Which of these groups do you think played a role in pushing U.S. Soccer to equalize pay? Erin McGeoy, a former water polo athlete at George Washington University, explained, a common occurrence was that we would run out of meal money halfway through the semester and thats when I started to run into troubles of food insecurity. She turned to boarding dogs in her no-dogs-allowed apartment in order to pay rent because housing costs increased each year but her housing allowance remained static. 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. April 12 is now known as Equal Pay Day the day when on average women have. What do you think of U.S. Soccers pledge to equalize pay between its mens and womens national teams? In 2018, the average annual salary for an M.L.B. But those arguments fail when . All rights reserved. 2. In team sports, though, the picture for women is bleak. Perhaps more notable is U.S. Soccers pledge to equalize pay between the mens and womens national teams in all competitions, including the World Cup, in the teams next collective bargaining agreements. They give out 13 scholarships. Plus, making it to the pros takes years of hard work. ), the National Football League (N.F.L. But, with all this growth, are mens and womens earnings in line? 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. Pro athletes are the stars of those shows, and TV stars get paid a lot. What are sports like at your school? (The Perspective Book), suffer from progressive degenerative disease. Money is not everything, and being money-hungry can be harmful in the long run. Forbesreleased its annual look at the worldshighest-paid athletesthis month, and the top 100 exemplified the stark contrast in pay between professional male and female athletes. Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before? For the first time, the average salary reached six figures. Athletes are paid huge sums of money to play sports. Do you think well-established minor-league systems would be attractive to high-school graduates and college athletes less interested in (or ill-prepared for) higher education? The NCAA keeps players in poverty and denied them ways to earn money, while making millions on their performance. While the highest paid athletes draw more attention, the truth is thatmost athletes are fairly paid. These players are apart from their families and have to stay in hotels and eat out at many places. Without the players, the leagues wouldnt exist. Many more try, but don't even come close. 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. Someone who tosses a ball shouldntearn 700 times as much as someone who saves lives. Of the 18,816 male basketball players, 4,181 are draft-eligible and 60 will be drafted, but only 52 will go pro, or a 1.2% chance a college basketball player will play professionally. For instance, during each season of any professional sport, there are away games that keep players from their families. players had reached out to the American soccer players and their union for help as they sought better pay and working conditions. Also, think about whod get the money if the athletes made less. Theres no question that professional athletes are paid too much. Does it make any sense that someone who throws a football for a living is paid more than 700 times as much as someone who helps save peoples lives, or that swinging a bat gets you nearly 650 times as much as educating kids? Sixty percent of those polled said that salaries should be paid to all athletes, and 38% said salaries should only be paid to athletes playing sports that bring in revenue. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard In fiscal year 2019, the collective expenses of the 65 Power Five schoolsthe largest and richest Division I schools in the NCAAexceeded revenue by $7 million. Explain your answer(s). 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. More significant, though, is that players put their bodies in danger daily. I am an editorial consumer intern reporting on sports and b-schools. They may get leeway when it comes to their salaries, but the law should be overpowered by any amount of talent. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. While the pay disparity didnt change, there is one aspect of the Forbes top-ten list that did. Both mens and womens basketball used the unusual circumstances to play with online options and enhance the at-home fan experience, and the WNBA saw its highest draft viewership in 16 years during the 2020 virtual draft. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Only a tiny fraction actually make it to the big time. But do these athletes really deserve all that money? (HISTORIC) See how different sides see the same key events in ongoing conflicts. Under the terms of the agreement, the women a group of several dozen current and former players that includes some of the worlds most popular and decorated athletes will share $24 million in payments from U.S. Soccer. Do you feel that female athletes in your community are treated equally to male athletes? But theyre still earning way too much money. Once he signed a $100 million contract with a $44 million guarantee, he had what some consider to be his worst season ever; it seemed likehe simply lost interestin the game. Sorry, an error occurred and your vote could not be processed. Among the 10 highest-paid female athletes in 2018, nine were tennis players. The main problem is the huge amount of money involved in professional sports. Given athletes large salaries, more youngsters want to become professional athletes but for the big money, not for the love of the game. ], ProCon.org, "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons. 