Despite some progress towards parity in pay, the continued salary gap between men and women persists (Fuller & Schoenberger, 1991; Gasser, Flint, & Tan, 2000; Graham, Hotchkiss, Gerhart, 2000). Despite the passage of The Equal Pay Act of 1963 to prohibit wage based discrimination for men and women who perform substantially equal work, as well as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, and national origin (Alter & Seta, 2005; Fuller & Schoenberger, 1991; Hardin, Reding, Stocks, 2002), the discrepancies in wages have continued. One possible explanation that has been explored in various fields is that the initial starting salary offers made to women and men differ. Furthermore, the gender of both the recruiter and applicant affects the judgment and evaluation of a resume, and therefore, gender biases may be occurring (Cole, Feild, Giles, 2004). On the other end of the spectrum, Almer et al. (1998) and Hardin, Reding, and Stocks (2002) found, that gender did not play a role in the hiring process or salary offered. Within sport management, initial salary recommendations have not been explored. The present study used role congruity theory as a framework to examine whether participation in sports influences initial salary recommendations for entry-level management positions. Role congruity theory contends that people have congruent beliefs about men and leadership, but dissimilar beliefs about women and leadership. Therefore, in this study we explored whether or not female athletes would be ascribed more masculine or agentic characteristics and therefore would be recommended for higher salaries. Participants (N = 174) for this study were recruited from sport management classes at three large universities in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest regions of the Unites States. Participants were given a packet containing one candidate's résumé and a questionnaire asking them to evaluate the résumé. Results of this study support role congruity theory; female athletes were recommended for higher average salaries (M = 5.17) than female non-athletes (M = 4.84, p<.10). Furthermore, female athletes were recommended for higher overall salaries than male athletes (M = 4.36, p<.10). Findings are further discussed with regards to role congruity theory. Keyword(s): gender issues, professional preparation, sport management