“Definitely a lot more people are watching Maria than Simon. She’s way hotter than he is. Women’s tennis, I think, is really awesome.“It’s a great fight. We fought for years with Billie Jean King, and Venus as well, really set the pattern on what we should do.”
Women have fought long and hard for parity in compensation in professional tennis. And, their argument is pretty good. People who love tennis enjoy watching women play just as much as they do men.
Or do they? Wimbledon charges more for tickets to the men’s singles final than the women’s. This year, for example, a seat at Centre Court for the men’s final costs $185, while tickets are about $160 for the women’s which would suggest that the men’s match is more “interesting” and entertaining than the womens.
And, in a situation like the Wimbledon finals where you’d expect to be sold, the men will deliver more revenue than the women – swinging the argument back in Simon’s favor.
It would seem to me that the question now is: Who decided on the lesser price for women’s tickets and why?
Is it simply because it’s “always been that way” or is it because women’s tennis IS less of a draw than men’s? If it’s the latter, maybe Simon has a valid point.
…Read the article at Wimbledon Prize-Money Debate – Washington Post