Is the WSL using a silly algorithm to both claim that pay 'tween men and women is equal while paying women half as much?
I will warn you, from the outset, that this should not be a post BUT I’ve been puzzling over World Surf League sexism and the subsequent media story and the sub-subsequent World Surf League response since I pressed “publish” on the cut n pasterpiece “#metoo: WSL steps in sexist tar pit!” earlier today.
To review, the WSL sanctioned a something star in South Africa where Jordy Smith purposely threw his heats (is this legal as it pertains to sport betting?) and the female winner appeared to earn exactly half as much as her male counterpart.
A photo of both winners, the female holding a 4000 rand big cardboard cheque and the male holding an 8000 rand big cardboard cheque, made the rounds and the event sponsor threw the WSL under the bus saying that it was there policy and the WSL South African spokesperson responded by saying:
“It highlights an issue, but it’s a very complicated one,” he said.
The WSL argument comes down to the concept of prize-money-per-surfer, which it says shows the equality of pay between male and female competitors.
It works like this: say there are 10 surfers competing for a total pot of $100 in prize money. That works out to a ratio of $10-per-surfer. The winner gets $50, and the runners up get the rest.
Now say there is a female competition of five surfers. At the same ratio of $10-per-surfer, the total prize money is $50. The winner gets only $25.
That was the case at the Ballito Pro, the WSL said. There were twice as many male surfers as female ones: 36 compared to 18. To keep the same money-per-surfer ratio for men and women, the prize money for the female winner had to be half as much as the men.
“Men get double the prize money only because there are double the competitors,” Will Hayden-Smith said.
But I still don’t get it and everything still seems utterly sexist. Right? Like, if you are going to have equal prize money then shouldn’t female surfers get twice as much if there are half as many? And if you are going to penalize the females because there are less of them competing shouldn’t you damn well make sure that there are not less of them competing?
I remember when the WSL rolled out their “equality of pay” schtick and I thought, “How wonderful. They should advertise that more.” The fact they didn’t was confusing but just this moment right now I understand why they didn’t advertise more. And it is because it is a total lie. The World Surf League caps the number of female surfers competing and uses a silly algorithm to both claim that pay is equal while paying half as much.
Now I’ve got two corruption charges to chase. This Pulitzer is going to be so so so sweet.
More tomorrow.
Billabong’s throwing the WSL under the bus also pretty disingenuous given that they have been doing it like this forever before the junior series was part of WSL and it’s the same in the younger age divisions which are not WSL sanctioned where Billabong sets the prize money themselves
Chas why don’t you find an event that had more female competitors and see if it goes both ways. If so end of conversation…
always super fun to see how many people think it’s totally fine to pay women less than men! super fun!
Must be the same silly algorithm who suggests Kelly Slater videos to me on YouTube after I watched 1001 times him losing to Wilko in round 3 at J Bay 2014 just to hear Ross Williams trying to make excuses for the goat .
Who’s paying? The sponsor directly or the WSL?
Tara has thoughts. Surely.
She’s more actions first, explanation second.
Do the inertia pay female kooks the same rate for shit content as male kooks?
Chas, you’ve lost the fukkn plot, mate.
We need less sponno cunts in the water not more of the fukkers.
Less comps, less beaches being owned by comp cuntards, more waves for locals.
This equal parity push is bullshit.
If they’re going to do anything, make it open. Same judging scale for all.
Outcome – fukall wommin in competition .
‘Fewer’ sponno cunts, please Astro. ‘Fewer’ comps.
Less water, fewer waves.
Stuff is less, things are fewer.
We have a reputation to uphold here buddy. We’re not fucking Stab. Oh and that goes for you too Chas. I don’t care how many degrees you’ve got and books you’ve written.
Big Kissies!!!
On fire today mate
Here’s a ‘terrorist fist jab’ for you homes. 🤜 🤛
holmes
Ack-shallly it’s ‘homes’.
Nothing to do with Sherlock.
Derivative of ‘homeboy.’
Fucking owned Rogaine Fan.
https://www.urbandictionary…
OK. I’ll accept that.
I stand corrected.
*their policy
Arrghh!! I just read it now, you beat me too it!
