The PPA Tour and MLP made headlines a month ago by announcing that its commitment to equal pay and play for men and women had achieved a notable result for the more than 60 female athletes under contract.

According to a Dec. 19 press release, the average salary for those women in 2024 was $260,000, which "is greater than the highest-paid WNBA player’s annual salary and more than double the average salary of NWSL athletes."

Forbes contributor Liz Elting explored the subject in a story published on Wednesday entitled "Did Pickleball Ace Pay Equity For Women Athletes? Greater Investment Wins Big For Athletes, Sports And Fans."

Elting quickly pointed out that professional pickleball is taking the lead in this department.

"The MLP and PPA Tour's efforts are an outlier, not the standard; pay equity in women's sports is uncommon," she stated. "Many women athletes face pay disparities on and off the field, track and court."

Elting cited the case of 2023 U.S. Open women's singles champion Coco Gauff, who is currently the third-ranked female player on the planet.

"Tennis phenom Coco Gauff's estimated $34.4 million in total earnings is still less than the total earnings of around 41 NBA team players this year," she wrote.

That is definitely cause for concern, as is this.

"In some cases, salaries and earnings are so low that it requires women athletes to work both nationally and internationally or even work additional jobs outside of their sport," indicated Elting. "Many women who are pro U.S. basketball players opt to play in the off-season for other countries in addition to playing for their U.S.-based teams to increase total earnings."

Imagine if your favorite female pickleball pros needed to do that?

Elting emphasizes, however, that lower pay in professional women's sports aren't a byproduct of apathy from the public.

"The reality that pro women athletes have lower earnings and salaries than most pro male athletes doesn't stem from a lack of popularity or profitability," she insisted. "Gauff's 2023 U.S. Open win was the most viewed Major Women's Championship ever... And it's not just women's tennis that's seen runaway success... in golf, the 2023 U.S. Women's Open average viewership had a 118% increase from the year prior."

No doubt a perennial champion like 17-year-old Anna Leigh Waters is steadily becoming a household name beyond the picklesphere, too, so she will be an interesting case study to watch over time in this regard.

"Pay disparities despite a growing consumer appetite for women's sports isn't a new phenomenon," added Elting. "Brands have consistently invested more in men's sports than women's."

Change is coming, though, and with good reason.

"Fortunately, with the data being harder to ignore, the business world is increasingly pursuing the financial opportunity that women's sports presents," wrote Elting.

And the athletes will be rewarded because of it.

"Increased investment in women's sports has slowly led to higher salaries for women athletes," she added. "As more brands, investors, media and sponsors buy into women's sports, the professional sports world inches closer to closing its pay gap and ensuring equal pay for all pro athletes regardless of gender."

It's nice to know that MLP and the PPA Tour are already there.