Research Proposal for Senior Project
| 1 | Title of Project:
Advocating Equal Pay in Sports Shouldn’t Be Ludicrous, Especially When the Gender Pay Gap is Getting Out of Hand.
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| 2 | Statement of Purpose: (working thesis)
While most Men’s Sports have no problems with their salaries, the Women’s protest their much lower wages to rebalance the system and receive equal pay in their sporting competitions.
(thesis points you wish to answer): – How Women’s sports is not less impressive than Men’s. – Discrimination towards the Women’s in sports is worth advocating. – How do men’s sports bring in more money than women’s?
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| 3 | Background (why did you choose this topic, what is it about?):
When the sports industry conquered the world, people and companies with money invested with high expectations of return, which influenced athletes to receive a considerable boost to their income. But the only effects are only visible to the Men’s, presumably because they dominated the entertainment view of sports (DiCaro). In a globally known competition like the World Cup, the Men’s produces much more money than the Women’s. Yet in 2016, the Women’s National Team of the US filed a complaint against US Soccer for gender discrimination, the reason is not because of the slight pay gap, but mainly because the Women’s are winning titles, unlike the Men’s National Team (Brown). Calling out imperfections in the world of sports isn’t something new. Changes have occurred before. In 2017, the US Hockey team can reach a deal with the women’s team after they threatened to not play because of unequal wages within the Men’s. They ended up getting the deal and give a shining light to this problem. Adjustment of salary in this industry is possible and worth fighting. Despite the many challenges, resolving the issues and reaching fair agreements are yet to come soon.
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| 4 | Significance (why is this topic important/relevant?):
– According to the US Soccer Federation reports, around 2016 and 2018, the US Women’s football team brings more revenue than the US Men’s. It became the main reason the group filed a discrimination complaint of unfair wages against the federation on March 8, 2016 (Bachman). – The Football Association (FA) confirmed that England’s Men’s and Women’s football teams receive the same pay and no more gender difference. The Australian football governing body also makes sure that they close the wage gap amongst gender (Reuters). – National sports teams are starting to act towards this problem. The Nigerian squad protested at a hotel in 2016 over unfair payments after winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (BBC News). – New Zealand reached an agreement in 2018, which distinguished men’s and women’s teams to receive the same payouts and the same prize money on behalf of the national team (BBC News). – The definition of equal pay. Women’s and men’s sports teams, having the same necessary workload, responsibilities, and number of matches, are paid the same base salary by their sports governing body.
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| 5 | Description (what will you write about?):
I will write about sports’ progress over the years and how much athletes can receive a considerable amount of money with being a key to their entertainment industry. The argument that I will pursue is how sports teams worldwide should consider giving far more fair decisions towards wages regarding the athletes’ gender. I will also be covering past solutions, in hopes that it could be an inspiration for a better future towards the pay gap problems. The reasoning of why Men are dominating the world of sports will also be in the writing. And lastly, I will propose a solution that will make athletes feel that they get paid as they deserve. |
| 6 | Sources: (sources used such as website, books, experts interview)
Websites and Books: https://www.thelily.com/we-broke-down-4-common-arguments-about-equal-pay-in-womens-pro-sports/ (DiCaro) https://theforeword.org/599/sports/the-equal-pay-debate-in-us-soccer-fully-explained/ (Brown) https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-womens-soccer-games-out-earned-mens-games-11560765600 (Bachman) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-england-pay-idUSKBN25U101 (Reuters) https://www.insider.com/women-top-100-highest-paid-athletes-2020-forbes-2020-5 (Cash) Expert Interview: Endri Erawan (Exco PSSI)