That’s Beth Greve the Queen of Kooks and Purveyor of WSL Cooool, not Surfn Soph. I have a gut feeling Soph would be right at home on an esky lid or sup on a lake.
Do you think she’d be one of those stars-n-stripes inland bikini trumptards in another reincarnation?
This same excuse is being used at skateboarding contests.. so lame.
Actually, it makes perfect sense. Just like judging women’s surfing on a softer scale compared to the men does nothing to level men and women’s professional surfing; paying women double because there’s half as many competitors is not equality. Now, I certainly agree that something should be done to up the number of women competitors, however, I don’t believe that’s solely the WSL’s responsibility. As other’s have pointed out, true equality would be scrapping the whole dual-sex system and making one competition.
it’s not double if it’s the same.
The WSL explanation only works if the pot is calculated solely on entry fees collected.
I think it comes from the fact that women’s competitive surfing isn’t as popular as men’s. And the very few sponsors that are interested aren’t throwing money at lower viewership numbers. So really it’s our fault for not watching women’s surfing and nothing to do with the WSL.
But women surfing is more commercially lucrative outside of competition itself. They are getting far more opportunities in areas such as sponsored social media and advertisements with non-endemic brands that is leveling out the overall potential earnings per athlete.
Sure sure I understand the economics but it was the WSL that rolled out the whole “equal pay” thing.
Oh did they! I missed that one…. I’m a sucker for a meritocracy…. the whole being rewarded according to identification and not contribution makes my blood boil.
If equality is what is ‘actually wanted’ then there wouldn’t be men’s and women’s competition. Just one championship event.
they should actually do that at Surf Ranch in Sep.
i’d watch the hell out of that
I would be shocked if Tyler, Steph or Lakey did not make the Finals.
I’d put money on Steph or Carissa for reals.
Carissa and Caroline would have a good shot too.
“the whole being rewarded according to identification and not contribution makes my blood boil” ..pretty much sums up why there’s nothing sexist about this. If there were 36 women earning a prize purse twice that of 18 men I have a feeling no one would give any less of a fuck.
Unless you limited the entry to only 18 men and then told everyone it was equal pay
I’m more an advocate of bringing on more women than less men, but only when the the number of women surfers of an elite level even remotely matches that of men. Don’t let ‘equality’ blind your ability to call a spade a spade my friend.
I’d like a men/women tour. It would push the women level of surfing and adjust the judging criteria. I guess it would be fewer (am I right?) women in the beginning, but eventually, we would see more and more women climbing to the top. Remember when Carissa Moore was in the draw of a competition in Hawaii? I still remember she has easily beaten a guy from Tahiti, and he was looking for excuses where there were none. He was simply beaten by a better surfer. The WSL should try mixed comps.
In the Balito event a woman had to surf 4 heats to win the final while a man surfed 5 – so the hourly rate for a female surfer is way less than for a man. That’s before you ask whether you are being paid for the time spent competing or the time spent training / preparing to compete which I imagine is equal for both.
Chas if you look at the Junior Pro Espinho and the Caparica Junior Pro held in March.
Junior Pro Espinho
Mathis Crozon won the mens and $2000 out of 128 competitors
Melania Diaz won the womens and $2000 out of 43 competitors
Caparica Junior Pro
Marco Mignot won the mens and $2000 out of 128 competitors
Melania Diaz won the womens and $2000 out of 48 competitors
Going off that, then the math doesn’t make sense…
Oh come on. Nobody understands the economics of pro surfing.
It’s even funnier cos $4000 rand can’t buy you a fucken vacuum cleaner at Harvey Norman.
Hand held dust buster surely??
How’s she meant to clean the house with a dust buster?
she could buy a mop broom and a bucket and some wipes though
The Cinderella Package. Only $4000 rand!
You are the fucking best!
That is fucken funny
Ha!
Yeah $392 AUD – fuck me that’s laughable actually
Yeah it’s so shit mate.
It’s pretty good considering that the whole shit show runs at considerate and consistent loss.
…and $289 in U.S. dollars. Can’t even get a gently used Firewire for that.
Boy does that open up a can of worms that was sealed shut for at least 1 week.