The Djoker has spoken
Novak Djokovic sparks equal pay row by suggesting male tennis stars should earn more than women
"I think that our men's tennis world, ATP world, should fight for more because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators," he said
Having easily won the Indian Wells tournament yesterday, the Djoker made this point in response to some comments from tournament chief exec that proved pretty controversial (the guy said women's tennis should be thankful to men's tennis for pulling it up, and that the WTA was "riding on the coattails of men"). Some have argued Djokovic's comments haven't helped much mitigate the controversy, either.
Most responses to this kerfuffle have been much to the effect of, men play more sets than women, men's tennis is much more intensive and demanding, it draws much more crowds and revenue, and since this is a business and money calls the shots in tennis (just as in any other commercial sport), Nole is basically right, and for fairness' sake, men should be rewarded better than women. I don't know if you'd agree with this, but from a commercial point of view it does make sense - and I'm saying it as a woman.
There's also been the (slightly jocular) proposal that men and women should be paid equally... per set, per hour on court. Which again brings us back to the above argument. Or that women should be allowed to compete alongside men (which doesn't make much sense, but still).
That said, it's also true that people mostly talk about the men's game, about brilliant players and exciting 5-set games, and they rarely mention the women's game, and barely acknowledge the huge efforts that woman put in the game - whereas they probably should. Women's achievements in the game shouldn't be underestimated, because those are professional athletes too, and they are giving everything of themselves, just like men do.
At the end of the day though, it may just boil down to this. More viewers = more pay. More games played = more pay. It's the economy, stupid.
On a slightly side note, I recall the case where a man who was outside the top 200 rank once accepted a challenge from the Williams sisters who had boasted they could defeat any man outside the top 200. He beat them easily without putting much effort into it, although he was a regular smoker, drinker, and had put a few kilos extra at the time. Just shows what a vast gap there is between women's and men's sport.
"I think that our men's tennis world, ATP world, should fight for more because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators," he said
Having easily won the Indian Wells tournament yesterday, the Djoker made this point in response to some comments from tournament chief exec that proved pretty controversial (the guy said women's tennis should be thankful to men's tennis for pulling it up, and that the WTA was "riding on the coattails of men"). Some have argued Djokovic's comments haven't helped much mitigate the controversy, either.
Most responses to this kerfuffle have been much to the effect of, men play more sets than women, men's tennis is much more intensive and demanding, it draws much more crowds and revenue, and since this is a business and money calls the shots in tennis (just as in any other commercial sport), Nole is basically right, and for fairness' sake, men should be rewarded better than women. I don't know if you'd agree with this, but from a commercial point of view it does make sense - and I'm saying it as a woman.
There's also been the (slightly jocular) proposal that men and women should be paid equally... per set, per hour on court. Which again brings us back to the above argument. Or that women should be allowed to compete alongside men (which doesn't make much sense, but still).
That said, it's also true that people mostly talk about the men's game, about brilliant players and exciting 5-set games, and they rarely mention the women's game, and barely acknowledge the huge efforts that woman put in the game - whereas they probably should. Women's achievements in the game shouldn't be underestimated, because those are professional athletes too, and they are giving everything of themselves, just like men do.
At the end of the day though, it may just boil down to this. More viewers = more pay. More games played = more pay. It's the economy, stupid.
On a slightly side note, I recall the case where a man who was outside the top 200 rank once accepted a challenge from the Williams sisters who had boasted they could defeat any man outside the top 200. He beat them easily without putting much effort into it, although he was a regular smoker, drinker, and had put a few kilos extra at the time. Just shows what a vast gap there is between women's and men's sport.