In an era where women’s sports are breaking viewership records and female athletes are becoming household names, one might expect to see them represented among the world’s highest-paid athletes. Yet Sportico’s 2024 ranking of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes tells a different story.
Not a single woman made the cut.
The threshold to break into this exclusive financial club was $37.5 million in annual earnings. Even Coco Gauff, the highest-paid female athlete with impressive earnings of $30.4 million, fell short by over $7 million.
Meanwhile, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list with a staggering $260 million—nearly nine times what Gauff earned. The top five highest-earners were rounded out by Stephen Curry ($153.8 million), Tyson Fury ($147 million), Lionel Messi ($135 million), and LeBron James ($133.2 million).
Like most industries, the stark reality is that despite growing momentum for women’s sports, the financial rewards remain dramatically unequal. The 100 highest-paid athletes, representing eight sports and 27 countries, collectively earned an estimated $6.2 billion in 2024. That massive sum included $4.8 billion in salary and prize money, plus $1.4 billion from endorsements and other off-field opportunities.
Women athletes were excluded from all of it, and this should signal major problems. Like Papa Pope once said infamously on Scandal (and likely your mama or grandma too), “we have to work twice as hard to get half as much.”
This financial gap persists despite clear evidence that women’s sports are increasingly drawing fans and attention. We’ve seen record attendance at women’s sporting events, increased broadcast coverage, and growing social media followings for female athletes. The audience is there, but the compensation hasn’t caught up.
It’s not shocking to realize that the reasons for this persistent pay gap are complex and interconnected. Historically lower investment in women’s leagues has led to smaller broadcast deals, which translates to lower salaries. Limited media coverage creates fewer opportunities for female athletes to build their personal brands and secure lucrative endorsements. But the tide is turning—slowly but surely.
We’ve witnessed remarkable growth in all areas of women’s sports over recent years. Everytime you turn on the TV or open a magazine (including this one) you’re seeing the future of women in sports. The WNBA has seen surging viewership numbers, and let’s not even talk about the success of the new Unrivaled basketball league. Other, more unrepresented areas of sports are even feeling it too: Women’s soccer continues to grow globally. Tennis has made strides toward prize money equality, with all four Grand Slam tournaments now offering equal purses to men and women.
These changes haven’t yet translated to parity on highest-paid lists, but they hopefully lay groundwork for future progress. For young female athletes, the message is mixed. While they have more visible role models than ever before, they still face the reality that even at the highest levels of achievement, their earning potential remains constrained by gender.
The numbers from Sportico’s list are a sobering reminder that despite significant progress, women athletes continue to face uphill battles for financial equity. When Coco Gauff—a Grand Slam champion and global sports icon—can’t crack the top 100 highest-paid athletes, it signals how much work remains.
As women’s sports continue their upward trajectory in viewership and cultural relevance, perhaps future earnings lists will finally reflect what fans already know: women athletes are ALSO worthy of world-class compensation.