equal pay at majors, the debate is over

[richied]

The women players are not putting bums on seats at the majors. A survey of Wimbledon punters showed that 75 per cent were there to watch the guys.

The women's job market is not as competitive. You look at the women's top 10 and the question "anyone for tennis" is far from the lips. The eyes glaze and the hands reach for the ear muffs. Sharapova, Azarenka, Radwanska, Kvitova, Stosur, Williams, Wozniacki, Bartoli, Kerber and Errani. We're not exactly on first-name terms like we once were with Billie Jean, Martina and Steffi, players worth our admission money.

Would you be able to name the last 10 slam winners for the women? I could'nt even give you five.

Now, look, I don't want the women to play 5 sets, that would be a punishment worse than death. But right now, the women's game is at an all time low and they shouldn't be getting payed equal at slams.

Bring in the patrons than fine, but that's not the case and everyone knows it.

[jackson vile]

The women can't play equal, they can't contribute equal, they don't get equal pay. Makes sense.

[Up&comer]

Originally Posted by jackson vile

The women can't play equal, they can't contribute equal, they don't get equal pay. Makes sense.

That's so sexist!

Just kidding, of course.

[Sid_Vicious]

^^^Oh god. That was painful to read.

[Mustard]

There's plenty of people out there who are much more into women's tennis than men's tennis.

[NatF]

How much should they get paid then? The women need to earn a living. Unless you mean just cut back their pay for Grand Slams...

[KHSOLO]

Originally Posted by NatF

How much should they get paid then? The women need to earn a living. Unless you mean just cut back their pay for Grand Slams...

Cut back on the shouting and screaming first

[Hood_Man]

Originally Posted by Mustard

There's plenty of people out there who are much more into women's tennis than men's tennis.

I think if they played 5 sets the debate really would be over as I'd have no complaint.

Not that I'm that bothered now, it's not my money.

[HunterST]

There'd need to be more evidence that they are not drawing viewership. A few years ago, I remember, the match that received the highest TV ratings was a Williams sister's doubles match. I think Sharapova tends to draw a tv crowd too. Tennis players/enthusiasts prefer to watch the men, but casual fans are often interested in the men. Really, as long as they're bringing in viewers and, thus, advertising money, they deserve equal pay.

[Bobby Jr]

Originally Posted by HunterST

...Really, as long as they're bringing in viewers and, thus, advertising money, they deserve equal pay.

You can't argue both ways.

Equal pay is done to remove gender inequality regardless of value - that's what it is.

If it were truly done by value - value they add by way of viewership, ticket sales, media time, attracting sponsorship etc - then women would legitimately only be able to command about 1/3 of what men do.

This is the exact reason why they don't ever argue those things.. .they go the other way and say it's sexist to not have pay equality in the modern world... the comparison however to 'normal' jobs is a very slim one. In normal jobs males and females are doing basically the same job with only minor, often indistinguishable differences in ability, and in which their gender has no direct link to their value to their job. In tennis however the complete opposite is true - the gender does make a difference to the ability and the value they have to the tennis business. It's hyper political-correctness being used as a window dressing for the pro tennis world to appear to be a modern group of organisations.

The reality is without male tennis propping up the ship female tennis would lose most of its revenue stream pretty quickly.

[NatF]

Originally Posted by KHSOLO

Cut back on the shouting and screaming first

Hey I don't watch it, nor do I think it compares to the mens game. However as Bobby Jr pointed out if we want to make it fair the women should receive perhaps 1/3 of the prize money as the men. For the lower seeds such a drop would obviously be disasterous living standards wise.

Doesn't effect me so I don't care if they get the same pay for half the right. There are worse victims of feminism than professional tennis.

[Rock Strongo]

Here is actually a 5 set women's match! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc3C7h8tzAA

[goderer]

I would pay them to shut up with their screaming.

[mellowyellow]

Originally Posted by Mustard

There's plenty of people out there who are much more into women's tennis than men's tennis.

but it is still very much the minority. it is still women growing up idolizing some of the men, never the other way around...

[Virginia]

Originally Posted by Bobby Jr

You can't argue both ways.

Equal pay is done to remove gender inequality regardless of value - that's what it is.

If it were truly done by value - value they add by way of viewership, ticket sales, media time, attracting sponsorship etc - then women would legitimately only be able to command about 1/3 of what men do.

This is the exact reason why they don't ever argue those things.. .they go the other way and say it's sexist to not have pay equality in the modern world... the comparison however to 'normal' jobs is a very slim one. In normal jobs males and females are doing basically the same job with only minor, often indistinguishable differences in ability, and in which their gender has no direct link to their value to their job. In tennis however the complete opposite is true - the gender does make a difference to the ability and the value they have to the tennis business. It's hyper political-correctness being used as a window dressing for the pro tennis world to appear to be a modern group of organisations.

The reality is without male tennis propping up the ship female tennis would lose most of its revenue stream pretty quickly.

This is so true and (speaking as a woman), the top prize money for women is ridiculously high. Three quarters of what the men get would seem to be a fairer. Maybe give some of what's over to the girls who don't reach the last 16, to give them a chance of making a decent living.

I don't watch the women at all - it's just so boring. Men watch (sometimes) because they think the woman look hot.

[sundaypunch]

I would rather watch Cibulkova and Ivanovic play bad tennis than a 5-hour Nadal / Djokovic bash fest where neither can end a point.

[willshot]

Originally Posted by sundaypunch

I would rather watch Cibulkova and Ivanovic play bad tennis than a 5-hour Nadal / Djokovic bash fest where neither can end a point.

so u rather watch a bunch of unforced errors from the baseline? lol. go ahead then

[Mustard]

Originally Posted by Rock Strongo

Here is actually a 5 set women's match! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc3C7h8tzAA

I've long said that women's matches should be best of 5 sets in the majors, like men's matches.

[Virginia]

You're right Mustard, but they wouldn't be able to last five sets with the way they play.

[10is]

Originally Posted by Virginia

This is so true and (speaking as a woman), the top prize money for women is ridiculously high. Three quarters of what the men get would seem to be a fairer. Maybe give some of what's over to the girls who don't reach the last 16, to give them a chance of making a decent living.

As a woman, I completely agree. The current payscale parity is actually more sexist and reverse discriminatory to men. Equitable pay NOT equal pay.

I don't watch the women at all - it's just so boring. Men watch (sometimes) because they think the woman look hot.

True -- as evidenced by Sharapova's overwhelming popularity despite her underwhelming game. Henin for me has been the only redeeming aspect of the WTA in the last decade; the tour is an utter disgrace otherwise. Kvitova seem to be the only one worth watching these days, that is, when she's not crashing and burning, which seems more often than not to be the case.