Great article. I think it’s just pure economics. Unlike other employment cases where wage gap have valid points, sports different animal. Because earning in most cases is driven by ads, endorsements, tickets, etc. Wage in sports is based on how much in dollars & participation the athletes/teams pulls in. For example, Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey etc make more than most top male players in their respective fields, because they draw more crowd/tv-viewership. The same economics applies to US Women Soccer.

Even the Olympics isn’t different, athletes like Phelps, Ledecky, King, women gymnasts-Gabby & co, will definitely make more money because they draw bigger crowd/viewership/attention & ads (even some companies wish to only air ads just when these folks play). All these translates to individual or team endorsements, which equal bigger checks.