Equal pay for women's soccer or no Fed funding bill

[Sal]

[BryanS]

It would be precisely what one would do if one wanted to kill the sport of women's soccer. The law of supply and demand is brutal. There is simply not enough money being made by women's soccer teams to pay them the same. The industry is not sexist, the fans are  

The whole overall societal system is sexist, and we all partake in it. Let's not absolve ourselves of this responsibility by putting it all on a select group of "others" who we have nothing to do with (in this case, "the fans").

Yes, well, I still am not buying any tickets, and that has nothing to do with gender--I just don't care about soccer. I think your point runs into a problem in that it's quite difficult to force people do care.

[GrandizerII]

The whole overall societal system is sexist, and we all partake in it. Let's not absolve ourselves of this responsibility by putting it all on a select group of "others" who we have nothing to do with (in this case, "the fans").

Yes, well, I still am not buying any tickets, and that has nothing to do with gender--I just don't care about soccer. I think your point runs into a problem in that it's quite difficult to force people do care.

To be clear, I didn't charge you with making it about gender, I said that you and I knowingly/unknowingly, consciously/subconsciously partake in a culture that does make it about constructed gender differences.

In the case of sports, women athletes doing sports tends to be seen as something akin to "adorable" at best, men's sports tend to be seen as the real thing that most everyone gets excited about. And that is because, as a society, we've been conditioned to view it this way. Hence, why people don't give much shit about women's sports as they do men's sports.

---

Furthermore, despite a reputation to the contrary, the US prefers the humility of a Jim Craig to the self-aggrandizing bullshit of a Megan Rapinoe, it's disgusting. You never heard Jim Craig say 'I deserve this'.

Rapinoe does come off as highly narcissistic, but it's also clear people are quick to condemn women who are seen as a threat to male dominance for actions that men would otherwise get away with or cop less shit for.

[Shell B]

The federal funding bill shouldn’t exist anyway, so whatevs.

[Aegon]

Pay in pro sports is not dependent on skill. It's dependent on how much money fans are willing to pay to see them / buy their shit.

I actually sat next to a WNBA team on a flight out of Phoenix last month. I asked one of the players about it, and she got real mad because people care about income inequality but dont give a shit about their games. The NBA is actually *losing* money by owning the WNBA.

If you want to see equal pay in professional sports the best thing you can do is support women's sports by actually attending their games and demonstrating interest. How many equal pay advocates follow the WNBA? Or follow the US women's soccer players when they're playing at their domestic clubs?

It's not enough to say you want them to be paid more all while not actually demonstrating interest in them (aside from highly publicized international play.)

[Amarok]

How many equal pay advocates follow the WNBA? Or follow the US women's soccer players when they're playing at their domestic clubs?

I would imagine plenty if not most but the problem is weather they are a big enough group to matter 

It's not enough to say you want them to be paid more all while not actually demonstrating interest in them (aside from highly publicized international play.)

Again do you have any statics to say they don't ?

I actually sat next to a WNBA team on a flight out of Phoenix last month. I asked one of the players about it, and she got real mad because people care about income inequality but dont give a shit about their games. The NBA is actually *losing* money by owning the WNBA.

That hardly seems conclusive or quantifiable

Pay in pro sports is not dependent on skill. It's dependent on how much money fans are willing to pay to see them / buy their shit.

Which is why the current model of sports sucks

[Aegon]

[Shell B]

I thought the taking in as much money argument was debunked earlier in this thread.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I thought the taking in as much money argument was debunked earlier in this thread.

It was, but here's a reminder for those who may have missed it:

"From 2016 to 2018, women's games generated about $50.8 million in revenue compared with $49.9 million for the men, according to U.S. soccer's audited financial statements. In 2016, the year after the World Cup, the women generated $1.9 million more than the men."

But only about one-quarter of U.S. Soccer's total operating revenue can be attributed to gate revenues, according to the federation's financial documents. The other revenues come mainly from broadcasting and sponsorships, and it's difficult to parse out which teams contribute more to these revenues because U.S. Soccer sells sponsorships and broadcasting rights as a bundled package.

Still, there's reason to think that the recent success and popularity of the women's team is boosting revenues: Nike chief executive Mark Parker said that the U.S. women's team home jersey "is now the number one soccer jersey, men's or women's, ever sold on Nike.com in one season," according to The Washington Post.

By the only metrics that can be reliably determined, the US women's team generates more revenue than the men's team, and have done so since 2016.

Boru

[Amarok]