The House View – The opportunity in sporting jeopardy
July 13, 2023
Wimbledon makes me think about the great future that lies ahead for women’s sport. That’s because of the prize money: £2.35 million for both the men’s and the women’s champions.
What feels me with optimism is not just that the jackpots are equal.
It’s that they are so big.
And the gap between the winners and the runners-up, who ‘only’ get £1.175 million, is also big.
I have to confess that I can find it difficult to root for any of the female tennis players. Frankly, I often find it hard enough to tell them apart.
But it’s easy to know exactly what they are playing for at Wimbledon. The big bucks.
And that to me that is the key to irresistible professional sport. Excellence is all very admirable. But pros compete for money. It’s what distinguishes them from amateurs and what makes pro sports more compelling, when it’s done right.
And I’m afraid that a lot of men’s sports don’t get it quite right. I’m talking about team sports.
Take baseball, for example. There was a time when winning the World Series meant that the average player could more or less double his annual pay. Making twice as much is a pretty serious incentive. And every casual fan was aware of the big money at stake.
Nowadays with guys on multi-million-dollar guaranteed salaries the monetary upside for winning the Series is a lot less meaningful.
Frankly I sometimes even find myself wondering what high-priced team players are playing for.
To win a ring? A cup? A trophy?
Really?
The papers, especially the British papers, always talk about ‘how much is at stake’ in a match.
Really?
What exactly is at stake for an individual player making £10 million?
I make an exception for the importance of national team competition, which is a more complex phenomenon.
But a Champion’s League place for a club?
How exactly is that an incentive for the player?
To me it’s like an actor being in a hit film. Great for the producers. But kinda so what.
Now, if the players on a team stood to win, say £10 million each, for a Champion’s League spot, that would be a different proposition.
If there are huge win bonuses like that already in place, why are they not in the headlines? That’s a great story. Why isn’t being told? Headlines are always all about player transfers. How about player win bonuses for tomorrow’s game?
Now I’m not saying that players need more incentive to play harder. They give their all or they wouldn’t be there, right?
I’m saying that fans can always use more incentive.
More incentive to care about every game all season long. More incentive to pay attention and stay engaged.
Especially casual fans with lots of other entertainment options.
I’m all for bringing more of what I call ‘authentic jeopardy’ to professional team sports.
The team wins, you make those big bucks.
You lose, not so much.
And this where I see a fantastic opportunity for women’s sport, football especially.
We hear about how attending a women’s football match is so different, so much nicer and more family-friendly. than going to men’s events.
Why not make the actual competition on the pitch more dramatic too?
Try making it about big jackpots. And promoting that.
By adding more ‘authentic jeopardy’ to the competition, making the rewards for success versus failure outsized, women’s football can become a truly differentiated product instead of just a female version of the men’s game.
By Jay Stuart, Content Director iSportConnect