Does gender play a role in in Olympians endorsements?

It might have to do with the sport they are in but it never seems to fail that men are always getting the better deals in almost everything. No matter if they are better or not. Or they think that more money would drive a man to work that much harder to endorse teir products.

I'm not really sure. I bet it may be because they think that men are much better athletes than women when it comes to competition. I think some of it has to do with the sport that they compete in also.

Personally, I'd rather look at athletic women than beefcake men. Ah, but then again, I'm not playing for that team. Ok, so I like chicks, cope with it. Anyway, I would concur that there is something decidedly flawed about the endorsements but it is all about what the market will bear. Just pay more attention to the female endorsements and sooner or later the market will follow, right?

I have to apologize, my computer doesn't have sound so I couldn't view the clip you provided. But I do feel that I know where you are coming from, so I will go ahead and comment anyway, let me know if I really missed something! I think "women are being discriminated against" is too strong a statement here, and fairly inaccurate. There are fewer women athletes who can command the kind of payments that male athletes do, because there is less of a public demand for them. Think of the female athletes that do sign lucrative deals; Anna Kornikova, Mia Hamm, the Williams sisters. There are others, but the point is that the women athletes who become stars are more feminine in appearance, and in the endorsements they are offered. I remember once upon a time in a Gender, Sports and Sexuality seminar I read an article about how women in bodybuilding get extra points for wearing nail polish and makeup. Men dominate the sports audience, which is why men get better payouts and more lucrative endorsement deals. This would apply to Olympic athletes just as any others. And I think that what we see in terms of payout just reflects the interests of the audience.