For as long as I can remember, my dream was to play golf on the LPGA tour. I come from a very large family whose main form of bonding included playing golf together and competing. With twelve relatives who played division one golf, the expectations were high for me to also love the game. To their relief, I did. However, because golf is a male-dominated sport, it was very difficult for me to find female competition. I often found myself playing in the boys division of tournaments because there were not any girls to compete against. Though this would turn most people away from the sport, I loved the game enough to continue playing. I became the number one ranked female golfer in my state, which eventually led to me receiving a scholarship from the University of Kentucky. My plan was to compete at the collegiate level for four years and then immediately turn professional. Unfortunately, quickly into my college career, I began to realize how difficult it is to make money as a female professional athlete. This was especially true on the LPGA tour. I constantly heard stories about women on tour that were forced to get second jobs or rely on their spouses to make rent. As a result, I slowly abandoned all hope in my dream of becoming a professional golfer. Even at the top level of collegiate golf, turning professional is not an attainable goal for most women. I became determined to find out why.
On average, the male professional athlete earns 5 times more than the female athlete. This is mostly due to the lack of sponsorships, endorsements, and media coverage given to women’s sports. In fact, according to an article by The Sports Financial Literacy Academy, women’s sports sponsorships account for just 0.4% of all sports sponsorships. This number also correlates with the amount of media coverage women receive. In the United States of America, nearly 40% of athletes are female, but they only receive 2%-4% of media coverage. Female athletes are often seen as less desirable than male athletes to large companies and receive a smaller amount of sponsorships as a result. It is evident that a solution is needed to address the inequality women face in professional sports. I believe that solution lies in the way female athletes are marketed.
Although I no longer plan on playing professional golf, I have uncovered a new dream in sports marketing. My goal is to utilize my degree from The Massey School to market female professional athletes and expand women’s sports as a whole. Receiving an MBA from The Massey School will provide me with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to create more female representation in sports marketing. These skills include stronger communication and persuasion skills, critical thinking skills, and leadership skills. With my degree, I hope to create a world where little girls will not have to play in the boys division or be told that they will never make money as a professional athlete.
Ryan Bender