As you read this the 2023 Women’s World Cup will be on its third day. By the time you read this England may have opened their account.
When the Lionesses became European Champions, it’s estimated that 15.8 million people in the UK viewed their final on TV. The worldwide viewership believed to be 365 million.
That was double the amount of the 2017 version and 214 percent higher than in 2013.
A revenue stream that many advertisers look at is social media -There were 453 million interactions online, mostly TikTok and Twitter.
Any success in the next month will only help the sport in Britain become more popular.
For many players, being a professional footballer as a paid job is a dream come true with the growth in the game already surpassing their wildest dreams.
A survey showed that 27 percent of fans in England who tuned in for the Euro Finals were motivated to watch other female sports for the first time.
So, the numbers shows a willing audience exists for the game to continue to grow.
Despite clearly being on the rise though, every time we have an international tournament the debate returns regarding equality. The most recent pressure on FIFA and sponsors is to pay both genders the same.
I encourage conversation, it’s how we learn and better ourselves.
By being true to their convictions the ladies have rightfully improved so many aspects, to the point they are now treated like the athletes they are.
You could look at the competition in Australia and New Zealand in two ways.
You could stress how it highlights the sport being at its apex and use the next few weeks to celebrate the progress made.
32 teams and 736 players makes this the biggest World Cup in the history of the women’s game.
More than 2 billion people are expected to watch this event.
The prize money is 150 million.
To put that in perspective, that’s triple from 2019.
That’s how popular the sport has become even in recent years.
Not bad for a Cup that only started having prize money in 2007.
To me, there’s a lot of positives about those figures and even from a business point of view, hope for a bright future.
In 4 years’, time those stats will be bigger, because in many ways we are only at the beginning of women’s football now attracting the casual fan.
Yet the counter argument will be that while 150 million is a massive sum, it’s a quarter of what teams got in Qatar, 440 million.
Unfortunately, it’s a subject that sums up the current generation.
Everyone wants freedom of speech as long as you’re saying what they agree with.
Many want you to listen to their opinion yet are offended if your viewpoint differs.
It leaves some scared to converse out of fear of being cancelled.
Do I think women are being treated unfairly this month based on having to share 150 million?
No!
That’s not me being sexist in any way. I have female players on the back of my football and other shirts to promote sports in that gender.
I backed campaigns for travel, accommodation and facilities to improve around match days.
I celebrate that the WSL is a division where the majority can call that their full-time career.
I commend the government for young girls playing more Sports at school.
I am comforted by the sponsorship and advertising deals players now get; mindful they will only get better.
I don’t even comprehend this as an equality issue but a financial one.
Football is no different to any other businesses in that it’s priority is to make as much money as possible.
In any industry, the more cash a product makes the richer everyone becomes.
We often cite the absurd salaries footballers make. Yet it’s no more shocking than the income their owners receive.
If your putting thousands in stadiums, selling overpriced merchandise, demanding a TV contract worth billions, shouldn’t the players get a piece of that pie?
Are they not the ones who sell your brand?
Messi is on a ridiculous contract in America when you consider he has zero resale value.
Yet, if he’s the reason Inter Miami have an increase in social media views, attendance, shirt sales, endorsements and shirt sales …. logically shouldn’t he be compensated?
If the women were making the same amount as men for the sport, then you can argue they deserve parity.
Whisper it quietly …. men’s football remains more popular at this time.
5 billion people watched the men’s World Cup, 1.5 billion watched the Final.
The numbers don’t compare.
It’s not an insult, it’s just reality of where the two games are at.
One is the national sport in the UK, the other is growing into something beautiful.
Use Ronda Rousey as an example. She became the highest paid fighter in UFC.
She didn’t do that because Dana White wanted to do his bit for equality.
Dana White paid her what he did because buy rates, media interest and sponsorship dictated he do so.
I actually think women footballers asking for parity when they know they don’t generate the same income as the men is a lack of class.
If I do the same job but earn a company considerably more money than my peers, then shouldn’t our wages reflect that?
No matter your gender?
The numbers show the gap is closing but it’s still millions vs billions.
The next month should be a celebration in the growth of women’s sport.
Nothing else.
Dan
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
