Simone Biles & Co. Get Reality Check as Million-Dollar Earnings Highlight Sad Reality Of Women’s Sports
“It’s just unacceptable that we’re still fighting for equal pay. … You want stadiums filled, we filled them.” Megan Rapinoe’s words from 2021 hit harder than ever in 2025. The gender pay gap in sports is alive and kicking, and if you need proof, just check the numbers. Take Simone Biles, for example. She’s the GOAT—five gymnastics moves named after her, 11 Olympic medals, and a list of accomplishments long enough to make anyone break a sweat! She came back from Tokyo ‘twisties’ and still managed to bag 3 golds in the Paris Olympics. Pretty impressive, right? But here’s the kicker: in 2024, Biles earned $11.1 million, making her one of the No. 1 among the Olympic athletes. But is it enough to make her the highest paid in the men’s world?
Yes! Men’s world, because no matter how much you talk about equality in sports, there’s still no equal pay! Simone Biles earned $11.1 million in 2024, landing her in the ninth position among female athletes. But who’s at number one for women? Tennis star Coco Gauff ranks No. 1 for the second straight year with $30.4 million, followed by Eileen Gu at $22 million. But is that enough to truly dominate sports?
No! It still feels like women are earning peanuts compared to men. Well, on February 12th, Sportico revealed an analysis of their 2024 top 100 highest-paid athletes list, and you might think Simone or Coco would at least crack the top 100, right? But nope, rather a big fat no! Sadly, there are no women at all on the list! It’s a harsh reality that, despite all the talent and hard work, women’s earnings still fall way behind the men in sports. And just to put the gap in perspective, the number 1 spot on the list went to Cristiano Ronaldo, who earned a whopping $260 million in 2024. See the difference? It’s shocking!
This top 100 list includes athletes from eight sports and 27 countries, with a total of $6.2 billion in earnings in 2024—$4.8 billion from salaries and prize money and $1.4 billion from endorsements. And here’s the irony—Coco Gauff could have made the list, but she was more than $7 million short of the $37.5 million minimum cutoff to crack the top 100. So, once again, despite all their incredible accomplishments, women in sports are left out of the biggest paydays. And speaking of equality, did you know the Paris Olympics were hailed as the first games where true equality was achieved? Well, sort of…
According to a 2024 Forbes report, a survey of 500 professional female athletes revealed some eye-opening stats about their earnings. In 2023, 78% of them made $50,000 or less, with 58% earning $25,000 or less. Let that sink in, as we aren’t done spilling facts yet! For many of these athletes, their income doesn’t even cover the basics like travel, training, and equipment. Over half of them said their out-of-pocket expenses were higher than what they actually earned—so they’re literally paying to compete. And it doesn’t stop at low salaries!
Female athletes also face inconsistent incomes and unpredictable sponsorships. Over 40% said their earnings were unpredictable, with many relying on side gigs to make ends meet. On a more positive note, Paris 2024 was a game-changer not in terms of paychecks but for gender equality in sports. For the first time ever, the Olympic Games achieved full gender parity, with an equal number of male and female athletes. Biles herself celebrated the milestone, saying it was exciting to see 50% female athletes at the Games.
“It’s a huge win,” she said. But let’s not forget—despite this progress, women in the Paris Olympics won 479 medals, 20 less than the 499 won by men. And while women earned 152 gold medals, their paychecks? Not quite as golden, even though all received the same money who won the gold medal. But they are still lagging behind! It is due to unequal sponsorships, deals, etc. And thus we’ve got some serious catching up to do!
