eager to be able to improve his writing and experience a different style of journalistic writing.