Una Farrar (Lil Tubsy) & Fabiana Delfino Call Out SPoT For Unequal Prize Purses

[links, pics, and quotes]

https://skateparkoftampa.com/spot/tampapro.aspx




https://www.instagram.com/lil_tubsy/




https://www.instagram.com/fabiana_delfino/




http://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2020/01/08/group-women-fought-equal-pay-contest-skating/

Two of skateboarding’s main contests, X Games and Vans Park Series, offer equal prize money for men and women, and other contests, like Street League, have increased their women’s prize purses over the years.

In 2007, two years after the women’s boycott, the X Games announced they would offer equal purses for all men’s and women’s contests starting with the 2008 Winter X Games. The change in pay had a domino effect across the women’s action sports contest circuit, bringing purses up by thousands of dollars. After the International Olympic Committee announced that skateboarding would be included in the 2020 Olympics, contest organizers vyed to have their events included as Olympic Qualifiers. Stragglers to prize equality, like Street League, began to offer higher purses.

Despite the WSA’s victories at the highest levels of contest organizing, gender-based pay disparity still exists in skating.

15 years ago, a small group of women put themselves on the line to achieve that awareness. Today, hopefully women won’t be on their own to keep progressing further.

http://kingskatemag.com/15-per-cent-11-3/

In contests, women are rarely compensated equally to men, if at all and if even included. The fact that the contests that offer equal purse prizes get praised is just proof of that. Progress has occurred, and there are big time events like the X Games that offer equal prize money. As mentioned in Kristin Ebeling’s Skate Witches editorial (you should read it!), you’ll know that’s thanks to the proactive work of women like Mimi Knoop and Cara-Beth Burnside stepping up to the cause.

It might seem reasonable to you to entertain ideas that men should get paid more because maybe they skate better, they have a stronger following and generally there’s more of them. First, I’ll ask: When did skating become solely about difficulty? There’s merit to style and creativity and we see those in all genders in skateboarding. Validating those previous arguments leads to a sad logic that men deserve more pay and that women in skateboarding haven’t earned it. Isn’t it common sense that if you don’t provide proper opportunities and support, that will hold back a community from progressing? So, how do women earn the right to same prizes when there is a handicap of opportunities. It’s a gross feedback loop communities and the industry need to break. And it’s true, as Kristin mentions—this goes beyond prize money and sponsorship. We have to put into question skateboarding culture as a whole, and how it can do better to support diversity.

[formula420]

Didnt elissa steamer compete against the men fair and square? Why cant these people do the same?

[satan]

They couldn't even keep the math consistent at 1/4 of what the guys get.
I haven't been paying attention to contest purses..
Is it equal in all the big comps? SLS, xgames, dew tour, vans park series? What's the euro series called?
And this Women's Open comp is the equivalent of Tampa Pro for them?
Olympic qualifying points?
This doesn't look good on SPoT if equal prizes is already a thing..

[Pappy Jones]

Good stuff LPQ. I can’t say I’m surprised that not every contest has caught up yet but it’s still disappointing to see. The pay ratio in skating for men to women is so much more dramatic in skating compared to the general job market in the US even (which is still fucked).

[DISTANT RUMOURS]

I'm kind of on the fence with this.

I work for a feminist organisation and EQUAL pay should be NORMAL in regular jobs.
Women can do things just as good as men.

Only with contests that are judged on physical abilities it's a little harder I think. Men tend to have more muscle, power and strength...

- The general level in women's skateboarding is lower than with the men's. That's an easy observation.
- Yet equal pay is demanded and there are girls that rip hard too.

Do I wish girls would get paid more? Definitely.

A good way to cancel this discussion out is to make contests mixed?
So everyone, not matter the gender, has got an equal chance at the price money?

There are girls that rip too. And a Leo Baker, no matter the gender, could get a pretty high placement...

Very HARD discussion...

[DarthDingusMaximus]

I'm kind of on the fence with this.