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). while increasing income inequalitybetween the majority of athletes. 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. 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. We'll have to wait and see what. Compare those wages withthe national average salary fora firefighter: about $45,000 a year. The National Womens Soccer League played their first game in 2013, following the end of the Womens Professional Soccer league the previous year. Whether professional players receive salaries or individual prize money from competitions, male athletes in basketball, golf, soccer, baseball and tennis make anywhere from 15% to nearly 100% more than female athletes. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. This pay gap creates unnecessary tensions within sport teams and is unfair to teammates who sacrifice just as much but for less money. If youre interested in learning more, you can visit Adelphis sport management info page and download a free brochure, or call 888.252.4110 to talk with one of their enrollment counselors. 1,217 will be draft picks, but only 791 will be drafted yearly, meaning about 9.9% of college baseball players will go pro, which is the largest likelihood in NCAA sports. At first, it was a great place to watch athletes play sports while making sure the rules were being followed. In team sports, its more difficult to stand out, says Scott Minto, the head of the MBA sports program at San Diego State University. Sports betting is now legal in the majority of US states. The top players in these leagues earn huge salaries that most Americans can only dream of. If adopted, the rule would only apply to Division I schools and would be temporary until the NCAA or Congress acts. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? In 2019, little had changed: soccer star Lionel Messi made 125% more than tennis star Serena Williams. 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. As of 2014, a Sergeant of U.S Military who had two years of experience made $26,172. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. 1. How do you think stakeholders, such as fans, sponsors, tournament organizers, politicians and athletes, should engage with the fight for equal pay in womens sports, if at all? Women in male-dominated sports such as racecar driver Danica Patrick and UFC and WWE star Ronda Rousey ranked among the top earners in their sports when they were active. Photo Illustration by Vanessa Irena for Scholastic. Rules," nytimes.com, June 30, 2021, Becky Sullivan, "UNC Becomes the First School to Organize Group Endorsement Deals for Its Players," npr.org, July 21, 2021, Josh Moody, "Lack of Clear-Cut NCAA Rules Creates Confusion about NIL," insidehighered.com, Jan. 4, 2022, John I. Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick, "College Sports Are a Treasure. They also have the celebrity effect, which draws more paying fans in. Players salaries are simply their share of all the cash these hugely successful businesses bring in. Judge Judy makes about $45 million per year. Athletes Dont Get Paid As Much As We Think. So if you think pro athletes make too much money, maybe you should stop watching them. Lower salaries wouldnt necessarily lead to lower ticket and hot dog prices for fans who go to the games. While these may seem huge, so are the deductions from them. [ 3] Such Salaries Contribute to Income Inequality within Sports. As professional sporting brings in a ridiculous amount of money in general, we should find a way to invest more in our female athletes and pay them the same as their male counterparts. There is still quite a ways to go to close this gap, but the NWSL is making changes to offer more competitive compensation. Furthermore, police officers, firefighters, and doctors save lives while risking their own for a fraction of what sports stars make. If so, how? [34], The NCAA noted, [p]rofessional opportunities are extremely limited and the likelihood of a high school or even college athlete becoming a professional athlete is very low. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/paying-college-athletes-top-3-pros-and-cons/, NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), "Syllabus National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston et al.,", The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, National Collegiate Athletic Association, britannica.com, Sep. 14, 2020, NCAA, What Is the NCAA?, ncaa.org (accessed Mar. [20], The highest paid mens basketball coach was the University of Kentucky head coach, John Calipari, who was paid $8.2 million per year. Further confusing the issue, the NCAA does not have a consistent or fair definition of amateurism and allows some significant forms of financial compensation. In 2016, ESPN doubled their rights fee to show WNBA games, paying $25 million a year. ), and Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) But as recent lawsuits and even Twitter battles show, we still have a ways to go. How do you think other governing bodies should address the pay disparities that exist between male and female players in many sports? Its hard to ignore the racist undertones when the financial benefit to these institutions is based on the unpaid work of young Black men. [22], The NCAA requires players to have health insurance but does not pay for that insurance and can refuse to pay medical expenses for sports injuries, some of which can have life-long consequences for the players bodies and career opportunities. Are there other factors that you think should be taken into account? 