There's no real debate to be had here. Until (insert identity politics group here)'s sports can accrue broadcasting rights that make them equally profitable, they should be paid proportionately less. As you noted, this applies to College, AAA, and High School leagues too, not just gender splits. Anything else extends into lunacy, and I don't see how you implement it without communist measures. If you conclude otherwise, you infantilize (in this case, women) by implying they are unable to generate the economic merit to justify equal pay without what is effectively affirmative action.

For example, if we paid (insert identity politics group here) athletes the same irrespective of their ability to generate economic activity, then what is to stop me for agitating for comparable pay for my Magic Mike moment? Because, right now, I suspect my demographic will not be getting "equal" pay there. That's not "fair" to me if I want to shake it down at the Coyote Ugly.

As a logical consequence of my position, I support anyone being paid more than anyone else anytime it is warranted by economic merit.

https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/cwc/fewer-women-than-men-die-of-work-related-injuries-data-show.pdf

For example, here from bls.gov, you can see that from 1992-1994, 1453 women died on the job and 17683 men died on the job. Some of these jobs are very dangerous, like fire fighter or oil rigger. I think we can all agree danger warrants additional pay based on merit. I, for example, accept less pay so I can sit safely behind a desk. Remember this next time you hear someone attempting to use the identity politics of the debunked "Gender Wage Gap."

I think any reasonable person would agree that gender is irrelevant here, as you noted, and the only issue is one of economic merit. Anyone who thinks gender is even a tangential issue here is attempting to drag you into identity politics, likely so they can slander their way out of an argument with the hopes of securing more privilege for a group they may very well be a part of.

Now, having said all that, and without being a coach or professional sporting expert, I am as of yet unconvinced of the likelihood of, for example, a WNBA team to outplay a college basketball team.

Apologies for citing with the Daily Mail. Ick. But the Australian national Women's World Cup National Champion team (admittedly without some starting players, I did not check which) lost 5-2 and 7-0 in back to back years to boys under-15-years-old squads from the US. So, Sophomores in high school.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3609949/Matildas-lose-7-0-Newcastle-Jets-15s-Rio-Olympics-warm-up.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4389760/USA-women-s-team-suffer-5-2-loss-FC-Dallas-U-15-boys.html