No woman appears on Forbes 100 highest paid athletes list

Published Jun 06, 2018

For the first time in eight years, zero woman have appeared on the Forbes 100 highest paid athletes of 2018. Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather comes it an No. 1, after a $275 million payday, followed by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Conor McGregor and Neymar.

Here are the world's highest paid athletes of 2018:https://t.co/c3Gm44dOna pic.twitter.com/9BoaGAgDYf
— Forbes (@Forbes) June 5, 2018

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Last year, the sole woman to make the list was Serena Williams, but she dropped off after leaving the tour to give birth to her daughter. Since the list expanded to at least 50 in 2010, one to three women have appeared each year. Maria Sharapova was a regular on the list until her 15-month doping suspension, and Li Na has previously made the Top 100 but she retired in 2014.

Tennis still makes the cut though, with Roger Federer at No. 7, Rafael Nadal at No. 20, Kei Nishikori at No. 35 and Novak Djokovic at No. 86.

The reaction to the testosterone-dominated list has been loud:

Sports are a microcosm of society. Men, we need you to advocate as much for women as you do for other men. When more men in power become allies and care about gender equality, the power differential will shift. #HeForShe #EqualityForAll https://t.co/uaLVqJUDKQ
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) June 6, 2018

Men = 100/100
Women = 0/100

For the first time ever since Forbes started compiling the world's 100 highest paid sportspeople, there is not a single woman in the list. Not one.

What a damning indictment of the enormous disparity between men/women's sport. https://t.co/3O1tu5RTZb
— Ben Bloom (@benbloomsport) June 5, 2018

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The Forbes Top 100 list of highest-paid athletes:
Men: 100
Women: 0
(Serena Williams was 51 last year, but dropped out of Top 100 after having a baby).
— Christian Christensen (@ChrChristensen) June 5, 2018

According to Forbes Magazine, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the highest-paid athlete in the world and there are no women in the top 100. Both those facts say a lot about the world of sports.
— Dave Hogg ✨ (@stareagle) June 6, 2018

Not ok....No women in Forbes’ top 100 athletes list as Mayweather reclaims top spot https://t.co/9iS5wPGH1E
— Lenore Taylor (@lenoretaylor) June 6, 2018

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Sharapova was asked about the list after her loss to Garbine Muguruza in the Roland Garros semifinals. She didn't seem too concerned.

Q: What are your thoughts that in financial terms, at least, there are no female athletes in that top 100 list? And can anything be done to redress that balance?

Sharapova: Do you believe in that list?

Q. Well, it's based on certain factors, but...

Sharapova: Which are what?

Q. Economic factors of perceived earnings.

Sharapova: "Perceived" is the word we're looking for.

"I think my answer to that is I don't take those lists very seriously," the five-time Grand Slam champion concluded.

Forbes Top 100 list isbased on earnings figuresincluding all prize money, salaries and bonuses between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018.

No woman appears on Forbes 100 highest paid athletes list

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