"It makes my blood boil": Today reporter fires up over athletes' pay
Sports reporter and Today presenter Roz Kelly has fired up over a list revealing the highest paid athletes in 2024 for one major reason.
Sportico revealed the list on Friday, which features one concerning theme that caught Kelly's attention: not a single female athlete features in the top 100 list.
The salary figures for each athlete combine their reported annual salary as well as endorsement deals that are often worth millions.
The lucrative list is topped by football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who reportedly pocketed $411 million in 2024.
"It makes my blood boil, it makes me so, so angry," Kelly said. "It's just proof of the gender pay gap in sport."
"Some of these women are some of the most marketable in the world right now, they are on billboards everywhere."
"I know like tennis players and surfers, they have equal prize money. There's still a long way to go in cricket, and soccer... I'm on a rant now."
"When it comes to endorsement deals they are severely underpaid compared to their male counterparts."
Five of the top 10 paid athletes in 2024 were football players, while basketball, golf, and American football also feature heavily in the top 20.
Ben Simmons is the lone Aussie athlete in the top 100 after he earned $65m last year, coming in at 85th on the list.
Image credits: Today / Shutterstock