The Nielsen overnight rating for the final of women’s tennis was 15.2, which was greater than 25.4 million viewers across the US. The men’s final in 2014 received the same 9.1 ratings from the Nielsen network, which drew 17.3 million spectators. (That US viewers had skin in the game of the women’s final is only part of the story, but more details on the global viewership and that in the future.)
Following the match, some were on Twitter to draw attention to the difference in opinion:
The payout by FIFA to 2014’s men’s champions Germany was $35 million. The payout for the 2015 FIFA Women’s Champions USA is $ 2 million. The time is now to even out soccer wages.
It’s a staggering pay gap that looks worse when you consider the US men’s soccer team, which fell in the opening round of the competition last year and made the sum of $9.9 million.
The most commonly used explanation for the disparities, “it’s all supply and demand,” is just short due to the fact that the amount of need (people who watched the match) was much higher for the women’s side than those of the high-scoring German men’s team at the very least as regards US viewing. In reality, this explanation can help in understanding why the disparity exists. It offers a solution as well, which is to boost the demand.
Where are other sports standing?
The gap in pay between the teams of women and men during this year’s FIFA World Cup Finals is significant. The ratio of males to females for payment of the tournament is 17.5 (men’s salary divided by females’). This means that men get $17.50 for every dollar earned by women to win in the final game. For a comparison, refer to the below chart of the amount of prize money and wages for males and females for games in which both women and men have equal or comparable representation.
Basketball and soccer are two of the largest sports pay gaps. espn.com, FIFA.com, NBA.com, WNBA.com, Author provided
It is worth noting that the FIFA ratio is significantly higher than that of the US or British Open golf tournaments. However, it isn’t as high as the one for professional basketball. NBA player makes 65 times the amount of women playing in the WNBA. Tennis has been granting men and women equal prize money for many years. Wimbledon was the final Grand Slam to do so in 2007.
Where do the sport’s revenues come from?
Why are female tennis players paid as male tennis players at Wimbledon but not in the FIFA World Cup? The reason is due to the way in which these sports generate revenues, which do not come primarily from ticket sales, as some people believe.
Basketball is an example of this point. The revenue model of an NBA team in comparison to the revenue model of a WNBA team can be revealing. The typical NBA team earns 25 to 30 percent of its total revenues through ticket sales. The majority of the revenues come from both national and local broadcast rights. ( Here’s a link to the New Jersey Nets’ earnings and loss statement, which is very clear.)