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| 7 | Argumentative points (5-6 argumentative points with in-text citation)
Refutations (3 or more points that refute your argumentative points with in-text citations)
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| 8 | Bibliography: (Work cited based on MLA standards)
Bachman, Rachel. “U.S. Women’s Soccer Games Outearned Men’s Games.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 17 June 2019. Web. 06 Feb. 2021. Brown, Emma. “The Equal Pay Debate in US Soccer, Fully Explained!” The Foreword. Web. 06 Feb. 2021. Cash, Meredith. “Only 2 of the 100 Highest-paid Athletes on the Planet Are Women.” Insider. Insider, 29 May 2020. Web. 05 Feb. 2021. DiCaro, Julie. “We Broke down 4 Common Arguments about Equal Pay in Women’s Pro Sports.” 10 Dec. 2019. Web. 05 Feb. 2021. Townes, Cecelia. “A Decade Of Fighting For Equal Pay In Sports.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 01 Jan. 2020. Web. 05 Feb. 2021. “England’s Men’s and Women’s Teams Receive Equal Pay, Says FA.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 03 Sept. 2020. Web. 06 Feb. 2021. |
Equal Pay in Sports
Advocating Equal Pay in Sports Should Not Be Ludicrous
The existence of equal pay in workplaces is a highly debated topic that has been taking center stage in today’s society. Most people believe and feel that the gender wage gap is unreasonable and is an issue that should not be talked about since the need does not exist. However, there are irrefutable indications that prove there is a gap when it comes to how men and women are paid in the sports industry. The issue of unequal pay in sports is a serious problem that keeps impacting women negatively especially when they make a comparative analysis to their men counterparts and feel demotivated. While most Men’s Sports have no problems with their salaries, the Women protest their much lower wages to rebalance the system and receive equal pay in their sporting competitions. This paper seeks to explore how the wages in the sports industry have been awarded so far and how men keep dominating the world of sports. It will also give arguments on how women have since been given unfair wages compared to men and how fair decisions should be made.
The male and female athletes have been rewarded wages on an entirely different scale that seem unbelievable. Women playing sports take, for example, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, who are the highest-paid female athletes, but when ranked in terms of wages, they appear at the bottom forty in the top one hundred list among their male counterparts (Archer and Prange, 416). The male wages are often three times that of the female, yet they play the same sports, and the effort put across to win might even be better than what the male put in winning the games. The inequality is wide and shows why men are pulled to play sports based on the salaries and wages they are likely to get (Trimbur, 252). While women are sometimes pulled to take part in sports as a result of lacking money or better pays, their male counterparts are pulled by money. A survey conducted by Sports Intelligence, a United Kingdom-based firm, released a report on Global Sports Salary Survey, which showed how over 130,000 men taking part in sports whereas only 1200 participated (Archer and Prange, 416). These statistics that were conducted in 2017 when compared on a ratio scale substitute for a 100:1 difference.
There is a staggering gap in sports payments, yet nobody suggests that women ought to be paid better wages. Looking at the NBA, the female athletes have for the longest time been fighting for better wages. It does not mean that they should be paid the same way men are paid, but their salaries should be rewarding for a sports personality and not women (Archer and Prange, 416). The wages rewarded to the female athletes only symbolize the fact that they exert less effort when playing, which is not true. Being successful in sports and making it a career should be rewarded equitably. Their piece of the action should be compensated the same way the energy men put in play is rewarded. It is harder for women to maneuver into the upper ranks of sports when it comes to compensation. Only 1% of women make professional footballers in the world. The salary gap in the sports industry between men and women echoes a big difference when it comes to revenue bills (Archer and Prange, 416). Last year, the NBA took a whopping $8 billion in revenue while $70 was collected for WNBA. It is evident from the raw numbers that women receive fewer wages since men’s sports is the most preferred.
