Battle of the Sexes:

Equal Work Equal Pay

1. Introduction

A lady named Billie Jean King is a girls’s tennis champion in America in the 1970s who received 39 Grand Slams. Nevertheless, there was a recreation as soon as the place King received the tennis event, and he or she was handled very unjustly after she received the competitors. She came upon that male tennis gamers who additionally received champions in the identical event have been paid eight occasions greater than feminine gamers. Should you have been her, what would you do? Will you stand out and struggle for equal prize cash for each women and men? Billie Jean King walked into the workplace of the founding father of American Tennis Affiliation together with her match promoter and questioned concerning the unequal prize cash. The founder, Kramer, merely reasoned that watching males’s matches is extra thrilling and extra participating to the viewers. Although King insisted that the ladies’s tennis match and the boys’s tennis match are equally scorching each in the scores and on web site. Kramer nonchalantly mentioned that it’s an indisputable fact that biology is constructed this manner, that males are sooner, stronger and extra aggressive. This seemingly random debate grew to become the place to begin to alter King’s destiny to struggle for equality. Female and male tennis gamers ought to obtain equal prize cash in all skilled tournaments just like the 4 Grand Slams.

B. Background

The primary actual public plea got here in Italy in 1970, solely two years after the Open period. The winner of that occasion, Billie Jean King, known as for equal distribution of winnings. Ilie Nastase, the boys’s champion, took dwelling $three,500, whereas King made merely $600. The discontent had ramped up, and King would later supply these well-known phrases: “Everybody thinks girls must be thrilled once we get crumbs, and I need girls to have the cake, the icing and the cherry on high too” (Bodo). Nevertheless, Bobby Riggs, a well-known male tennis participant on the time, in addition to a gambler, was dismissive about King’s remarks. Subsequently, he provided to play a match with King disregarding sexes. It quickly attracted nice consideration from all around the world. Perhaps in Riggs’ thoughts, he would win the sport simply regardless that he was already 55 years outdated and had not been coaching for lengthy. In addition to, profitable the sport was not the actual aim for him however to seize a biz. Nevertheless, it was a very completely different scenario for Billie Jean King. So long as she accepted to play this match, the battle of the sexes began. If she misplaced, she would destroy her valuable new-born feminist concept. Nevertheless, she needed to settle for this “unequal” match in opposition to a person to struggle for equality. This match, was the well-known later-called “battle of the sexes.”

“Battle of the Sexes” is a time period that has been used to explain varied exhibition matches performed between completely different genders. Essentially the most well-known one occurred on 1973 between 55-year-old Bobby Riggs and 29-year-old Billie Jean King. Augustyn acknowledged that “it was a daring and rule-breaking match which attracted an in-house attendance of 30,472 in addition to a worldwide tv viewers estimated at over 90 million” (Augustyn). The match ended in feminine participant, Billie Jean King, received in straight three units, which was a major second in girls’s motion in the course of the 1970s. In the meantime, it’s of nice significance to advertise equality, which King had been striving for lengthy.

In keeping with Rothenberg on New York Instances, Roger Federer and Serena Williams each received singles champions on the Western & Southern Open in August, 2005; in return, Federer earned $731,000 whereas Williams made solely $495,000 (Rothenberg). Nevertheless, because the years went on, the hole between earnings slowly is getting narrower (Bodo). Nevertheless, many tournaments besides the Grand Slams are nonetheless providing completely different bonus for women and men. What outstands probably the most now on the 4 Grand Slam occasions is that women and men are paid equally. The 4 Grand Slams all year long are the most important tennis feasts for gamers and followers all around the world, with the very best prize cash of all tennis occasions. They’re Wimbledon Open, Australia Open, US Open and French Open, that are held in corresponding nations. In these 4 occasions, the US Open was the primary to supply equal pay, in 1973, and Wimbledon the final, in 2007 (Rothenberg).

