Fast & Female Launches Sports Mascot “Ally” to Highlight Pay Disparity in Sports

As the WNBA gears up for its first exhibition game in Toronto between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky, Fast & Female has unveiled a new sports mascot named “Ally” to bring attention to the issue of pay disparity in sports. Mascots of some professional sports teams reportedly earn up to three times the annual salary of the top-paid players in the WNBA, which has brought the battle for pay equity to the forefront. Fast & Female is a program established to keep the issue in sharp focus for all fans.

The campaign, launched by Canadian firm Hypepr, aims to raise funds through merchandise sales at the Fast & Female website, with all proceeds going to the program. It will also keep the conversation around pay equity flowing in the media and the sports world.

Canadian soccer star Janine Beckie and WNBA rookie Laeticia Amihere are among the spokespeople for the campaign. Beckie believes that sports are part of a bigger picture that needs to become more clear. Equal opportunity, equal resources, and making sure females get the same opportunities as their male counterparts in the working world are important factors in achieving pay equity.

Re-reported from the story originally published in https://www.thestar.com/