I work for a feminist organisation and EQUAL pay should be NORMAL in regular jobs.
Women can do things just as good as men.

Only with contests that are judged on physical abilities it's a little harder I think. Men tend to have more muscle, power and strength...

- The general level in women's skateboarding is lower than with the men's. That's an easy observation.
- Yet equal pay is demanded and there are girls that rip hard too.

Do I wish girls would get paid more? Definitely.

A good way to cancel this discussion out is to make contests mixed?
So everyone, not matter the gender, has got an equal chance at the price money?

There are girls that rip too. And a Leo Baker, no matter the gender, could get a pretty high placement...

Very HARD discussion...

I'll bite and put my two cents, I get equality but I think in a sport as the rest sees it the way women vs. men are completely different. From grace, strength, to power and energy do I think women are talented yes... quite so  and yes they have equal skill but can they hold a candle to Nyjah? or Grant Taylor or Chris Pfanner? nawww

I'm not saying the women aren't wrong but how does that make any sense if not to sound like a nagging old lady? everyone should be hyped to be apart of Tampa AM and or Pro whether or not you placed got a prize purse I thought the whole point of contests was not only to win but make connections with those you wouldn't have an opportunity to see?

[Dirty Douggie]

I'm kind of on the fence with this.

I work for a feminist organisation and EQUAL pay should be NORMAL in regular jobs.
Women can do things just as good as men.

Only with contests that are judged on physical abilities it's a little harder I think. Men tend to have more muscle, power and strength...

Tough debate indeed.

However, it's important to remember that the prizes have little to do with the ability of the skater but with the number of spectators (and consumers of the products advertized during the breaks) that are going to watch the event.

If equal pay sould be undeniable in the work sphere, some discrepancies still exist between compagnies : a company that sells a higly demanded product, and another company whith a less demanded product.

Sponsored skating (or sports) is no different. Someone's skating isn't worth anything (financially speaking) to sponsors if it doesn't sell, no matter how good the person is. That's why you have wack instagram female skaters making as much money as top female pro. It certainly ruins skateboarding, but skateboarding was never a thing to make money with to begin with. The best skaters, the most legit ones, are certainly not the best paid (okay, with Grand and Ishod rocking Monster, that might have changed). Now if people want to capitalise on their skating, they should also be ready to face its drawbacks...

Now, how many of you have watch  the full Tampa Women Open event ?

[Jollyoli]

I want women to get what they can.
I hate the money aspect of skating, and comps in general unless they are a local jam.
If there was a separate event would the purse and exposure be equivalent?
The Pro comp should be open to all, so you can choose? Similar to the Seniors event at the combi, you can enter that once you are a certain age but being that age does not exclude you from the regular event.
Just an idea.

[aima dighed]

That's capitalism for ya, 1/4 the skill = 1/4 the wage.  However, if you want women to be in the skate industry (and make money off female consumers) you have to pay them enough to survive/ thrive the same we do for men. Real prizes for women = more young women who start skating and pursue sponsorship.

[Alois Hitler Jr.]

I'm kind of on the fence with this.

I work for a feminist organisation and EQUAL pay should be NORMAL in regular jobs.
Women can do things just as good as men.

Only with contests that are judged on physical abilities it's a little harder I think. Men tend to have more muscle, power and strength...

- The general level in women's skateboarding is lower than with the men's. That's an easy observation.
- Yet equal pay is demanded and there are girls that rip hard too.

Do I wish girls would get paid more? Definitely.

A good way to cancel this discussion out is to make contests mixed?
So everyone, not matter the gender, has got an equal chance at the price money?

There are girls that rip too. And a Leo Baker, no matter the gender, could get a pretty high placement...

Very HARD discussion...

Wow how? There is 100 girls that rip way harder at contests , Leo bakers nose manny Flip out 10th try is just not good enough In my humble opinion

[SneakySecrets]

I thought it’d be cool if they included an evening gown portion now that they took it out of the Miss America pageant. 

