Draymond Green got himself into some trouble recently after his comments about women’s pay in professional sports. For years now, leagues like the WNBA and even the United States Women’s Soccer Team have been calling for more equitable pay for their work. Many women athletes are forced to do regular jobs alongside playing their preferred sport since women’s athletics isn’t as well funded. Green believes the women should be paid more although he continuously told them to stop complaining, and completely missed the point of what many women have been saying.
In light of these comments, Stephen A. Smith decided to weigh in on the matter as he went on his ESPN+ show today, and countered Green’s point. In the clip below, Smith notes that women’s sports were among the only athletics to increase ratings this past year and that the big issue is people aren’t using their platforms to prop up women’s sports.
Smith admitted that ESPN has made some mistakes when it comes to women’s coverage and that even Smith himself could do a lot better. Moving forward, Smith wants to use his platform to prop up all of the women out there, and he is urging Green to do the same. At the end of the day, the money will only come with increased ratings, and it’s up to those with power to see that change happen.
2020 was a promising year for women’s sports and 2021 has already started out just as strong. Hopefully, the progress continues to get made, and the pay can continue to become more equitable.
