Equal Pay for Male and Female Pros?

[discallday]

With the news about the disparities between pay in women's and men's soccer (women's team gets $2 million for winning the world cup, while the a men's team receives $8 million for losing in the first round), it seems like an appropriate time to ask what we thought about equal pay in our sport. Should first place in MPO and FPO receive the same reward? If so, should this pattern continue down the line for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. in each division? Or is the current pay distribution for the women in suitable proportion to what men are paid?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/07/womens-soccer-pay-gap_n_7745892.html

 

[corin_brown]

Always? No. Yes to answers 2 & 3.

The World Cup outrage is misplaced. Yes, the Men's World Cup prize pool is 15x the Women's World Cup prize pool. That would be fair, in my opinion, if the Men's World Cup made 15x the money than the Women's World Cup did. But, comparing revenue figures from the 2010 Men's World Cup in South Africa and the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, the Men's World Cup made 50x as much money as the Women's World Cup. So it looks like the women got paid more than is fair.

A person should make what they earn or can negotiate, no more, no less.

 

[Halcón]

I asked my wife why she wasn't going to watch the women's World Cup. Her answer is all you need to know.

"I don't care about the women."

 

[Smigles]

I voted "when the interest of watching them is equal to the interest in men disc golf".

Which means never.

But hey, open division is open. If they feel like they can beat Paul and deserve his money, they can try...

 

[hook_nuts]

I called this the day I heard Hilary Clinton would probably run. So predictable.

 

[Pbmercil]

Always? No. Yes to answers 2 & 3.

The World Cup outrage is misplaced. Yes, the Men's World Cup prize pool is 15x the Women's World Cup prize pool. That would be fair, in my opinion, if the Men's World Cup made 15x the money than the Women's World Cup did. But, comparing revenue figures from the 2010 Men's World Cup in South Africa and the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, the Men's World Cup made 50x as much money as the Women's World Cup. So it looks like the women got paid more than is fair.

A person should make what they earn or can negotiate, no more, no less.

Is correct. Equal pay for equal work is a great thing to strive for in most work environments. Professional sports is not one of those places

 

[JC17393]

Considering that anywhere from 75 to 100% of the purse in any given disc golf tournament is derived from the entry fees paid by the participants, I'd say it's nearly impossible to guarantee equal payout for men and women at any given tournament. It has nothing to do with the interest of spectators or who is "more deserving". It's simply a numbers game.

Just taking the Scandinavian Open as an example. 144 men, 14 women. Assuming all 158 players pay the same entry fee, the men's purse is going to be 1000% bigger by default not even taking into account added money...and it was ultimately about 800% more (men = $53536, women = $6655). It would appear, proportionally, that the women got a bigger percentage of the added cash.

The only way we're going to see equal payout (as in the exact same amount of cash to the Open winner and the Women's winner) is if the fields are of equal size. An event with 20 men and 20 women, assuming the same entry fee, should have an equal payout. But the moment it becomes 21/19 or 25/15 or whatever, this discussion is meaningless.

 

[AndyJB]

Not going to beat a dead horse, because everyone else has put it simply, and without sexism.

But there are other opportunities for women to shine. Recently here in CO we had the Rocky Mountain Women's Championship. I can't remember exact figures of added cash but it was a lot. Money was derived from entry fees (which were low) teesign sponsorship, basket sponsorship and something unique: caddy money. Men signed up and paid money just to be a caddy for the women (they also got a cool caddy pack) to the point of each woman player having their own caddy for the weekend.

So women-only events are viable and a good chance for said ladies to earn money.

 

[Steve West]

I don't understand the question. If a man and a women both enter the Open division and get the same score, don't they get the same payout?

 

[Pbmercil]

It would be interesting to run some numbers from some of the big tournements, in terms of entry fees generated and % of payout for FPO vs MPO. It wouldn't suprise me if FPO got a slightly bigger pot proportionally, which is fine by me.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

You can't really expect to be paid if nobody is clamoring to watch you. Cases in point, WNBA or NWHL.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

WNBA players are walking adds. its hard to tell what team they play for sometimes!

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

Oh, you not a Minnesota Mayo Clinics fan? They dominate, dude.

 

[rickles]

WNBA players are walking adds. its hard to tell what team they play for sometimes!

But their making more money than they were before the sponsorships...I like the ads...taking notes from the Premier League and such. Huge $$$ IF done right.

All in all Steve West had a great point...whats stopping women from entering the MPO Division (ala Anika Sorenstam in PGA)?

 

[Horsman]

There is nothing stopping any woman from entering into the pro mens division, for most tournies, to try and win more money.

 

[rickles]

Exactly, and then really it becomes a question of why they don't...which usually is tied to skill level IMO. I'm not sure if they MPO and FPO divisions at the scandanavian open played the same layout but if so...the scores reflect the difference in skill level. Just an observation though.

 

[Pbmercil]

But their making more money than they were before the sponsorships...I like the ads...taking notes from the Premier League and such. Huge $$$ IF done right.

All in all Steve West had a great point...whats stopping women from entering the MPO Division (ala Anika Sorenstam in PGA)?

IT happens from time to time, but just like in female pro golf its more of a novelty then anything else.

 

[Pbmercil]

I'm not sure why anyone would want to see ladies rated 930-970 competing against McBeth and Co. I don't think that's entertaining for anyone.

I am pulling for some women to qualify for the Open flight at the USDGC. I know paige and catrina both tried last year, and given how badly Paige crushed performance flight last year it'd be cool to see her in the open flight.

 

[rickles]

Makes me wonder, have there been any top women pros in DG play in the MPO division?

 

[Pbmercil]

There is nothing stopping any woman from entering into the pro mens division, for most tournies, to try and win more money.

that's not really true. FPO at an NT will net you some decent cash for first place, and if you play 980ish golf you should win. Throw in the 980's in MPO and you probably wont cash.