This letter is in response to The Players’ Tribune and Wealthsimple’s essay regarding pay equity and the treatment of women who play professional sports.

Before we can fully bet on women, each woman, in her own right must first bet on herself.

When we discuss pay equity in women's sports, what if, women demanded more and settled for nothing less?

I am not talking about the female players' agent or manager going “to bat” for her when she enters the pros, but the player herself standing up for her individual value and contribution to the team. What if the women who participated in the game of sport and business demanded more? What if she said no to opportunities that paid her less and held-out or explored other opportunities until she received her worth?

Would pay equity be possible?

Sunday, I was on Twitter and came across The Players’ Tribune essay by WNBA player and WNBPA President, Nneka Ogwumike, and Wealthsimple’s article by WNBA All-star Sklar Diggins-Smith. Not only was I outraged at the treatment of women athletes: redeye flights, the year-round play that is “terrible for the body”, no signature shoe deals in the last 20 years, and of course drastically less pay in comparison to their male counterparts, but also how long this treatment has gone on even with an increasing fan base and television deals.

My mother used to say, “people will treat you how you let them treat you.”

I am reading The Science of Being Great by Wallace Wattles. In the book is a passage on why inequity and injustice exist:

“The cure for all this inharmoniousness [injustice and inequality] lies not with the masters or employers but with the workers themselves. Whenever they reach a higher viewpoint, whenever they shall desire to do so, they can establish complete brotherhood [or sisterhood] and harmony in Industry; they have the numbers and the power. They are getting now what they desire. Whenever they desire more in the way of a higher, purer, more harmonious life, they will receive more.”

In other words, when each player is fed up with the treatment of their bodies, time, and effort, as a sisterhood with power and numbers, they will change what they do not like.

When I was a young woman entering the sports world, I made it my job to understand the ends-and-outs of the opportunity I would take and what I could ask for at the negotiation table. I knew the NBA sent players and staff overseas to serve and grow the game, I knew of partnerships deals that teams made with companies for player housing, and I knew the value of my ability to sell tickets or in the words of my teams’ owner at the time, “put butts in seats.” Once my internship was up, and I had developed a track record of achievements, I asked. I asked for everything and in 2011 traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, with Basketball Without Borders, I lived rent-free my two years working for the team, and I put tons of butts in seats through trailblazing partnership deals.

So what if the women playing the game I love so much asked for what they wanted and settled for nothing less?

What if, instead of asking for pay equity, she stated her terms, justified them with her track record, stood shoulder to shoulder with her sisters, and waited?

I believe the solution to the pay gap is negotiation education. Each woman must take control of her destiny allowing her value to speak for itself, accepting only what she is worth. I believe that before the viewing public and league bets on women, women must bet on themselves.

With admiration, a former female sports executive, and WNBA fan,

Earlina Green Hamilton

Based on WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith's true story, "Equal" makes a simple case for closing professional basketball's gender pay gap. Wealthsimple endorsed Skylar and her mission with a 30-year investment portfolio that grows over time to demonstrate the importance of long-term financial planning. Wealthsimple is investing on autopilot.

Wealthsimple’s video shines light on the problem of pay equity between women and men who play professional sports.

The Numbers:

NBA players receive 50% of the league's revenue based on their current collective bargaining agreement. WNBA players receive no more than 20% of league revenue based on their current CBA.
WNBA TV viewership had increased by 31%, League Pass digital subscriptions were up 39% and merchandise sales were up 66%.
Nike hasn’t made a signature shoe for a WNBA player in over 20 years.