The Rise of the Pro Game: Why Female Pickleball Athletes Are Out-earning WNBA and NWSL Stars
Women’s professional sports have long fought for financial recognition, and while basketball and soccer are still working toward true pay equity, pickleball has quietly changed the conversation. In just a few short years, female pickleball pros have gone from relative unknowns to some of the best-compensated athletes in all of women’s sports.
A Paycheck That Turns Heads
The average salary for women competing on pickleball’s pro tours is now estimated at more than $250,000 a year—a figure that easily surpasses what many WNBA and NWSL stars earn. For comparison, the WNBA salary cap still keeps most players around $120,000 or less, and average NWSL salaries hover closer to $60,000.
At the top of pickleball’s pyramid is 18-year-old Anna Leigh Waters, who has already become the face of the sport. With winnings, endorsements, and league salary combined, her yearly earnings are projected in the millions—rivaling not just her peers in women’s sports, but also athletes in long-established leagues.
Why Pickleball Pays
So what explains this sudden surge in earning power?
1. League Structure
Unlike basketball or soccer players, pickleball professionals are salaried employees of their leagues. This ensures guaranteed paychecks instead of relying solely on prize money. With the consolidation of the sport’s two major organizations into a single governing body, sponsorship dollars and broadcast deals have flowed in more efficiently.
2. Media Appeal
Pickleball’s boom has created a perfect storm of visibility. Matches are broadcast on mainstream networks, and attendance at tournaments continues to rise year over year. Sponsors love the accessibility of the game and the fact that players engage directly with fans.
3. Equal-Earning Ethos
Perhaps most importantly, pickleball embraced equity early on. Male and female players sign similar contracts and earn comparable salaries. By establishing parity from the beginning, the sport avoided the long-standing gaps seen in other leagues.
Where Basketball and Soccer Fall Short
Women’s basketball and soccer remain incredibly popular, but their revenue models differ. WNBA teams, for example, are tied to NBA owners, and league revenue is split in ways that limit maximum player compensation. The NWSL faces a similar challenge, with expanding popularity but smaller media contracts.
This doesn’t mean those sports are failing—far from it. Both are on an upward trajectory. But the contrast with pickleball highlights how important league structures and early sponsor buy-in can be.
What This Means for Women’s Sports
Pickleball’s financial leap forward signals more than just dollar signs. It validates the idea that women’s sports can thrive if given the right infrastructure, investment, and media visibility. Fans want to watch, brands want to support, and athletes want to compete—pickleball simply brought all three together quickly.
It also gives young athletes a new professional pathway. For players who might not see a future in tennis, basketball, or soccer, pickleball now offers a viable career. And with earnings that rival or exceed other leagues, it’s no longer a side hustle—it’s a profession.
Pickleball’s rise has been remarkable, but what’s most notable is how its women athletes are leading the charge. For once, a sport has built its pay structure around equity from the start, and the results are clear: female pickleball players are out-earning stars from leagues that have been around for decades.
If money is a measure of value in the sports world, pickleball has already proven its point. The challenge now is sustaining that growth—and perhaps serving as a blueprint for every other women’s league still fighting for its share of the spotlight.
