The salary of the Denver Nuggets mascot has sparked a stir in the United States in recent hours.
The
Sports Business Journal
has revealed that Rocky, the mountain 'lion' who entertains his team's home games, earns $625,000 a year.
This figure is triple what Diana Taurasi, the highest paid player in the American Women's Basketball League (WNBA), earns.
Taurasi's salary is $228,094 a year, despite being one of the league's biggest stars.
The Phoenix Mercury player has won the WNBA three times and has five Olympic gold medals, but her salary is far from that of a male sports mascot.
The salary comparison has outraged players like Angel McCoughtry, power forward for the Minnesota Lynx and a five-time All Star in the WNBA.
The player tweeted an ironic message: "I can learn to be a pet."
I can learn to be a pet ✋🏾 pic.twitter.com/8wZlQNbJqP
– McCoughtry (@angel_35) October 5, 2022
The American podcast
Goals Sports,
dedicated to women's sports, was one of the first media outlets to echo the comparison.
Caroline Fitzgerald, its founder, also gave her opinion via Twitter: "The pay gap between mascots and elite athletes tells you everything you need to know about how the sports industry values women."
The median salary for a WNBA player is $102,751, while in the NBA it is $8.5 million.
The five highest-paid men in the US league (Stephen Curry, John Wall, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Kevin Durant) multiply Taurasi's salary by more than 200.
Meanwhile, in the WNBA, as many as eight players earn less than $10,000.
Not all NBA mascots move in the same numbers.
The average salary is 60,000 dollars a year, but there are some that pocket considerably more money.
'The bull' Benny (Chicago Bulls) is the third highest earner with $400,000, while second place goes to Harry 'the eagle' of the Atlanta Haws, with $600,000.
He falls just €25,000 shy of Rocky, the highest-paid mascot in the league, who exemplifies the gender gap that still exists in professional sport.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on
and
, or sign up here to receive
our weekly newsletter
.