So so unfair pro golf purse
 

LPGA WINNER $270,000 HSBC
PGA WINNER $3,600,000 BAYHILL

Come on, this is ridiculous

Tennis, soccer same for both genders

Basketball, women must supplement income going overseas at sometimes find themselves in prison.

NOT FAIR!!!!!

Agree 100%

I don't agree. The purse is based on the amount of money that can be raised to produce and promote the tournament. It's a business, that has income and expenses, like any other business. No one is forcing women to play in a golf tournament. Where do you suggest that the extra money come from?

I agree with you! Unfortunately, life isn't fair. In entertainment (include professional sports) pay is based on the revenue it brings in.

My wife's former hairdresser, back in Minnesota, charged $120 for a cut and color. Took about two hours, so based on that, he could do maybe four in a day. Pretty good money.

A cut-and-color by one of the hairdresser's (female) at Cal's Barber Shop here in TV costs $68.00. Same time spent. Same result.

Is this "fair"?

And why or why not?

I attended an LPGA event held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, MN about ten years or so ago. We were there on a Friday. Great golf; we had no problem going anywhere on the course where spectators were allowed. Plenty of seating and standing space. Didn't cost much. Parking was as I recall; $5 per vehicle and there was plenty of space.

My wife attended a PGA event at the same course about five years prior to that--2009 I think. Tiger Woods was in the field. She had a special pass from a friend who worked there in some capacity or other. At the time, I think the cost per ticket was in the neighborhood of $200 per day--if you could get one. Many couldn't. Offhand I'd say that it cost a spectator about five times as much to attend the PGA championship as the LPGA one. To say nothing of the advertising revenues for television, which with Tiger in the field probably dwarfed any such revenue gained from the LPGA event.

Is this fair?

In my opinion, it is very fair. It's called capitalism and the free market.

You're right, it is ridiculous. I can't believe the LPGA can afford to pay the winner of the HSBC more than $100,000.

Women don't support women's sports and men don't care to watch an inferior product.

Same reason that "Gentlemen's Clubs" out number "Lady's Clubs" by about 10,000:1.

As soon as some woman can compete at golf with Tiger Woods or even John Rahm, things will change ... maybe.

It is all about economics. When female sporting events make the same revenue as mens talk about equal pay.

It's fair due to the quality of skill. A few years ago, a boys' team from Texas u15 or u17 beat the USA women's world cup champions 7 to 2. 100-meter race in track men's time is a second faster than women. I enjoy watching women's sports, but they are not anywhere near the ability or skill of men.

The one objection I have with this post is the reference to women's sports as an "inferior product ". It is kind of a simple matter of "horsepower". To me, a race between two mazda miatas just as interesting as a race between two corvettes. Still requires the same skill to get the best result from your competitive limitations.

I have seen great minor league baseball games. The players play harder than major leaguers since they want to get called up.

However, even though the games may be very competitive - the major leaguers get paid a lot more. Average salary for MLB is about $4 million. Minor leaguers make anywhere from $4,800 to $14,700 annually. The high-end of this scale is still below the minimum wage in the United States, which as of 2022, is an annual salary of $15,080 for a full-time worker making the Federal Minimum Wage of $7.50.

If I suggested that women have "competitive limitations", I'd be accused of being a misogynist.

As most everyone has pointed out, a 3rd grader should be able to understand the financial implictations.

If it costs $10 to watch the Corvettes race, you'd be lucky to get $3 at the door, for the Mazda race.

Retiredguy;
You hit it! When the LPGA generates $$$ that the PGA Tour generates, the LPGA will have payouts like the men's tour.

Same thing with the WNBA. If it weren't for massive subsidies from the NBA, the WNBA wouldn't exist. I'd wager that most women couldn't name their local WNBA team, let alone ever attend a game...

Once women's tennis started bringing in the revenue, they started receiving the same prize money (for less work, btw, since they only play 3 sets vs 5 sets for the men in the major tournaments...)