Soccer is the most popular sport everywhere but in the US. While compensation for women has improved over the past decade, the gap still extends to even the world's highest-paid players. Spicemas Launch 28th April, 2023 - Facebook are thriving at the highest levels, all higher percentages than their non-athlete peers. This supports the notion that some athletes get too caught up with how much they are earning and might begin to lose focus of why they wanted to play in the first place. Examining the Gender Pay Gap in Sports | Salary.com Of the 73,712 NCAA football players, about 16,380 are draft-eligible and 254 will be drafted, meaning about 1.2% of college football players will go pro. players. 2017 Perspective-Media LTD. All Rights Reserved, THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY. The National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association generate billions of dollars in revenue. The NCAA also does not prohibit schools from canceling injured athletes scholarships, leaving athletes without a sport or education. Tiger Woods, along with many other professional athletes, certainly think so. No Matter The Sport, Women Athletes Are Always Paid Less Why are female athletes still paid less than males? Members of the United States womens soccer team at the Tokyo Olympics. Professional athletes are making too much money in a society where salaries and wages are traditionally based on the value of one's work. Are there other factors that you think should be taken into account? If Alex Rodriguez earns the same amount of money as it would take tofeed the nation's poor for a year, he cant cheat and take steroids. In today's society, one should be paid according to. Feldman explained, That was a shape-shifting decision that in many ways fundamentally changed economics of college football and college football television. Men's sports generate higher revenue, so male athletes are paid higher salaries. While MLS and the NWSL have only been around for a few decades, the United States has fielded national soccer teams in World Cups since 1930 (US Mens National Team) and 1991 (US Womens National Team). Such Salaries Contribute to Income Inequality within Sports. Jim Treleaven: Should College Athletes be Paid? They reap billions of dollars every year from TV deals and merchandise and ticket sales. Major League Baseball is a $10 billion-in-revenue giant while the NPF players make an average of $5,000 to $6,000 because of the league's low revenue. [16], In 2021, the National College Players Association (NCPA) Executive Director Ramogi Huma stated, [m]any of these athletes are Black and from low-income homes the NCAA treats them like disposable university property. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Two Sides to Every Coin: Are Professional Athletes Overpaid? Two sportswriters weigh in. In today's society, one should be paid according to the jobs economic importance and their value to society. Limits on Paying College Athletes, nytimes.com, Dec. 16, 2020, Dennis Dodd, Breaking Down the NCAA's Forthcoming Supreme Court Battle with Its Big Brother Status and Amateurism at Stake, cbssports.com, Feb. 3, 2021, NCAA, 2021 March Madness: Complete Schedule, Dates, ncaa.org (accessed Mar. The 2020 agreement was also a big step forward in terms of WNBA players salary potential. How much do you think the comparative revenue of mens and womens teams matters in determining pay? People in the military leave their families at home to defend and protect the country knowing they may never return. Tennis has made moves to increase equal pay between their male and female players, and today all four major tennis tournaments offer equal prize money. Their hope is that by moving closer to a 50-50 split, common in other pro sports, they can increase salaries for all players, male and female. The average American woman earns 81% of what an average American man earns, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Firefighters can abide in the fire station for up . Consider that ten of the biggest outdoor sports stadiums in the world (excluding auto racing venues) are American college football stadiums. Sources: CareerTrend (NPF); ESPN (PGA & LPGA); Global Sports Salaries (MLB, MLS, NBA, WNBA); NWSLSoccer.com (NWSL); Tennis.com (ATP; WTA). Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated, traditions alone cannot justify the NCAAs decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated. In fact, some pro athletes in minor league baseballdont even make minimum wage. We're Taught to Revere Schoolteachers. So Why Are They Paid So Little So if you think pro athletes make too much money, maybe you should stop watching them. Formula 1 favors global competition and advanced technology; NASCAR is all about personalities and fan accessibility. Again, the. Men's sports receive vastly more media coverage, television licenses, and sponsorship deals, which contribute to higher revenue. Top athletes can do things that mere mortals can't. Most have paid a heavy personal cost to get there. Bloomberg News recently touted soccer as the future of sports in America, and soccer fandom has clearly grown within the United States. The pay disparity in professional soccer exists at an international level as well. Aspiring athletes get to be superstars because they have some type of rare talent. Both teams have a salary cap, meaning each team has a limit on how much they can pay their players and some limits on how they can divide that pot of money. However, do these athletes really deserve all that money? While these may seem huge, so are the deductions from them. And athletes should as far as possible have the opportunities other students enjoy. [49], Governor of California Gavin Newsom, stated, Collegiate student athletes put everything on the line their physical health, future career prospects and years of their lives to compete. Male vs Female Professional Sports Salary Comparison ), the National Football League (N.F.L. In the 1997-98 season, NBA rookies made 176% more than WNBA rookies. Is it all about defense or does