[OldieButFrenchie]

That's capitalism for ya, 1/4 the skill = 1/4 the wage.  However, if you want women to be in the skate industry (and make money off female consumers) you have to pay them enough to survive/ thrive the same we do for men. Real prizes for women = more young women who start skating and pursue sponsorship.

It's NOT about skill. Nor is it about gender. It's about the money involved for the sponsors/media.
For instance, in Europe, pro rugby players make around 10 % of what football (soccer) players make.
Male models make a fraction of what female models earn cause there is more money in female fashion.

[HORSES]

Got me thinking about the time Serena Williams played against a man, and couldn't beat someone who was ranked 203rd in the mens.

I don't think any female skateboarder would even qualify for the semi-finals if the contest was to be all inclusive and not separate.

[non-playable character]

Didnt elissa steamer compete against the men fair and square? Why cant these people do the same?

Was really surprised they even had a women's contest in the first place. I can also remember seeing more women skate the "normal" Tampa contests before so why separate them if you market yourself as a non-sport like contest?

edit: I'm all for women's skateboarding and equal pay in contests, but it mainly seems weird to me from SPoT's perspective to suddenly separate men's and women's skateboarding

[switchmongojazzpush]

If other major contests can offer equal prize purses I see no real reason or excuse as to why SPoT can't. 

[Hevonen]

I support equal price money in sports, even if the women's comp doesn't really generate anything, but looks like tampa has been struggling a bit, with the price purse having been cut to less than a half from just a couple years ago. If it was split equally, winner would get 6k. Now 10k isn't really a significant sum for these guys either, and people go to Tampa for the party anyways, but I wonder if they're afraid that cutting the price purse even more would result in pros not caring to come as much, killing the event altogether

Expand Quote

Didnt elissa steamer compete against the men fair and square? Why cant these people do the same?

[close]

Was really surprised they even had a women's contest in the first place. I can also remember seeing more women skate the "normal" Tampa contests before so why separate them if you market yourself as a non-sport like contest?

edit: I'm all for women's skateboarding and equal pay in contests, but it mainly seems weird to me from SPoT's perspective to suddenly separate men's and women's skateboarding

I think it's because the Olympics. Can't have women mixed in in a Olympic qualifier, and they've done other things too to make the contest more professional, like not counting a trick if it happens half a second after the buzzer, which totally kills the vibe imo.

Edit. Actually I'm not sure if it's an Olympic qualifying event

[mclovin1336]

Expand Quote

That's capitalism for ya, 1/4 the skill = 1/4 the wage.  However, if you want women to be in the skate industry (and make money off female consumers) you have to pay them enough to survive/ thrive the same we do for men. Real prizes for women = more young women who start skating and pursue sponsorship.

[close]

It's NOT about skill. Nor is it about gender. It's about the money involved for the sponsors/media.
For instance, in Europe, pro rugby players make around 10 % of what football (soccer) players make.
Male models make a fraction of what female models earn cause there is more money in female fashion.

this. in the end it is about the revenue. right now, you can make less money with showcasing an all female contest compared to a mens contest

[Agnarnomous]

Here's a crazy idea guys, try and stay with me on this one. Maybe, just maybe if the girls skated as well as the men, they might get paid the same? Here's another wild one for ya, maybe the separation of men and woman's skateboarding while done in the vain of equality and inclusion, has actually only tokenized women in skateboarding. All the while holding them back by creating a less competitive bubble to "compete" in, that allows them to be held to lower standards. Maybe this has now caused a bunch of delusional "pros" to some how think that doing less difficult tricks, slowly, with little kid style, is in any way comparable to ishod doing a switch Tre over the box while mobb deep is blasting and he just came in from partying out back. Or, how what they do comes even a little close to anything nyjah, Mason, or Mario did in the finals. This is the equivalent of little league demanding MLB salary. Stop pretending this isn't insane people. I'm all for equality, but giving handouts based on gender is not equality. Throw all the skaters in together and let the strong females rise to the top. Stop contributing to this delusion of separate but equal woman's skateboarding. I would love to see more woman in skateboarding, but I wish we would stop treating them like little babies/children. It's fucking patronizing.

