There is no question that the United States women’s national soccer team is impressive. On July 7, they won their fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup title, just as many as every other country combined. Their skills are evident and their athleticism is routinely unmatched. But social justice activism has tainted many things, including women’s sports. The result is a focus on so much outside the arena of play. Gender inequality is a popular topic and it has invaded how we view the world of athletics, too.
It is difficult to discuss female athletes and their respective sports since almost any mention of dislike or neutral disinterest is met with accusations of sexism. The latest World Cup, with its fiery, controversial stars like Megan Rapinoe, is a perfect example of the defensive posture taken by many involved in this gender-specific world.
As a female, I almost feel as if I’m required to wholeheartedly invest myself in athletic competitions centered around other females. This is an exhausting side effect of third-wave feminism borne from a society where too many view differences between the sexes as automatically negative. Personally, I see no reason to pander to female athletes and their teams just because we share the same biological characteristics.
Rapinoe and others view themselves as ambassadors for equal pay and equal rights as if they’re all living in a state of never-ending oppression. All the while, they conveniently set aside the fact that they are paid in accordance with what they provide. If fewer people watch women’s soccer, that will result in a difference in pay. It has nothing to do with equal rights, something they already possess. It has everything to do with what the audience demands.
This is business, pure and simple.
Unfortunately, politicians like Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia believe the pay discrepancy remains sexist and unfair and has introduced a bill to force U.S. Soccer’s hand on equality of pay. Not only is it a highly inappropriate and needless maneuver, but it’s an artificial attempt at leveling a playing field that doesn’t need to be leveled.
Women are not barred from competing in soccer and experiencing the perks that come with it. In fact, the gate revenue for U.S. women’s soccer has exceeded that of their male counterparts in the years since the 2015 World Cup. Despite this, the U.S. Soccer Federation dismisses calls, and even a suit, for equal pay, citing “any difference in pay is due to separate labor agreements for the men’s and women’s national team.”
It seems there is much more to the pay disparity issue, including factors such as sponsorship and marketing revenue, than the alleged gender discrimination. As demonstrated above, women’s teams actually receive a larger portion of total revenue from the World Cup. I don’t think they’ll be complaining about that inequality anytime soon.
When it comes to sports, it’s all about personal preference. I enjoy men’s basketball, but baseball and football just aren’t my thing. On the other hand, women’s gymnastics is always a joy to watch while men’s gymnastics fails to draw me in. No matter what, I always try and tune in to the Olympic swimming competitions for both males and females. I have nothing against certain sports and their participants other than my own opinion about what constitutes excitement and enjoyable viewing.
As an American, I am proud of the women’s soccer team. They won on the world’s stage and are the best of the best. But their win has come with much whining. Their hard work has gained them a certain kind of privilege, yet many of them only see it as inequality. They believe themselves underpaid, yet dismiss the realities of revenue and audience demand. Some, like Rapinoe, even use the attention to make unpatriotic displays, among other things.
“I think the conversation needs to move from are we worth it, should we have equal pay to what can we do now.”@mPinoe@USWNT#OneNationOneTeamhttps://t.co/h1aDwGXDU8 pic.twitter.com/gTcMMHl5Z7
— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 9, 2019
What’s wrong with women’s soccer has nothing to do with the gender of the players or the game itself. It just isn’t for everyone. If female athletes want to draw more people in, they should stop pointing to misogyny as the root cause of their problems. At present, people like myself don’t tune in for reasons unrelated to biology. But if these ungrateful, gender-related attitudes persist, they will be enough to drive viewers away for the foreseeable future.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
