OPINION : USA Women hockey team doesn't get it.

It's a simple economic problem.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
OPINION : USA Women hockey team doesn't get it.
Keystone press agency

As you have probably heard, the USA Women hockey team is threatening to go on strike if they don't receive higher wages in the future. Just like a regular union, the players took the decision to boycott the next Women World Championship, beginning March 31st in Michigan. Needless to say, this new aggressive stance puts a lot of pressure on the USA Hockey organization. With the PyeongChang Olympics coming in fast in 2018, this strike could have deep consequences. 

The players ask for a living wage, that is still to be defined in the public's mind. Numbers have been thrown in the public place, as high as 237,000$ a year, as a ''fair'' pay. Whatever the amount might be, this artificial salary defies the most basic principles of economics. 

First, amateur athletes might be the very best in their respective sports, the society doesn't owe them anything. Sure, we all cheer patriotically every 2 years, but it's not a real market signal. Outside of the Olympics period, amateur sport drives little commercial interest. Women play hockey all the time in leagues and schools, but attendance is always low. Sure, the caliber of play is impressive, but people just don't show up at the gates. A simple research tells us that Division 1 hockey drives on average about ten times less attendance to women games than men. That's the simple reality of the market. 

Secondly, wages to amateur players doesn't make sense. What the women want is to receive a professional salary, just like men, for their sport. Last year, the NWHL introduced a base yearly salary of 10,000$ for every player and a cap at 26,000$. However, one year later, they had to cut back on these salaries to maintain the league afloat. Basically, even when paid a slight amount, these players didn't drive enough business to keep the model afloat. 

My message is basically this one: If you want to receive a wage, you need to drive revenues accordingly. These women are hard workers that deserve our highest respect. They work 40h a week to earn a living, and then an additional 40h a week on the ice to play and train. Their passion is admirable, but it's not a reason to receive money in exchange. 

What they need to do is develop their leagues themselves, get the NWHL to the next level, use social medias to create a buzz around their sport. As a hockey fan, I should see women hockey pop in my news feed all the time. They should produce shows, put ads out there, create a buzz. It's a simple economic principle: If you generate interest, money will flow your way. 

Women hockey will probably never reach the men's status, but they could certainly improve their destiny greatly by going out there and creating something instead of begging for it. Kudos for their actual effort, we talk about them a lot because of what they plan on doing. This buzz will not last however, and they need to think about tomorrow really fast. Let's be very clear, it's not a war on women but  a simple economical dilemma. 

David Chabot 

* This opinion piece represents the author's opinion only and doesn't engage Hockey Feed in any ways. 


Source: Opinion