March 8 is International Women’s Day, celebrated not only in the United States but in countless nations around the world, from Asia to Africa to Europe. It’s a day characterized by both the celebration of women and the many protests pushing for women’s rights globally. Robert Griffin III isn’t protesting in Turkey (which, by the way, is happening), but he’s using his platform to spread some awareness.
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Griffin, a former Heisman Trophy winner, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winner, and nine-year NFL veteran turned TV pundit, has become known for his support of women’s sports. He has been vocal about his interest in the WNBA especially, contributing to the lively discourse surrounding the league and its young stars, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
On Saturday, Griffin took to his Twitter account—which has garnered 2.2 million followers—to celebrate women on International Women’s Day. But also to share a stark reminder of where women stand in the realm of sports in this day and age.
“Happy International Women’s Day. No women made it into the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the World last year. That HAS TO CHANGE this year,” he wrote.
Happy International Women’s Day. No women made it into the top 100 highest paid athletes in the World last year. That HAS TO CHANGE this year.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 8, 2025
Griffin wasn’t just making that up either. When it comes to financial questions, many on this side of the Atlantic turn to Forbes. The publication does its research and puts out an annual list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. And while women’s basketball in America, women’s soccer across the pond, and women’s combat sports the world over have made strides, the list remains mono-gendered from 1 to 100.
However, the large majority of replies to RGIII’s tweet came from guys “sitting at home in their grandma’s basement with their drawers on” (shoutout to Charles Barkley) who were complaining about the former QB’s call to action for female athletes to be more fairly compensated.
Most of these replies were simply misogyny cloaked in supposed “gotcha” facts about how most women’s leagues don’t bring in enough marketing dollars or viewership numbers to get one of their athletes on the list.
That is true in most cases, but we’re talking about the biggest stars in women’s athletics here. And there are enough to go around. At least enough to where they should crack the top 100. There’s A’ja Wilson, Juju Watkins, and Coco Gauff, to name a few. UFC stars like Amanda Nunes, Weili Zhang, and Valentina Shevchenko. Simone Biles’ brilliant gymnastic ability paired with her million-dollar smile.
But the most jarring omissions came from women’s basketball. Considering the amount of discourse and attention the rivalry of Clark and Reese has gotten over the last few years, one could be excused if they expected one or both to be on that top 100 list. And they should.
