From the Sidelines: Kylie Richter on sports

By KYLIE RICHTER

I suppose we should talk about soccer. You know, since the US women won the FIFA World Cup. 

I’ve never been a huge soccer fan. It looks like way too much work. Why is the field so big?

It seems that instead of everyone being happy for these very athletic women, people are judging them on how they dress, who they are married to, and how much money they get paid.

Can we all just take a moment to celebrate their victory? I mean, they absolutely dominated Japan in the championship. Young girl athletes everywhere will remember those women’s names as they dream of being a professional athlete.

I said we should focus on how well they played, but maybe there should be a discussion about how much they got paid. 

After winning the world cup, they got a two million dollar bonus. After the German men’s team won the World Cup in 2014, they received a $35 million bonus. The US men’s team got an $8 million bonus and they didn’t even make it out of the first knockout round.

Just to be clear, I don’t consider myself a feminist. I understand that some people think women’s sports are less fun to watch than men’s. I can’t say that I disagree. 

There are many reasons people throw out about why women athletes make less than men. The most prevalent arguement is probably that less people watched the game, so there was less money made. Well, that isn’t the case this time.

According to a TV by the Numbers report, 20.3 million people watched the Women’s World Cup. The match between the men’s US team and Portugal had 18.2 million viewers. Before last Sunday night’s game, that was the most viewed soccer game in US history.

I could go on and on about how women athletes everywhere are making barely any money. But you know that already. Instead I’ll lay out an idea for you to ponder.

As far as the US women’s soccer team is concerned, I’d like to think that since they aren’t making a ton of money, they might actually be doing it because they love it and want to compete and win. 

I get so sick of NBA and NFL players complaining about money and trading to a new team for the sake of money instead of putting the work in to make their team better. Then they spend it all and file bankruptcy and everyone feels terrible for them. It’s all about the money. 

Obviously, not all professional athletes are obsessed with money. Peyton Manning is a good example. I was very impressed with Manning this past winter. He took a $4 million pay cut to make room for the Broncos to pick up, and keep, some players. 

Now he’s only going to make $15 million this year. How will he ever get by? Honestly, I don’t think its ever been all about the money for Manning. He’s a cool dude.

I’ve always liked college sports more because of the lack of money. Those kids aren’t making any money, they’re just doing it because they love it, and you can tell that.

So next time you’re watching a sport on TV, think about what they are getting paid, and maybe switch over to a women’s sport. Just for a little bit.