'Paid less, but win more': South Carolina's Dawn Staley fights for equity in ESPYs speech

South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley delivered a powerful speech Thursday night at the ESPYs in which she championed pay equity for women, among other subjects.

"How do I not fight injustice when I ask them to do things the right way?" Staley said during the speech, moments after she asked her team to stand up and be recognized. "How do I not ask for fairness when I ask them not to cheat themselves, not to cut corners? How do I not fight for equity when I tell them they can climb as high as they want, they can be all they want?

"How do I not fight pay disparity when I do the same job and get paid less, but win more? They're watching me; I can't ask them to stand up for themselves if I'm sitting down, nor can I ask them to use their voice to affect change if I'm only willing to whisper. So, when someone tells me to 'shut up and coach,' I simply say: 'No.' I have a job to do."

According to a USA TODAY Sports database, Staley was paid $3.1 million this season in basic compensation, tying her with UConn's Geno Auriemma for second most in the country for women's college basketball coaches. That trailed only LSU's Kim Mulkey ($3.26 million).

By comparison, the USA TODAY Sports database that tracked the pay of men's college basketball coaches showed a wide discrepancy between the salaries of men's and women's coaches; Kansas coach Bill Self earned more than any other men's basketball coach last season, with a salary of $9.6 million. In fact, Staley's salary would have tied her for 38th highest among men's basketball coaches, with Oklahoma's Moser Porter.

Staley is one of 18 women's basketball coaches making $1 million or more this year, an uptick from 11 since USA TODAY Sports last did this investigation in 2021-22. By comparison, 71 men's basketball coaches earned at least $1 million in 2023-24.

Staley and South Carolina completed a perfect 38-0 season this year to win her second NCAA championship in three seasons and third overall, marking her as one of the top coaches among both the men's and women's ranks. Self, by comparison, has won two national championships, in 2008 and 2022.

"I try my best to do things in the right way, knowing that some little girl is out there watching me," Staley said. "Maybe she's growing up in the projects of north Philly like I did, or maybe she's in a rural town somewhere."

The speech came as Staley was accepting the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance for her work in advocating for cancer research and bone marrow donors. Staley's sister, Tracey Underwood, received a transplant from their brother in 2020 after being diagnosed with leukemia.

"It's the fight for me, the unwillingness to give up or to quit," Staley said. "I think that's why I stand here today. I'm not the one to back down and I don't give up, and believe me, I'm not perfect. I still clap back at people who troll me on social media. I can't help myself but I'm working on it. But every once in a while I get perspective, and I remember why I fight so hard."