“Be Part of the Change”: A’ja Wilson Urges Fans to Lift Up Women’s Basketball

The pay disparity between the men’s and women’s basketball divisions is a subject that can’t be avoided. Many familiar faces regardless of whether they are from the basketball world or not don’t weigh in to express their valuable input on this hot topic. Having raised her voice for its solution before, A’ja Wilson again had her unapologetic views recently.

The 2023 WNBA Finals MVP was ravishing as always at the 2024 Time100 Gala. However, the attractive thing apart from her looks was her continuous advocacy to end the pay inequity.

The 2× WNBA champion was clearly the person to go to for the media to address this issue. Adding further to her previous valuable insights about equal pay, Wilson said, “At this point, we’re going to continue to hope that people continue to invest in us. We have a lot of eyes on us. A lot of people are trying to pay attention. So now it’s kind of like put your money where your mouth is. Invest in us and show that you want to be a part of the change. That way we can continue to break this glass ceiling that’s over us.”

Ever since the No.1 draft pick this season Caitlin Clark’s rookie contract worth $338,056 with the Indiana Fever has been revealed, many have been voicing their concerns over the unequal pay structure. Anyhow, like Wilson, some other popular faces like Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian believe that the only way to counter it is through proper circulation and investment in the women’s division. 

Later, at the TIME100 Summit, another Olympic gold medalist concurred with Wilson’s thoughts.

A’ja Wilson calls for more investment in women’s sports 

A’ja Wilson along with fellow Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad answered Pablo Torre’s questions about the lower pay of female athletes at the event. Stressing more on the point woman athletes should get better reception, Wilson opined, “Buy that jersey. Go to that game, take someone else, put your money where your mouth is, and invest in these women.” 

Following this, the renowned fencing champion, activist, and author Muhammad added that she was raised watching women’s basketball. Proclaiming herself to be a huge fan, she further added, “I’ve been invested from the time I was young.” 

It is indeed promising to see such eminent figures voicing their opinions on such a valuable topic. Like Wilson, every other female athlete wishes the change to come into effect as soon as possible. It will be interesting to see what the future holds regarding this subject.