The argument is that the revenues follow the popularity that the specific sports are given as well as the pays, but the truth is complicated when digested in terms of league financial data, labor relations, and opportunities presented (Archer and Prange, 416). There are bias and discrimination in play against women playing sports. Investments and the commitment in both genders regarding sports are equal, but when it comes to wages, it is different. The same way men are talented in the same way women play the same role. As such, the allocation in terms of wages to women ought to be the same for players’ experience, and innovation towards the sports attracts fans in equal measure (Archer and Prange, 416). In this regard, based on a fan base argument for the reasons of collecting low less revenue for women athletes, they need support to grow into a large and sustainable business scale. The provisions of better wages will exclusively encourage women to participate in sports for decades to come rather than take part in sports to earn less money.
Sports help women and men equally, and productivity is what should be awarded. There are many statistics from games and matches that measure athletes’ productivity; therefore, individuals should be compared based on the production they project in the teams instead of the sport they play (Archer and Prange, 416). Sports wages should be evaluated, tracked, and recorded based on an individual’s performance measure. Productivity should not be measured based on gender and the less significant role women play in sports. Arguably, there is no concrete way one can observe productivity at a workplace; thus, the various forms of discrimination portrayed in sports should not happen. Women should be compensated according to how productive they are in the pitch. They deserve to be rewarded since they simultaneously produce at a high level.
Discrimination has been observed where females’ wages do not correlate with the amount of effort they put into sports production (Archer and Prange, 416). Revenue on how much is collected is one factor that comes into play and determines how female players are paid. However, the percentage and revenue that is allocated to players should be equal among male and female athletes regardless of the attention players attract to watch games.
The salaries of male and female athletes should be examined through performance indicators. Equal pay in sports among males and females in the United States of America has been a battle that has consequently been dragged along the court corridors, with the national federation of soccer being accused of intentional gender discrimination. When the United States women soccer team won were declared World Cup champions in July 2019, they were collectively rewarded $30 million for the effort they combined to win the trophy. This gesture was just a fraction of what the male counterparts are often rewarded. The French national team that won the 2018 World Cup was awarded $400 million (Eke) as their prize money, which shows that what the females get is nothing compared to what males are accorded. Sports officials often posit claims that women athletes do not perform equally as their male counterparts. They use this excuse to reward female skills unequally even when they work under the same conditions. Overall, as seen from the rewards, the playing ability projected across all genders is materially influenced by physical abilities and strength used as a bargaining chip.
Focusing primarily on the wage gap that exists in sports gives an in-depth analysis of the issue female athletes are contemporarily facing all over the world in their respective countries (de Haan and Norman, 95). Additionally, after gaging the different opinions from athletes posted on blogs and newspapers, including several evidence and research, there is a wide wage gap between males and females. Through the various data collected during this study and the additional research from other sources, it is evident that the glass ceiling in women earning better pays than men still exists (Naseer, Javed, and Batool). The wage gap is the real problem that exists in sports today. Some of the arguments against unfair treatment might be good enough and explainable; however, the evidence projected proves otherwise.
History traces the huge step women made at workplaces in the year 1881, the period when the Knights of Labor, which was one of the largest organizations in 1880, decided to vote for women admission at workplaces (Moehling and Thomasson, 3). The organization championed equal pay regardless of the sex one belonged to, and it was a huge accomplishment. Even though the organization never lasted that long, it motivated and helped women fight for their equal rights and pay at workplaces. This insight further stresses the importance of recognizing women’s effort in sports today as a part of their rights. The union that took over from the Knights of Labor was the American Federation of Labor which was successful by the start of the 20th century. As its president posited in 1981, “Among the things we advocate is that women should have equal suffrage with men. We not only work for equality of suffrage but work to fight and obtain equal wages for her” (Moehling and Thomasson, 3). This statement ultimately expressed the concern that is still felt to date, especially in sports where women continue to suffer and receive unequal wages despite the effort they put into their careers.