[TwisT]

All these women who came from Brazil, Japan, essentially etc just showed up to hang out and maybe get some press incentive.

[Youoverthere]

Didnt elissa steamer compete against the men fair and square? Why cant these people do the same?

[straight fucking edge]

i will say that I am all for the women's comp and that I watched the whole thing, but it is pretty obvious that the draw is for the men's competition.  if it were just women, it wouldn't be such a big event..

and let's be real,  a bunch of people boardsliding a park rail and bailing nosegrinds on the ledges battling for 10k? nah

[Alois Hitler Jr.]

Green light on lil tubsy

[os89]

Not here to argue women and mens athletic abilities. For instance obviously women's basketball is not as popular as the nba for a reason. No windmill dunks, etc... you get it. However when it come to shit like this in skating and prize money, It is not like they cant afford it.

Why not just straight up lower the overall mens purse and give that remainder to equal out the womens? One total prize amount just spread out equally. No need to make one higher than the other, just even it out. Both make decent winnings, we move on.

Edit: Also like an actor. Whether its a male or female lead, If they are an A list star and make the studio money, they should be paid fairly. They are both actors. Do not let the word actress, stewardess, or waitress confuse you.
They do the same damn job as an actor, steward or waiter.

[thebacker]

for me it's crazy like

[Ghost Face]

What even is prize purses these days?

[urbneathme]

you understand women are competing against men in the skateboarding “job market” of board companies, shoe sponsors, etc. right? and that women are wholly ignored by these companies for the most part, so you still get your “they can’t hang” shit in. contests are the avenue in which women get paid to skate, so it makes total sense why they want to make an equal (and also not gigantic) amount of money

[GuessAgain?]

Just going to start with I am no expert in comps at all but...

do pro's sponsors have to pay SPoT an entry fee for the comp? Maybe that's a stupid question but if they do I can only imagine only a fraction of girls compete compared to guys which would make that contribution significantly less. Even if sponsors don't have to pay an entry fee, a lower amount of female contestants would mean they have a higher chance of winning their competition. if that's the case then wanting the same money for an easier W doesn't make sense.

I could be fully wrong though and hope they can sort something out that works for them

[Dirty Douggie]

Real equality will be reached when a woman will be able to milk it for 10 years plus on a team, go to rehab, rock a cap and an orange beanie at the same time, throw racist words around and still get a check at the end of the month...

More seriously, i can't think about one female skater who can live off of skateboarding without chasing contests... Elissa maybe ? Although, she's just enjoying a legend status ...

[concerned_parent]

Here's a crazy idea guys, try and stay with me on this one. Maybe, just maybe if the girls skated as well as the men, they might get paid the same? Here's another wild one for ya, maybe the separation of men and woman's skateboarding while done in the vain of equality and inclusion, has actually only tokenized women in skateboarding. All the while holding them back by creating a less competitive bubble to "compete" in, that allows them to be held to lower standards. Maybe this has now caused a bunch of delusional "pros" to some how think that doing less difficult tricks, slowly, with little kid style, is in any way comparable to ishod doing a switch Tre over the box while mobb deep is blasting and he just came in from partying out back. Or, how what they do comes even a little close to anything nyjah, Mason, or Mario did in the finals. This is the equivalent of little league demanding MLB salary. Stop pretending this isn't insane people. I'm all for equality, but giving handouts based on gender is not equality. Throw all the skaters in together and let the strong females rise to the top. Stop contributing to this delusion of separate but equal woman's skateboarding. I would love to see more woman in skateboarding, but I wish we would stop treating them like little babies/children. It's fucking patronizing.

[Youoverthere]

If they just throw em all in one contest maybe It’ll raise the bar on women’s contest skating. Like, if you skate with a crew of skaters that are better than you eventually you’ll start progressing more too. But bottom line if you’re in skate comp in 2020 I probably don’t care about your skatin regardless of gender.