Australia’s female players protesting for equal pay with men at the Women’s World Cup have been told they ‘should be grateful’ for a quarter of their pay – and their skill level is lower due to ‘basic science’ – by a female MMA fighter
Women’s campaigner Sammy-Jo Luxton has weighed in on the pay equity row in women’s football, claiming the Australian team ‘should be grateful to be paid so much’.
Earlier this week, the Matildas released a video calling out FIFA over the huge gap in prize money between the men’s tournament and the women’s competition.
The Australian team has long campaigned for better conditions for female footballers. In 2015, they went on strike for better pay and conditions, ruining the opportunity to play world champions USA.
Prize money for the women’s tournament is currently $110 million ($A162m), compared to $440m ($A646m) for the men’s competition in Qatar.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino refused to be drawn into the conversation after touching down in Auckland on Wednesday, but British fighter Luxton responded to the Matildas’ argument on Twitter.
The Mancunian claims that ‘basic science’ means male footballers play at a higher skill level than their counterparts, resulting in greater interest in men’s tournaments.
Women’s fighter Sammi-Jo Luxton claims female footballers ‘should be grateful to be paid so much’
Luxton responded to the Matildas’ call for gender pay equity ahead of the World Cup
‘They are in a male dominated sport; Men will see men as skill levels are higher, generating revenue to pay men,’ he tweeted.
‘Tis the same for war; Growing up I questioned why a boy’s life was worth more than mine, but men sell more PPVs to male viewers.’
He doubled down on responses to various answers that both supported and argued for his position.
‘It’s basic science/physiology that boys are better athletes,’ he adds. ‘The skill level is higher so the game is more competitive/exciting so men’s football is bigger than women’s because people would rather pay to watch the men’s game.
‘Just simple math. They need to push women’s football in a more positive light, not just demand the same pay, and they’ll see the bag get bigger.’
The Australian football team has outlined the huge disparity in awards between men and women
Luxton claims that male footballers are underpaid when considering the money they earn.
‘If you do it as a percentage, men are probably being paid less for their money so they should be grateful for women being paid so much.’
Loxton won 48 of his 52 fights, holding an impressive record in the sport of combat. The 24-year-old is a fan-only star and recently signed a multi-fight deal with MMA organization PFL.