When using NBA and WNBA as the reference point, the two are the same sport but different leagues that pay different salaries to the players (Ettienne). The salaries in the NBA, a professional men’s league, are much higher than those of WNBA, which is simultaneously a professional women’s league. Looking at the statistics, the best male player in NBA earns over $30 million going upwards in a year, whereas the women in the corresponding female league earn from $50,000 to $120,000 (Ettienne). It is surprising that, as men earn a minimum salary of $600,000, it is still higher than the maximum salary females in the WNBA league get. The NBA league might be longer in terms of the games played per season, but it should not be an excuse to reward unfair wages to the female basketball players in WNBA.
Factors such as choice of work, which in this case is sports, the sports category, and the ability to make a difference in a team, can help determine the right salaries for both men and women (Ettienne). The 40% wage reward is a result of the discrimination that is only projected towards women. There is a demand for equality that has since sparked across boardrooms, sports arenas, Twitter feeds, and TV screens, including presidential campaigns (Winslow). This insight only means that a deeper analysis of how both genders need to be reviewed. The world is changing; thus, responsibilities and the sports landscape consequently change too.
There is additionally a need to make these circumstances better by investing in women’s sports and rewarding them accordingly. Notably, in this case, investment means the public money that is taxpayers’ money (De Bosscher, Shibli and Weber, 221). The money can be allocated to financing the various stadiums that women use in sports. When new sports arenas are constructed, it improves the players’ experience since they are motivated to play. Moreover, entry prices are hiked, which consequently means that revenue collection will be applauded and building. Men’s league should not be the only approved sport that gets local and state development (De Bosscher, Shibli and Weber, 221). Previous research indicates that from the year 1990 to 2012, men’s teams such as NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL received over $17 billion ((De Bosscher, Shibli and Weber, 221)) public revenue for their homes. This outcome only means that men only consider investing in men’s sports.
Finally, the media should reach to the fans and make it a responsibility to offer new content regarding women’s sport. Sports is a lucrative and big entertainment in today’s world; therefore, there should be a good following in either gender sports. It is indeed true that men’s sports receive the highest following, but women’s sports should be given attention through the various platforms that often program sports. Fans should be given a chance to access every sport, which will be another way to make a niche and enable the female athletes to earn what they deserve. The sports highlights and news should not overwhelmingly focus on men alone but purpose to dedicate a day or two in a week to shed light on women’s engagement in sports. That’s the only way people will be made aware that the games women play are also important.
Works Cited
Archer, Alfred, and Martine Prange. “‘Equal play, equal pay’: moral grounds for equal pay in football.” Journal of the Philosophy of Sport 46.3 (2019): 416-436.
De Bosscher, Veerle, Simon Shibli, and Andreas Ch Weber. “Is prioritisation of funding in elite sport effective? An analysis of the investment strategies in 16 countries.” European Sport Management Quarterly 19.2 (2019): 221-243
de Haan, Donna, and Leanne Norman. “Mind the gap: the presence of capital and power in the female athlete–male-coach relationship within elite rowing.” Sports Coaching Review 9.1 (2020): 95-118.
Eke, Onyemaechi Augustine. “Africa Global Partnership and France 2018 World Cup Victory: Political-Economy Approach.” (2018).
Ettienne, Lerae. “It’s Time to Pay up, the Justification for Higher Salaries for WNBA Players: An Analysis of the WNBA’s Success and Employing Mediation between the WNBA and NBA to Leverage Future Success.” Pepp. Disp. Resol. LJ 19 (2019): 175.
Moehling, Carolyn M., and Melissa A. Thomasson. “Votes for Women: An Economic Perspective on Women’s Enfranchisement.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 34.2 (2020): 3-23.
Naseer, Abida, Saeed Javed, and Husna Batool. “Contribution of Social Support, Social Cultural, and Social Interference Factors in Sports Participation of Female Athletes–A Qualitative Approach.”
Trimbur, Lucia. “Taking a knee, making a stand: Social justice, Trump America, and the politics of sport.” Quest 71.2 (2019): 252-265.
Winslow, Ellie. “Gender Pay Inequality in Professional Sports: How Policy Shapes A Consistent Divide.” (2021).
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