From The Guy Who Thinks Women In Sports Don't Deserve Equal Pay | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Adulting

From The Guy Who Thinks Women In Sports Don't Deserve Equal Pay

Sorry, but it's true.

1778
From The Guy Who Thinks Women In Sports Don't Deserve Equal Pay
National Women's Soccer League

So, this article was inspired by the comments made by Hope Solo and other members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer team. You can read more about it later, but to summarize, they are unhappy about the pay gap between men and women in sports, especially between the Men's and Women's U.S. National Teams.

Are they right? Should women be paid equally for their work in sports, if they do equal work?

Well, yes and no. It depends entirely on revenue.

In most other careers, if men and women do equal work, then they generate equal revenue, so they should make equal pay. In sports, however, a man and a woman can do equal work, but the man good generate up to millions of dollars more in revenue for his team or his sport. Simply put, the more money that is made, the more the players can get paid.

The thing is, the Women's National Team, or USWNT, actually DOES generate more revenue domestically than the Men's National Team or USMNT. The USWNT is better and more successful than the USMNT, and it is not even close. The USWNT's success has lead to them generating more revenue, ratings, and fans in the United States on a regular basis, so then what's the problem?

In this ESPNW article from 2015, they talk about why the pay gap exists. Basically, it is partly revenues and partly their collective bargaining agreements, but a new CBA passed last year. The problem still persists, despite now generating more revenue and having a new CBA.

So the U.S. Soccer Federation should be able to fix the pay gap, right?

Not exactly.

The U.S. Soccer Federation, the governing body for U.S. soccer, is doing their part to bring the pay together, but there are still two problems, FIFA, and the sponsors.

FIFA, or the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, overseas global soccer (football), and are responsible for a lot of the money that gets paid out in the World Cups.

When it comes to soccer at the global level, men generate way more money than women, and a large part of the money that the USMNT gets over the USWNT is prize money. When there is a difference of millions of dollars between being IN the Men's World Cup and WINNING the Women's Wolrd Cup, then there will be a pay gap.

The pay gap exists in sports when men generate more money than women. It's not as big in tennis because the revenue generated by women is almost the same as the revenue generated by women. The gap is astronomical between men's and women's basketball because the men generate way more revenue, especially in the United States.

Basically, women don't deserve equal pay in sports. Not because they aren't talented athletes, but they don't have the drawing power to bring in the kind of money that men do. If you don't believe me, look at the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes and notice that Serena Williams, the highest women, is 51st.

So if you want more money, make more money. If you want to get paid more, then find a way to generate more revenue and support for Women's sports on an international level. Really, it can't be put any simpler than that.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

2437
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

301648
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments