By Stephone Coward
- Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka make up 5 of the top 10 highest-paid Black female athletes
- The world’s 10 highest-paid female athletes earned a combined $167M before taxes in 2021
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 Serena Williams at $45.9 million and Naomi Osaka sitting atop the mountain at $57.3 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 10 highest-paid female athletes earning a combined $167 million before taxes in 2021.
Why This Matters: Most of these athletes’ total compensation comes through endorsements. Investors, corporations, and media outlets have finally realized that women’s sports are profitable. A recent Forbes article stated that “The world’s ten highest-paid female athletes earned a combined $167 million before taxes in 2021, a 23% increase over 2020 and a 16% jump from the prior record of $143.3 million set in 2013”.
Specifically, five of the top ten highest-paid female athletes are Black women. The gymnast and basketball G.O.A.T Simone Biles at $10.1 million and Candace Parker at $5.7 million became the first players to rank in the highest-paid female athlete category ending a ten-year streak that tennis players dominated.
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 living out of playing sports they love.
Situational Awareness: The disparity between male and female athletes is well documented. The salary and endorsements for female athletes are typically a fraction of what their male counterparts make. 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.
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