THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — After four knee surgeries and two years off the field, women’s soccer icon Christen Press is back and training with Angel City FC — the highest-valued women’s sports team in the world — at its state-of-the-art facility in Thousand Oaks.
“Honestly, I never would’ve imagined 10 years ago that we’d be here now,” said Press.
It wasn’t that long ago, Press explained, when opportunities like these didn’t come for women — or they had to be fought hard for.
Back in 2019, when the U.S. Women’s National Team secured their fourth World Cup title, they were making just 8 cents to every dollar earned by men.
The team took legal action, suing the U.S. Soccer Federation. And after years of fighting, the team earned equal pay.
But equality at the club level and across other sports is still out of reach, Press noted.
“Right now, in the United States, as a soccer player, women get paid doing one thing, one part of their job equal to men,” said Press. “But when they go back to club, and for everyone else... there’s huge discrepancies.”
Those discrepancies are front and center in the WNBA, where players earn on average $119,590 a year — compared to the $11.9 million earned on average by NBA players.
Even rising stars like basketball phenom Caitlin Clark have base salaries as low as $78,000, with endorsements like her record-breaking $28 million contract with Nike making up the difference.
“If you’re sitting at home and you’re thinking, 'Oh, I want these athletes to be paid more,' watch more — because we have to drive up the value of our media rights,” said Press.
According to a 2021 study by USC, media exposure could be key to leveling the playing field. With more visibility, the value of women’s sports could rise dramatically, says USC sports data analyst Lorena Martin.
“A lot of it has to do with the media and are we watching and acknowledging the value,” said Martin.
This is proven in tennis, says Martin, where prize money in grand-slam tournaments — such as Wimbledon and the U.S. Open — is equal for men and women.
“It’s a great example of how women draw as much viewership as the men and sometimes even exceed it,” Martin said.
Martin says fan behavior is shifting, too. According to Complex Sports, women's sports will generate $23.5 billion this year, a 25% increase from 2024.
It’s progress that Press says she’s grateful to see for her younger teammates.
“So much of the work that we did was for the next generation,” said Press. “So this feels like a gift to be here, to be able to play here every day and to kind of see what the next generation is going to have.”
