Equal prize money at Wimbledon

[Hodders]

I notice that this year woman and men in the main singles draw get equal prize money.

Now, the object of tennis is to play the ball in a legal shot such that the opponent cannot manage to play a legal shot.

Leaving aside arguments about tactics/aesthetics etc. Men are better at this than women. They can hit the ball harder, they can run faster, they are stronger.

If women want the same prize money then they should open up the mens draw to women - winner gets the prize money, be they a woman or a man. The problem with this is that a woman will never beat a man, I doubt that a woman would get past the 1st round.

So we resort to the main argument in that it is not 'right' or 'fair' for there to be discrimination on grounds of sex (or as pointed out above - ability).

But if we start this argument, where does it stop, should the wheelchair players get the same money - surely it is unfair to discriminate here ? What about juniors ? What about mixed doubles ? Hey I want to enter a tournament for not-very-good-blokes-aged-40 with equal money.

Even if you take a commercial argument - why is it that ticket prices for the men's final cost more than the woman's ?

Is there a non-pc reason that woman get equal prize money ?

This post is not designed to start any ranting - but seems to me to be a pretty logically thought out reasoning.

 

[Snakedoctor]

Women are the same species as men?

 

[KNiVES]

Women get the same money for half the matches I believe.

 

[Hodders]

Women are the same species as men?

Not sure I get your point - If I understand that as they are the same species so should get the same money, then so are wheelchair players, so are juniors, so are the veterans, but they don't get equal money ?

 

[Pookie Bear]

I think it's wrong, so I can't really argue with you

 

[Dano]

Men are better at this than women. They can hit the ball harder, they can run faster, they are stronger.

Did you just call Women the weaker sex

 

[Hodders]

Women get the same money for half the matches I believe.

They get the same money for all rounds (as do the mens and womans doubles) see here.

 

[chiggz]

but a woman playing against a woman will find it as equally hard as a man playing against a man.. therefore they are both giving it their all

 

[Hodders]

Did you just call Women the weaker sex

I would say that I said woman players can't hit the ball as hard, can't run as fast and are stronger. It's not intended to be a pejorative statement, more a set of factual observations.

 

[Dano]

I would say that I said woman players can't hit the ball as hard, can't run as fast and are stronger. It's not intended to be a pejorative statement, more a set of factual observations.

Soz, I forgot my sarcasm tags again

 

[Monkey Puzzle]

Why are women only expected to play best of 3 sets instead of 5 for the same money? They don't make the women's marathon 3/5 the length....

 

[monkeyspank]

They play less sets, so no

 

[daz]

Women only play best of 3 sets whilst men play best of 5, too.

Edit: all posted at the same time

 

[Hodders]

but a woman playing against a woman will find it as equally hard as a man playing against a man.. therefore they are both giving it their all

But then the juniors give it their all, wheelchair players give it their all and so do the veterans - none of them get the same money.

I really can't find an argument other than politically correct posturing to justify equal prize money.

 

[Hodders]

They play less sets, so no

Women only play best of 3 sets whilst men play best of 5, too.

Edit: all posted at the same time

I would welcome woman playing 5 sets - I think it would make a massive difference and result in lots of far better matches - but all my original points would still stand.

 

[Jambo]

Even if you take a commercial argument - why is it that ticket prices for the men's final cost more than the woman's ?

That is the way I think it should be considered. Mens Singles and Womens Singles are two separate tournaments. The prize money should be a set percentage of all associated takings for each.

 

[Rhys]

womens tennis is rubbish

 

[chiggz]

But then the juniors give it their all, wheelchair players give it their all and so do the veterans - none of them get the same money.

I really can't find an argument other than politically correct posturing to justify equal prize money.

how much tv attention, publicity, world fame, etc comes from these though? i agree with where youre coming from, but i think womens tennis is just as big as mens, and thus deserves an equal something-something

 

[Ripper]

I remember seeing something years ago where Venus Williams got beat by the world number 200 mens player or something. Totally agree with the OP.

 

[Hedge]

But surely if men are better. then men playing men is a fair and women playing women is fair.

i dont get what you mean really