The recent WNBA draft highlighted the enduring chasm between women’s and men’s professional basketball salaries. Caitlin Clark, the former University of Iowa star and the No. 1 overall pick, will earn a rookie salary of $76,535 – a figure that underscores the stark economic realities faced by female athletes.

With a staggering 3,951 career points for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark, 22, stands as the NCAA Division I’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing both men’s and women’s records.

The vast pay gap between the WNBA and NBA is sparking outrage and trending online, with many calling for fairer compensation for women’s basketball players.

“Caitlin Clark’s 1st year salary is mind blowing to me. I had no idea. The greatest college basketball player of all time and the Indiana Fever are paying her slightly more than a teacher salary (which are also way too low for the record)?” said HuskGuys on X on Tuesday.

Fans are pointing out that teachers get paid more. According to the National Education Association, the national average salary for teachers in 2023 is $68, 469, but in certain states like California, the average salary is $90,151.

Even NBA team mascots get paid more than Clark. According to Newsweek, Atlanta Hawks’ mascot, Harry the Hawk, brings in $600,000 yearly, and the Chicago Bulls Benny the Bull’s annual salary is $400,000.

This glaring difference exposes the NBA, where a rookie earns a staggering $10.1 million, a far cry from the unjust reality of the WNBA. The average NBA player commands a multi-million dollar annual salary. Even the NBA’s lowest-paid players earn substantially more than their WNBA counterparts.

The pay gap is staggering: according to Statista.com, the average WNBA player earned roughly $103,000 last season, while the average NBA player made a whopping $9.4 million.

This disparity reflects a broader undervaluation of women’s sports, despite the WNBA’s growing popularity and the proven draw of athletes like Clark.

While the WNBA’s revenue trails that of the NBA, the pay gap cannot be solely attributed to market forces. Women’s basketball draws significant viewership, especially during marquee events like the NCAA tournament. Last year’s WNBA finals were record-breaking, netting the highest viewership in 20 years.

Despite the rising viewership, the WNBA often lacks consistent promotion and visibility, hindering its potential to generate revenue comparable to the men’s league.

“We need the marketing to match our product,” said former WNBA star Maya Moore in an essay she wrote on the issue in 2016. “Celebrate us for the things that matter — the stories, the basketball, the character, the fiery competitiveness, our professionalism.”

The consequences of this pay disparity extend beyond individual salaries. Many WNBA players must supplement their income with second jobs or overseas play, detracting from their training and potentially affecting on-court performance.

The case of Clark throws into sharp relief the ongoing struggle for equal compensation in professional sports. For women’s sports fans, it highlights the need for increased investment in the WNBA, expanded promotion of women’s basketball, and a fundamental shift in how society values the contributions of female athletes.

“If the NBA wanted to pay WNBA players more, they could,” said journalist Sydney Miller in 2022 for the Daily Nebraskan. “If they wanted to, they could cut salaries of the owners — most of whom are billionaires — and redistribute that money to WNBA players. They could advertise the women’s league better.