Thursday, February 22, 2007

Wimbledon Will Pay Women Players The Same Prize Money As Men

In a LONG overdue change, Wimbledon has agreed to finally pay female players the same prize money as the men. Their stubborness had just become idiotic in recent years, with the male champion getting paid a measly $60,000 or so more than the female. It was obviously a meaningless, symbolic difference -- especially when you're talking about more than $1.1 million so their refusal was just a slap in the face. Now the French Open remains the only Slam that's a hold-out. Its winners get the same amount, but there is a discrepancy in the earlier rounds. Women play best of three matches while men play best of five matches that often last longer. On the other hand, women typically hit the same number of strokes -- if you want to break payment down by each struck ball. As far as who draws more, it always goes in cycles. But half the time, the women will be a bigger draw for fans, so paying them less simply made no sense from a commercial point of view.

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