There are small things like the lower percentage the WNBA sets aside for salaries than the NBA, lousy media rights deals, etc.

But those aren't the big problem.

Start with the legendary misogyny in sports. For example, Title IX is the driver behind women's sports, and the right battled against it tooth and nail. So, women are behind due to intentional actions taken.

The only time the right has given a shit about women's sports has been the trans fear campaign. Now something they've always battled against is presented as something that has to be protected. The hypocrisy is mind-bending.

Remember the coverage of Brittney Griner when she was imprisoned in Russia? The conservative media ranged from shrugging it off to being very glad she was there. It was disgusting to see how many people were actually gleeful. Of course, right-wing icon Putin throwing an outspoken Black lesbian athlete in prison for drugs is like a conservative media wet dream, so it's no surprise.

Meanwhile, and probably most importantly, the sports media complex (ESPN et al.) has conspicuously ignored women's sports. And we know what that means in America.

The TV networks have ignored women. The argument was always that nobody was interested => there's no point showing the games => they got no coverage => nobody was interested => there's no point showing the games => they got no coverage => nobody was interested =>…

Is it the chicken or the egg?

Of course, that ignored some of the available data. For instance, in the Olympics, women dominate the men in ice skating and gymnastics, two of the most popular and most watched events. So maybe if they actually put women front and center, people would pay attention.

And then came Caitlin Clark.

Here was a marketable star, and for once they did — she was part of their ad campaigns. The NCAAW games got serious discussion in the sports media and presented as "must-see TV." Other players got some shine as well.

n other words, for the first time they treated her like they would a male star.

And the women's tournament was a bona fide hit. Her games outperformed the men's tournament and even some male professional events. All without any tradition or "infrastructure" to build on and in the face of people who didn't care or even want women's sports to fail.

Now she's a pro, and they're moving her games to bigger venues. ESPN is (a) paying attention and (b) falling all over themselves trying to pretend they've always cared.

Will there ever be parity with the men? I doubt it.

1. Men are bigger, stronger, and faster. No rim-rattling slam dunks.

2. However I, for one, am deeply tired of the prancing and preening men are more inclined to do. The teamwork vs. showy individual stats angle could draw fans.

3. More boys play sports, so there's a bigger talent pool. Of course, the more women are shown on TV and talked about in the media, the more girls will be interested. The chicken-and-egg thing again.

4. Pregnancy is incompatible with athletics, so some women will miss chunks of their careers and fall out of the public eye.

5. Women are more progressive, so regressive fans may stay away for political reasons. Kneeling for the anthem is normal. Plus, women's sports have a strong queer presence they don't hide, which again will cause political backlash (see the Brittney Griner episode).

6. Will progressive fans tune in and balance it out? Dunno.

7. Caitlin Clark is, like many rookies, struggling with the pro game. If her star wanes, will it take the league with it?

So, who knows what will happen? But at least they're being given a chance.

Of personal interest is the reaction on the right. They long to go back to denigrating women's sports, but the trans thing is so (mindlessly) successful. Plus, Ms. Clark is white, which in the Black dominated world of American sports throws white fans a lifeline.

Then there's the reaction of capitalism -the kind of people who sneer at women's sports tend to be big fans. But the cognitive dissonance may be jarring: Women are an untapped market, and there may be serious money to be made. (See the Travis Kelce & Taylor Swift effect.) If the women's games get popular, the market will smell money and they could gain ground, much to the chagrin of the haters.

So, you aren't necessarily wrong, just ignoring history and context.