By CultureBanx Team
- Coco Gauff, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka make up the top 10 highest-paid female athletes
- The world’s 10 highest-paid female athletes earned a combined $258M before taxes in 2024
Black female athletes are known to be some of the best players in sports regardless of gender. They are not only in command of their respective sports; they are in command of the media’s attention with Coco Gauff sitting atop the mountain earning $34.4 million. These ratings and revenue-generating titans are now starting to see the fruits of their labor by being better compensated for their contributions to the game with the world’s 20 highest-paid female athletes earning a combined $258 million before taxes in 2024, a 15% increase over 2023’s $226 million.
Why This Matters: Most of these athletes’ total compensation comes through endorsements and more than eleven athletes surpassed $10 million in earnings this year, according to Forbes estimates. Investors, corporations, and media outlets have finally realized that women’s sports are profitable. The median age for women on the list is just 26 years old, with many of them potentially having long careers ahead.
Specifically, four of the top ten highest-paid female athletes are Black women. Gymnast G.O.A.T Simone Biles came in at $11.2 million and tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Venus Williams made $12.9 million and $12.1 million respectively. The highest-paid female athlete category is dominated by dominated by tennis players, as they account for seven of the top ten spots.
These figures should serve as good news for the long-term sustainability of women’s sports. In an industry far from peaking, young Black girls can make a great living out of playing sports they love.
Situational Awareness: Salary and endorsements for female athletes are typically a fraction of what their male counterparts make. Last year, female athletes earnings remains less than 12% of the equivalent number for the top 20 male athletes, who hauled in an estimated $2.23 billion. Talking heads usually explain this by pointing to the fact that women’s sports aren’t popular and, therefore, not as lucrative to justify the paydays that men’s sports bring in. Increasingly those talking points are becoming moot with the help of Black female athletes leading the way.
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