3. This is about small changes the league can make that will impact the players. You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page For more support materials,visit our Help Center. Is MMA any more dangerous than boxing or other contact sports? Source: MLS 2013; 2020; NWSL 2013, 2020 TakeAlbert Haynesworthof the Washington Redskins. Physical injury can leave professional athletes handicapped or disabled for the rest of their lives; NFL players who experiencemultiple concussionscansuffer from progressive degenerative diseasethat causes dementia and depression. 3. However, players lived $778 below the federal poverty line and owed $3,624 in tuition. Consider the pro position of the National College Players Association that paying college athletes is a civil rights issue. In 2020, the league difference in rookie pay decreased by 50% (down from 154%), while the salary budget gap closed by 22%. In my opinion, no. None of the largest ones are NFL stadiums. [39]. While I do understand that making it into the pros is not an easy thing to do, and thatit takes a tremendous number of hours of hard work and dedication every day to earn a job in professional sports, these people do nothing more than entertain the general public. When basketball player Stephen Curry signed a new contract with the Golden State Warriors in 2017,jaws dropped at his salary: a whopping $201million over five years. The pay disparities in baseball/softball and basketball come down almost entirely to the revenue their leagues generate. Divisions II and III of the NCAA followed suit and the changes went into effect for all three divisions on July 1, 2021. An NHL Blackhawks player earned over 124 million dollars in 13 years.Why should athletes get paid so much to play a game? In the N.F.L., the average was only $2.7million, but oneof footballs highest-paid players, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, just signed a four-year contract for $134 million. Mike Trout, a centerfielder for the Los Angeles Angels, gets $35.8 million a year. In 2010, golfer Tiger Woods made 124% more than tennis player Maria Sharapova. Managers, owners and other administrators can have direct input in how much players get paid. are thriving at the highest levels, all higher percentages than their non-athlete peers. Being put through the kind. Until 2018, the mens team qualified for the World Cup every year since 1990, but has not won a championship. Adelphi University respects your right to privacy. For example, players in the National Womens Soccer League make only between $16,000 and $44,000 a season. are the three biggest sports organizations in the U.S. 4. 1, 2021), Colin Dwyer, California Governor Signs Bill Allowing College Athletes to Profit from Endorsements, npr.org, Sep. 30, 2019, Rudy Hill and Jonatha D. Wohlwend, Florida Law Will Allow College Athletes to Profit from Name, Image, and Likeness Starting Summer 2021, June, 25, 2020, Ben Pickman, Colorado Governor Signs Bills Allowing NCAA Athletes to Profit Off Name, Likeness, si.com, Mar. Dont Turn Them Into the Minor Leagues.," nytimes.com, Mar. Of the 36,011 college baseball players, only 8,002 are eligible to play professionally each year. [28]. *Does not include designated players or targeted allocation money. [46], The University of North Carolina became the first school to organize group licensing deals for student athletes in July 2021. Two sportswriters weigh in. Agents can be advocates for fairer wages and better benefits. 1. Nine other NCAA executives were paid more than $500,000 in 2018, with one paid more than $1.3 million. It Threatens the Future of Sports. Since then, the womens team has won four FIFA Womens World Cup titles. They save peoples' lives every day, should have more recognition than they are given, and deserve better pay. 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%. Source: Womens National Basketball Players Association (2019, 2020). : The 100 debates that govern your life, written in a way that tells both sides of every story. At both the start and end of the decade, the top female player in the United States made more than the top male player. How should the NCAA (or another governing body) balance college athletes sport, educational, and financial interests? Take ice hockey as an example: there are both . A handful of big sports. Students develop wide-ranging leadership skills and learn to conduct the marketing and administrative tasks of sport organizations and business operations. The top WNBA salarywas $117,500 last season, compared with $37.4 million in the NBA. If it is closed by the federation in negotiations with both teams, the change could funnel millions of dollars to a new generation of womens national team players. It is true that on average, female athletes are paid far less than male athletes. Next, some MLB players will earn more in one game than the average American household makes in 10 years. As Jon Solomon, Editorial Director for the Sports and Society Program at the Aspen Institute explained, The most glaring example occurred when the University of North Carolina was found by outside parties to have organized fake classes that enabled dozens of athletes to gain and maintain their eligibility of the 3,100 students who took the fake classes over 18 years, 47.4 percent were athletes North Carolina avoided NCAA penalties by essentially arguing that the NCAA should stay out of irregularities in college courses. [24] The NCAA polices athletes finances but does not ensure a quality education. But now in the 21st century, the NCAA is a billion dollar company. Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine. In U.S. 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. 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. ProCon.org. 2. [18] [19], Michael Sokolove, author of The Last Temptation of Rick Pitino (2018), explained, If you look at a program like [University of] Louisville, they generate about $45 million a year in revenue. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [42], The NCAA was scheduled to vote on new NIL rules in Jan. 2021, but it then postponed the vote, citing external factors. [10] Days before the scheduled vote Makan Delrahim, JD, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice under the Trump administration, questioned the proposed rules compliance with antitrust laws. 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?) Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Nike hasnt made asignature shoefor a WNBA player in over 20 years. Consider that ten of the biggest outdoor sports stadiums in the world (excluding auto racing venues) are American college football stadiums. While 2020 brought unexpected changes to both the NBA and the WNBA, with both leagues seasons affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CBA still remains. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average total cost of public college (tuition, fees, room, and board) for the 201718 academic year was $17,797. The team filed a complaint against U.S. Soccer in March that states: Female WNT players would earn a maximum of $99,000 or $4,950 per game, while similarly situated male MNT players would earn an average of $263,320 or $13,166 per game. The players claim they face discrimination when it comes to where and how often they play, how they train and travel, the medical treatment and coaching they receive, and obviously their salaries. Besides, not all athletes make millions of dollars. The compensation for professional athletes differs from traditional pay because, Matheson said, fans have limited choices compared to other industries - a phenomenon known as "superstar. Tennis players are the only female athletes to rank among the overall top earners over the past decade, with Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Li Na all having appeared multiple times onForbes list. But the long fight that set key members of the womens team against their bosses at U.S. Soccer ended on Tuesday just as abruptly as it had begun, with a settlement that included a multimillion-dollar payment to the players and a promise by their federation to equalize pay between the mens and womens national teams. [12] The Supreme Court heard arguments on Mar. Others will mimic as they try to keep up but eventually will fall short in trying to outbid Auburn University, Florida State, the University of Southern California or the University of Texas in the college player arms race. [33], The reality is that the vast majority of college athletes will never play professionally. From these statistics, many would believe that women and men athletes should be equally paid because of an almost identical stat line that shows equivalent performance. 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. But that will always be the case if women's sports aren't marketed properly Thu 9 May 2019 05.00 EDT. 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. Others also argue that. After all, athletes earn more money than teachers, first responders, and members of the military. However, the men still come out ahead internationally. And in 2019, CBS Sports made a deal to pay for additional games. The top ten highest-paid women in 2019 were all tennis players when a decade ago the top-ten list included NASCAR, ice skating and golf. Men earn 20 percent more than women on average, a difference that would require a female to work 10 more years to make up. 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. Professional athletes are making too much money in a society where salaries and wages are traditionally based on the value of one's work. It wasnt an easy process to get to this point for sure, Cindy Parlow Cone, U.S. Soccers president, said in a telephone interview. This quote suggests the importance of teachers in our society, rendering the fact they should be paid more than professional athletes. The average American woman earns 81% of what an average American man earns, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That gap is narrowing slightly, however. [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. Feldman explained, That was a shape-shifting decision that in many ways fundamentally changed economics of college football and college football television. 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. [25] [26], The study found that [t]he player-level analysis reveals that the existing limits on player compensation effectively transfers resources away from students who are more likely to be black and more likely to come from poor neighborhoods towards students who are more likely to be white and come from higher-income neighborhoods. [25], College athletes are required to make up the difference between NCAA scholarships and the actual cost of living. ", ProCon.org. Firefighters are the next contributor to society. In contrast, the likelihood of an NCAA athlete earning a college degree is significantly greater; graduation success rates are 86% in Division I, 71% in Division II and 87% in Division III. [34]. 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.