winning have more to do with offense? NBA players receive about 50% of the leagues revenues. ), and Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) We'll have to wait and see what. Pro. And this stark disparity has hardly budged for more than a decade: the pay gap between men and women has sat at 80%-83% since 2004. And ever since that 1984 decision, courts have been relying on that language to try to interpret antitrust law applies to all NCAA restrictions, including player compensation. [15], On June 21, 2021, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the NCAA cannot ban certain payments to student athletes under the premise of maintaining amateurism. These infamous players must grow up, and prove to America that they can be positive role models for kids on and off the field. Thirty-eight members of the women's national team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation last March, accusing the federation of failing to promote gender equality. Wouldn't it be great to make nearly $111 million a year simply to play a game? April 12 is now known as Equal Pay Day the day when on average women have. (While thats still a lot, its not nearly as much as their top-level teammates earn.) Why Female Athletes Should Be Paid the Same as Male Athletes - The Swaddle It makes me sick to know that someone who is out fighting for our country gets paid significantly less than someone who simply plays a sport. Respondents were split 50/50 in a June 1, 2021 New York Times survey about whether the NCAA strictly limiting paid compensation is constitutional. [46], The University of North Carolina became the first school to organize group licensing deals for student athletes in July 2021. 5 good reasons why women in sport don't deserve equal pay Quality superstars, orfranchise players, are the face of the team. Professional athletesare making too much money in a society where salaries and wages are traditionally based on the value of one's work. TakeAlbert Haynesworthof the Washington Redskins. What puzzles me even more, is how after holding out for weeks, and sometimes months, the owners give in and pay them what they don't deserve. In 2019, the average annual income for a US household was $96,955while the average income of a professional baseball player in the major leagues was around $4.7 million. The phenomenal Portuguese Ronaldo or the one-team man Lionel Messi? Aside from federal, state and city taxes and pension, which everyone pays, players also need to pay agent fees, a $10,000 union due, and aJock Taxfor each of their away games, among others. It does not go to the players, what I call the unpaid workforce. [3], As of Nov. 17, 2020, the University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban was the highest paid NCAA college football coach, making $9.3 million per year. But between particular sports, there are vast discrepancies in pay for men and women, ranging from tennis, where pay is comparable, to basketball, where players are in entirely different zip codes. The amount of money that team owners are willing to pay franchise players often comes at the expense of the other players. However, its not the athletes fault that their wages are so high. Opponents to equal pay for women cite a variety of reasons why male athletes are paid more than women, including viewership, play style, strength, revenue and more. Think about Jamarcus Russel, the former No. Male athletes receive more money through endorsements and personal branding initiatives, further widening the sports pay gap. Athletes Dont Get Paid As Much As We Think. The billionaire owners of the N.F.L., M.L.B., andN.B.A. Women can't compete on the world stage The Aussie Sevens women's team swept the World Series tournament, making them hot favourites for gold at Rio 2016. Lower salaries wouldnt necessarily lead to lower ticket and hot dog prices for fans who go to the games. In recent years,corporate culturehas creeped into some sports leagues. Gender equity in tennis has been in the spotlight for decades, stretching back beyond Billie Jean Kings threat to boycott the 1973 U.S. Open. Excluding men's star Roger Federer, elite female tennis players compare very well with their male counterparts in terms of endorsement earnings. [40], Paying players would also limit the literal and figurative playing fields to elite universities with large budgets. Women used to rank more prominently among the top-earning athletes, butover the past 25 years, media companies have spent billions on TV deals for live sports content. Scores of college athletes are being used to generate money for NCAA sports in a pandemic without the NCAA enforcing any COVID standards. [17], The NCAA reported over $1.06 billion in revenue in 2017 (the most recent available numbers). The women have asked for $67 million . If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. Why or why not? A second-year All-Star can be paid just above minimum salary. A second-year All-Star can be paid just above minimum salary. So let's take a look at the reasons why professional female athletes don't deserve equal pay. Is this for the better? Should College Athletes Be Paid? - The New York Times The NCAA keeps players in poverty and denied them ways to earn money, while making millions on their performance. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Last spring the Sports and Society Initiative (SSI) at the Ohio State University (OSU) held a popular panel discussion on pay-to-play in college sports. This trend holds a significant effect on players salaries: It helps some athletes get oversized contracts (what doPatrick Mahomes teammates think about his $503M contract?) Lets take a closer look at the professional athlete salary statistics for three sports that have made headlines when it comes to the gap in professional pay: basketball, soccer and tennis. In my opinion, no. [31], If students were paid, the NCAA argues, many colleges and universities would have to offer fewer scholarships and the remaining scholarships would be distributed unfairly to top football and mens basketball players because those two sports bring in the most revenue. TakeScottie Pippen, who, despite being a vital asset that lifted both Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, played most of the 1990s under what is consideredone of the worst contractsin NBA history. If so, theyll stop paying to watch or support professional sports teams, leaving the industry in the lurch. It is true that on average, female athletes are paid far less than male athletes. 2018: Twenty-eight USWNT players joined a wage-discrimiation class-action suit against U.S. Soccer. No Division II or III schools revenue exceeded expenses. Therefore, they deserve to earn more. Plus, making it to the pros takes years of hard work. Explain your answer. In 2018, NCAA president Mark Emmert was paid more than $2.7 million. Professional athletes are incredibly talented in what they do. If adopted, the rule would only apply to Division I schools and would be temporary until the NCAA or Congress acts. Why Are Professional Athletes Overpaid - 1387 Words | Cram Besides, not all athletes make millions of dollars. Are professional athletes paid too much? The answer may surprise you The gulf in TV money between mens and womens sports leagues is massive. The bulk of that figure is back pay, a tacit admission that compensation for the mens and womens teams had been unequal for years. U.S. Soccer Says Women Don't Deserve Equal Pay Because They Have Less Skill Moreover, in my mind, if these athletes want to continue to be rewarded with the fame and fortune that is unfairly bestowed upon them, they must prove to the world that they are going to be positive role models for future athletes, and those who admire them. Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before? players had reached out to the American soccer players and their union for help as they sought better pay and working conditions. Many more try, but don't even come close. 3, 2021), NCAA, NCAA Defends Scholarships for College Athletes, ncaaorg (accessed Mar. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. [11], Additionally, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear a case (National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Shawne Alston, et al.) The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1906 that regulates college athletics, including game rules, athlete eligibility, and college tournaments. But now in the 21st century, the NCAA is a billion dollar company. [38] These rules can effectively limit players options to playing in college or choosing another profession altogether. More TV exposure for the players will lead to more visibility, and more visibility could lead to major deals with endorsers in the future. The gap varies by industry, according to Payscale: the legal profession has the worst discrepancy at 64%, while arts, entertainment and sports comes in well above average at 94%. In 2019, FIFA proposed doubling the womens prize pool to $60 million in the 2023 World Cup, and announced that they would spend $1 billion on womens soccer over a period of four years. while increasing income inequalitybetween the majority of athletes. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard The athletes leave their families, so they can go to their work, will you do that. Someone who tosses a ball shouldntearn 700 times as much as someone who saves lives. In 2019, 14 million people watched the U.S. Womens National Soccer team defeat the Netherlands to win the FIFA Womens World Cup10.5 million more viewers than their 2001 finals appearance. By far the most ubiquitous solution is paying college athletes. Major League Baseball is a $10 billion-in-revenue giant while the NPF players make an average of $5,000 to $6,000 because of the league's low revenue. In my mind, absolutely not. In the same year, DeWanna Bonner, the highest-paid WNBA player, was eligible for a base salary of $127,500, a difference of almost 200%. Face Off: Should female athletes make as much as their male The EEOC never publishes a response, but the players received a 30% raise among other benefits in 2017. TM & 2021 Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. Another argument is that women's national teams for sports like soccer have far more success than the men's national team. Tennis players may earn up to $10,000 in prize money yearly while playing college tennis and college football players may earn up to $550 in bowl gifts. 1. Their top-ranked masters is offered online and on campus, and its flexible curriculum allows students to take a general track or choose from specializations in sport marketing or collegiate athletic administration. The result is an explosion in player salaries in the major men's sports leagues. ", ProCon.org. Usually, a team has one franchise player, who makes a huge salary, arguably more than his projected value, since he drives the teams business profitability forward. While both mens and womens soccer players are seeing salary increases alongside the sports rise in popularity, men still far outearn women. The Yankees bat boy salary is more than my professional softball contract,NPF playerand U.S. womens national team member Delanie Gourley wrote in a since-deleted tweet. The whole system that allows professional athletes to just swim around in money is simply ridiculous, and it needs to stop. But its important to remember that those athletes are an essential part of enormously profitable companies. Theres an important role for college sports in higher education, and that role needs to be placed in the proper perspective as part of the educational mission, not apart from it. [37]. Professional athletes put in years ofhard workand deserve every penny they earn. [24], B. David Ridpath, EdD, Associate Professor of Sports Administration at Ohio University, noted, The only amateur quality about college athletics is that colleges refuse to pay their players. Ridpath explained, The United States is the only country in the world that has a significant portion of elite athletic development and commercialized sport embedded within its education systems.