Saturday serve: Australia needs to stand by women's sport during coronavirus shutdown

The fight for recognition, pay and gender equality in sport goes beyond the new millennium. It's a century-long fight that's risen out of one of the most traditional, masculine domains of modern society.

So we can't let this progress be for nothing. We can't let women's sport fall under the radar.

There's been so much talk about when the NRL, AFL and Super Rugby competitions can return to our screens and stadiums. So much talk, that women's sport has seemingly been swept under the carpet.

And why? Women have been sacrificing their careers and paychecks for centuries.

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As a woman, it's hard to watch football stars complain about their reduced salaries when their lowest-paid player still banks more than the highest paid netballer.

Super Netball players copped a 70 per cent pay-cut for five weeks and the season has been suspended until at least June 30 amid the coronavirus crisis.

The average salary for a Super Netball player is $67,000, with many on the minimum wage salary of $30,000.

Some are now among the thousands of Australians applying for Job Keeper. Some work two jobs and have lost their second source of income.

Yet no one kicked up a fuss. They took the huge pay-cut on the chin for the benefit of the sport's longevity.

As the highest-paid female club athletes in Australia, they're already in a better position than their cross-code counterparts.

There has been suggestion women's competitions in the AFL and NRL will take major funding hits after the coronavirus crisis is over.

The AFLW has already become a victim to the coronavirus-forced shutdown. The AFL cancelled the remainder of the women's season when they were up to the preliminary finals, but committed to playing the men's competition.

The NRL has not made a decision on this year's NRLW season nor the State of Origin clash.

Yet they're all guns blazing for the men's season restart as early as May 28, despite apprehension from governments and health professionals.

Why should the NRL be exempt from social distancing regulations and travel bans if they have not lifted by its fast-tracked return?

The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic is likely to hit Australian professional sport hard and unevenly, so there should be no exemptions to the restrictions.

If the NRL, AFL or other men's competitions get the green light to go ahead early, then so should the women's.

Perhaps it's time we kicked up a fuss. After all, it's been barely a month since Australia hosted the record-setting Twenty20 World Cup final at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

More than 86,000 fans packed the stadium to watch Australia beat India, recording the second highest attendance for a women's sports globally.

It reached an average audience of 1.2 million people in Australia and 9.02 million people in India, where 1.78 billion viewing minutes was recorded of the game alone.

Australia has a unique opportunity to build off one of the biggest events in the history of women's sport.

Although that opportunity has been hindered, it emphasizes the importance of keeping women's sport afloat throughout this uncertain time.

Imagine all those sports-hungry fans tuning into the first Super Netball match of 2020, or the State of Origin NRLW clash.

When life goes back to normal and groundhog day is over, sports broadcasters and organisations need to upkeep their investment in the women's game.

Otherwise they risk stalling the progress of women's sport right after it was propelled into a new era.