Over the last several years, many have fought for equal opportunity inside the workplace. Let's get one thing clear: sometimes it just doesn’t happen. According to Forbes magazine, the average NBA basketball player made $4.9 million for the 2013-2014 season. The WNBA average salary during the 2012 was $70 thousand.

Let's face it, men's sports appeal to sports fans more than women's sports.

The sports industry is just that, an industry. There is no more “team” aspect to professional basketball. It is all about who is playing with Lebron, or what celebrities are sitting front row at the Lakers game that night. As a whole, the NBA has created an image of excitement which promotes very well to its large fan base. One instance where women’s sports have caught up to men’s is the 2015 Women’s U.S National Soccer team, as they won the 2015 Fifa World Cup in what was an historic run for the team. We have yet to see that catch on with women’s basketball. Now surely, on a national level the United States Men’s olympic team is almost a sure gold medal lock each year they participate behind the great coach, Mike Krzyzewski, and the sure talent that the team pulls from the NBA. On the flip side, we don’t see the women’s national team catching any of the spotlight during the olympic games.

Theres one fact that cannot be disputed on why men’s sports are more appealing to viewers: men are naturally bigger, faster and stronger which causes better competition and more exciting things to happen. Let's face it, a windmill drunk from the free throw line is much more exciting than a very rare two handed put away that you would see on ESPN2 on a Tuesday night. Media outlets are very understanding of the fact that the NBA attracts more viewers than the WNBA. Primetime outlets for sports are always going to go to the big name teams such as the Lakers, Knicks, Heat or Bulls. All of these teams are surrounded by large markets created from their cities.

The biggest reason why the WNBA doesn’t stack up is the marketing factor. If you’re familiar with Princeton’s basketball philosophy or the 2010-2011 Butler Bulldog basketball team that was the national runner up, you would understand why the WNBA style does not market well. The game is too slow to attract viewers, thus causing the market value to dwindle. The comparables just do not stack up for the women’s side. The game features mostly college style play, which is solid defense, use of the shot clock and trying to win the possession statistic. The NBA features a run and gun style of play and features athleticism that is far beyond fathomable. The NBA marketing campaign has transformed greatly over the years, as they were able to solidify four-five primetime games on Christmas day with games on ABC, ESPN and TNT all throughout the day.

The NBA Finals offers one of the biggest advertising opportunities for businesses due to the number of viewers. If the WNBA could find a way to speed up the game and make it more exciting, I believe that it would enhance the amount of viewers for the short term. Recently, Brittney Griner who attended Baylor University has made a splash in the WNBA creating some much needed buzz for the sport. However, many players in the WNBA are simply average shooters that can play sound defense, can handle the ball and are able to make a three every now and then.

The NCAA is essentially a stepping stone for professional sports and the media and marketing campaign that is in place for college basketball is enormous. With March Madness, conference rivalries, games played on military ships and crazy college atmospheres it allows for businesses to advertise to a large audience. Because of this, fans want to see their favorite college players play at the professional level. Just like the WNBA, women's college basketball does not draw a large amount of viewers or fans to come watch them play. The women’s NCAA tournament is played mostly at host universities until the later rounds, while the men’s NCAA tournament has a bidding war between cities to see who will host each year. According to Yahoo Finance, in 2014 General Motors spent $83.2 million on ad space during the NCAA tournament, with AT&T coming in right behind them at $61.3 million.

The WNBA is at a severe disadvantage to grow due to human nature, and I do not anticipate that changing anytime soon. As long as they are combining for 150 point games, the attendance and viewers will stay down. The NBA has seemed to hit the marketing head right on point, and has transformed a sport into a multi-billion dollar industry. Do I believe that the NBA could help jumpstart a marketing campaign for the WNBA? Sure. Would it help the sports overall curb appeal over many years? Probably not. Do I believe that the WNBA has room to grow? Yes, but only if they are able to find a way to transform their game into something a tad more exciting.