Yahoo Sport 
Not a single woman in the world's 100 highest paid sportspeople
The yawning chasm between the worlds of men and women’s sport was vividly illustrated on Tuesday when Forbes, the US business magazine, published its annual list of the 100 highest earning sportspeople – and not one female featured on it.
It is the first time it has been entirely populated by men since Forbes began compiling an extended list eight years ago and the news was greeted with dismay by leading British sportswomen, with Jo Pavey, the former European 10,000 metres champion describing the all-male rankings as “sad and disappointing”.
Serena Williams was the only female athlete to make the top 100 last year, but she missed almost an entire 12 months of action, during which she gave birth to her daughter Alexis.
The 23-time grand-slam champion still banked an estimated $18 million through sponsorship while she took a break from competitive action, but that was not enough to make the top 100.
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Fellow tennis player Maria Sharapova was displaced from the top 100 standings last year after a drug suspension and has not regained her place this time around.
There has always been at least one woman – and as many as three in some years – in the list since it was expanded to include at least 50 names in 2010.
That is not the case this year, with the damning indictment of the disparity between male and female sport worldwide sparking a furious backlash online and frustration among leading female sportswomen.
“It’s sad and disappointing and shows there’s still work to do,” said Pavey. “There are so many people putting in hard work like the Women’s Sport Trust to really put women’s sport where it should be in the public realm.
“There have been improvements with the way women’s sport is shown on TV, but clearly not enough. When it’s not shown enough it gives the perception that people aren’t interested and that means sponsors aren’t attracted. That then means people don’t get the opportunity to enjoy it.
“There are some brilliant female role models out there and we should really give them the chance to shine.”
Emily Diamond, the 4x400 metres Olympic, world and European medallist said the list did not reflect the great results female athletes had achieved.
“It’s sad that female sport just doesn’t get the publicity and exposure that male sport does,” she said. “When you look at the England netball team at the Commonwealth Games and the Team GB women’s hockey team at the Rio Olympics, there will have been so many people who watched those matches and were so engrossed and thrilled.
“If more women’s sport was shown on TV then it would gain the attraction of sponsorship and gain the popularity and coverage that it deserves.”
Maggie Alphonsi, part of England women’s rugby team that won the World Cup in 2014, said just having a few on the list in the past had not been satisfactory, let alone what happened this year.
Life in Sport as a woman. Regardless of superhero status like @serenawilliamshttps://t.co/nr6r5wlNdd
— Kelly Sotherton (@KellySotherton) June 5, 2018
“Yes, I think there is a glass ceiling,” she said. “When you think about sports which have high-profile female athletes, the money isn’t there. They aren’t being paid these massive sponsorship deals. We need more than just one or two top names in a top 100. Thinking about the top women out there now I don’t think we will have a woman in there next year either.”
The 2018 list, which includes all salaries and bonuses earned between June 1, 2017 and June 1 this year is dominated by American sportsmen, with 40 basketball players, 18 American footballers and 14 baseball players in the top 100.
Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather tops the standings for the fourth time in seven years after earning $275 million (£205 million) for his fight against Conor McGregor last August. McGregor ($99 million) sits fourth in the list, with footballers Lionel Messi ($111 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($108 million) second and third.
Lewis Hamilton is the leading British athlete in 12th place and annual earnings of $51 million. Other British sportsmen to feature are Anthony Joshua ($39 million), Rory McIlroy ($37.7 million), Gareth Bale ($34.6 million) and Wayne Rooney ($27 million).