C. Visual from Their Level of View

(by Corbis)

That is an outdated fashionable image in black and white, which was taken in 1973 by Corbis. Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs are in the middle of the image, they’re standing subsequent to one another on a tennis courtroom speaking and Riggs was displaying his arm muscle to King. He appears saying that there isn’t any approach so that you can beat me as a result of I’m a lot stronger than you. They each held two tennis balls and a tennis racquet in their palms, appeared like a match was about to lit. Whereas Riggs held his fist tight to indicate his arm muscle, King was speaking, seemingly that she didn’t actually agree with the person’s remarks. Behind them, some employees have been engaged on constructing the spectators stand for the match quickly between these two characters.

As a matter of truth, this image expressed what many individuals take into consideration women and men. That males are naturally higher than girls on physique construction; that ladies ought to take it granted that they’re weaker and deserve much less; that ladies ought to admire males for his or her power as a substitute of striving for equal rights for each women and men.

D. Argument with Naysayers

Bobby Riggs simply defeated Margaret Court docket, the NO.1 lady in tennis on the time, earlier that very same 12 months in a match in California. As an alternative, he misplaced the $100,000 match in straight units in opposition to King. That was when individuals began to Question Assignment if King’s victory was deliberate earlier than the match (Swaine). Nevertheless, I strongly disagree with the saying of “fastened victory”. As a result of competitors itself is merciless and unpredictable. King was coaching so laborious day and night time whereas Riggs was so assured about himself and was occupied with numerous commercials and stunts. On this case, who might assure his victory? When girls win the match in opposition to males, individuals naturally doubt it ,and that is additionally prejudice in opposition to females.

Moore is a former participant from South Africa who retired years in the past, he’s fairly lively on commenting tennis. He as soon as mentioned that if he have been a girl participant, he would go kneel down and thank God that the good male gamers like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been born, as a result of they’ve carried this sport for girls (Fuller). He later apologized for the “faulty” remarks. That is really a typical discrimination in opposition to girls, which isn’t acceptable in any respect. When arguing about trendy skilled tennis matches, it’s obvious that ladies are slower in operating and weaker in energy in contrast with male gamers, which ends in extra pleasure and engagement in males’s matches. In addition to, extra viewers attendance in males’s match in addition to the published price; it brings large economical incomes. Nevertheless, are these the explanations that ladies must be paid much less in the identical event? Positively no! Within the sport of tennis, girls gamers are paying no much less effort and cash than males gamers, and someday even more durable than them.

Former male Russian participant Nikolay Davydenko as soon as expressed his discontent, he questioned: “We have to play 5 units, the ladies solely have to play three units, clearly the boys have to put in extra power and energy, however we bought the identical bonus as the ladies. I don’t perceive why males have to play longer video games.” As a matter of truth, this can be a fairly controversial matter. Nevertheless, from my standpoint, there may be nothing mistaken with present match system in addition to equal bonus. Ladies and men are born in completely different physique constructions; it’s unavoidable and unchangeable. Males are naturally operating sooner; they’ve extra energy and higher endurance. Since it’s so, it must be comprehensible that males’s matches are longer, fiercer and extra aggressive. What’s extra, 5 units match for male will have the ability to keep away from contingency of profitable or dropping a match. In addition to, in girls’s match, viewers get to style one other model of taking part in, which is extra sleek and has a greater visible enjoyment. Thus, this can’t be the rationale that ladies must be paid much less.

One of many greatest variations between women and men’s physiological traits is that females have the power to present beginning. But additionally due to such a mission, feminine tennis gamers are battling month-to-month interval that male gamers won’t ever expertise. Many ladies undergo loads and generally even simply lay on mattress and may do nothing. However as tennis gamers, they nonetheless need to struggle in intervals, and it is rather prone to trigger poor situation and lose the match finally. Moreover, feminine tennis gamers should take care of being pregnant generally. Being a “mom participant” is absolutely powerful in tennis excursions. After an roughly year-long being pregnant and restoration, it takes nice effort however nonetheless very laborious to realize similar aggressive stage as earlier than. In addition to, it is rather powerful to deal with the children in tennis excursions. Most definitely, many feminine gamers retired after having infants and focus extra on households. This results in their direct lack of monetary help. From this standpoint, being a feminine tennis participant is more durable than males and it’s no approach that ladies must be paid much less.

