Correct.

It's why I don't buy into the argument that female tennis players should be paid less because they only play 3 sets, effort is irrelevant it's (paying) bums on seats that matter.

Sports people are paid based on their ability and how much money they can bring in. David Beckham was good but never a top ten player, Real Madrid paid him a fortune because he brought £500 million pounds worth of sales to the club.

My beef with the media is they are now putting the cart before the horse. Sport developed in this country because the public turned up in large numbers the media then reported on it.

Sky and the BBC are trying to drum up interest in female sports, however it is not working.

In 2015 England finished 3rd in the world cup the media said this was the break through that the sport needed as the public did tune in. However the sport did not get the bounce and WSL attendances actually went down in the following years.

I love this article from the BBC trumpeting how successful women's football is, you have to look half way down to discover the truth buried in all the "rah rah go girls".

"In the Women's Super League, Europe's only fully professional women's division, Chelsea and Manchester City enjoy the biggest crowds, averaging 1,864 and 1,409 respectively last season. "

and

"That contrasts with the WSL, which has seen a dip since the 2015 World Cup, and also coincided with a move back to a winter season. Last season the average crowd was 833, compared to 1,128 in 2016. "

Err, so maybe not that successful after all BBC. With numbers like that I expect other minority sports like Hockey and even UK Basketball most wonder why they don't get mass media coverage.

[Link]

Edited by Badger11 (14 Nov 2021 9.21am)

One more point

Since Sky are forever adding sports channels why not put women’s sport on its own where it can generate its own advertising revenue and viewing figures.
The BBC can put it on the red button.

Viewing figured for big games are better than you might imagine (2019 FA Cup final draw in 2.2 million). Very much overshadowed by the mens game of course, as I would think it always will be, but still more popular than several sports.

Realistically it's gone from a clear unrepresentation on TV, to over for now. The quality of play certainly isn't up there. It's funny that it doesn't feature the theatrics of the mens game either though.

All salient points, it's unfortunate that it's ideological.

If something gets bums on seats then its players should be rewarded accordingly. However if it's a suggestion that women should be more interested in sport then it's is no different to the idea that more men should be more interested in bingo.....it's not really going to work.

However, If Sky want to spend money on promoting a sport for ideological reasons other than what will bring in the most money....I think it's flawed business reasoning but that's for them as it's a subscription service and consumers have choice.

Personally I think funding into Women's sport should be proportionate to the level of interest in it. I think this is a commonly held view but it's not one that is being represented proportionally or fairly in the mainstream especially by institutions like the BBC.

Edited by Stirlingsays (14 Nov 2021 1.28pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

Huddersfield Town Ladies 20 Sir Tom Finney Ladies 0

I mean...come on....can we take ladies football seriously ?

I have played in lower scoring games in the Croydon Sunday League.

Other results from the Women's FA Cup over the weekend:

Hashtag United Women 17 0 Southend United Community Ladies
Portsmouth Women 13 0 Dorking Wanderers Women
Queens Park Rangers Women 11 0 Bromley Ladies

Obviously home advantage makes a difference now the crowds have returned!

Living down here does have some advantages. At least you can see them cry.