I keep in mind Djokovic as soon as tasted solely a small chew of chocolate after profitable a major Grand Slam championship and he was so happy; it brought about heated dialogue on how powerful are skilled tennis gamers’ each day life routines. Gamers have a hard and fast each day schedule regardless of they’re in season or off season, they need to hold their physique in form and able to struggle at any time. Sometimes, gamers prepare Four-5 hours on courtroom on daily basis throughout low season, whereas 2 hours on courtroom throughout seasons. This doesn’t embody a great deal of health coaching off courts.   Getting up early to heat up, observe on courts, exercise in fitness center, stretch and chill out, then do the identical factor again and again on daily basis. An off-the-cuff on-line seek for any skilled tennis participant’s each day routine is sufficient to get a glimpse of the extraordinary ascetic lives tennis gamers, no matter rating and gender. Women and men are giving out similar period of time and efforts in coaching, so that they need to get equal attributions.

Furthermore, it is rather costly to be a tennis participant, no matter gender. Clearly, the decrease ranked the participant, the much less one can afford to spend on trainings, journey, and different bills. It doubles many bills when a participant employs a coach, because the participant is anticipated to pay for the entire coach’s journey bills (Shanet). In keeping with knowledge analysts from The Australian, it prices a tennis participant $US38,800 on common to journey, sleep and eat on tour, and that’s earlier than factoring in the price of a coach (Grand). Travelling and training are the most important bills. Journey expense usually consists of flights and accommodations, which is usually between $50,000 and $150,000 per individual, relying on completely different places for various tournaments and the way fancy the lodging (Shanet). In keeping with IBT, the beginning salaries for skilled tennis coaches on the ATP major tour stage are in all probability in the $50,000 per 12 months vary, plus any bills (Shanet). And this isn’t concluding trainers and Helpant coach and so forth. What’s extra, meals and different bills corresponding to floor transportation, event penalty charges and medical bills are additionally large burdens for gamers. Greater than 99.99% gamers are nonetheless battling a win in a low-level occasion and some thousand dollars in prize cash. These monetary points will certainly not differ for various genders, and that’s the reason it’s undoubtful that ladies ought to get similar bonus from occasions to compensate each day bills.

Works Cited

• Augustyn, Adam. “Battle of the Sexes Tennis Occasion [1973]”. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 13 Sep. 2018, britannica.com/matter/Battle-of-the-Sexes-tennis. Accessed on 9 Nov. 2018.
• Bodo, Peter. “Comply with the cash: How the pay hole in Grand Slam tennis lastly closed”, Sep eight, 2018, espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/24599816/us-open-follow-money-how-pay-gap-grand-slam-tennis-closed. Accessed on 9 Nov. 2018.
• Rothenberg, Ben. “Roger Federer, $731,000; Serena Williams, $495,000: The Pay Hole in Tennis”, The New York Instances, April 12,2016, nytimes.com/2016/04/13/sports activities/tennis/equal-pay-gender-gap-grand-slam-majors-wta-atp.html. Accessed on 10 October, 2018.
• Fuller, Russell. “Novak Djokovic questions equal prize cash in tennis”, BBC Information, 21 March, 2016, bbc.com/information/world-us-canada-35859791. Accessed on 9 Nov. 2018.
• Swaine, Jon. “Billie Jean King win in Battle of the Sexes ‘was fastened’”, The Telegraph, 27 August, 2013, telegraph.co.uk/information/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10269122/Billie-Jean-King-win-in-Battle-of-the-Sexes-was-fixed.html. Accessed on 14 Nov. 2018.
• Grande, Chip. “It’s powerful on the world tennis tour”, The Australian, 27 January 2018, theaustralian.com.au/information/inquirer/its-tough-on-the-world-tennis-tour/news-story/f8c309511492151bfba05b88d5eff625. Accessed on 14 Nov. 2018.
• Shanet, Laurence. “How A lot Does It Value to Be A Professional Tennis Participant? 5 Bills Defined”, IBT, 16 July, 2017, ibtimes.com/how-much-does-it-cost-be-pro-tennis-player-5-expenses-explained-2566271. Accessed on 14 Nov. 2018.