The equality of prize money between a gentlemen’s event and ladies’ event is good

According to Wikipedia, The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly referred to as simply "Wimbledon", is the oldest event in the sport of tennis. It is typically regarded as one of the most important international tennis events. For instance, according to tennis writer and broadcaster John Parsons' Ultimate Encyclopedia of Tennis (1998)[1], Wimbledon "is the oldest, the most famous and certainly the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world". Similarly, tennis journalist Paul Fein calls Wimbledon "tennis' most prestigious spectacle" in his book Tennis Confidential (2002) [2]. And At Wimbledon, more prize money has been traditionally awarded in the Gentlemen's events than in the Ladies' events. However, a statement made by the All England Club in February 2007 stated that future prize money would be equal at all levels[1], even though that women only have to play three sets per match as opposed to five by the men. This makes Wimbledon policy identical to that of the Australian Open and the U.S. Open - in the French Open, equal prize money is offered only to the champions.

The All England Club announced that it will be offering equal prize money across the board to both men and women players with effect from and including the 2007 Championships.
Announcing the decision, Tim Phillips, Chairman of the All England Club, said: “Tennis is one of the few sports in which women and men compete in the same event at the same time. We believe our decision to offer equal prize money provides a boost for the game as a whole and recognises the enormous contribution that women players make to the game and to Wimbledon. We hope it will also encourage girls who want a career in sport to choose tennis as their best option. In short, good for tennis, good for women players and good for Wimbledon.”

However, there seems to be some people complaining about the decision of Wimbledon. They are saying that men players have to play five sets per match while women players play three sets so it’s not fair to give the equal prize money. Yes, I think so, too. It’s not fair. If tennis players were factory workers, it’s natural to get more money for workers who work longer.

Let’s change the point of view. When I feel like watching baseball game in stadium, I have to buy a ticket. If I don’t have it, I will not able to enter there. I think I also need a ticket to watch soccer game in the pitch. I think I also need a ticket when I’d like to see a tennis match at Wimbledon. Why do I want to see the tennis match at Wimbledon? Because my favorite woman player is supposed to play. I think there must be a lot of people like me. That means women players contribute to Wimbledon very well. It’s not too much to say that women players contribute as much as men players do to Wimbledon. Therefore, women players have the right to get the equal prize money to men players. As Tim Phillips, Chairman of All England Club mentioned, it was a very good timing to announce their decision because Wimbledon was the last one in main tennis tournaments, Australian Open, US. Open, French Open and Wimbledon which award the equal prize money to women and men players.

Long time ago, a basketball game has half time per game. But now, it has been quartered. People say the reason why the rule was changed was that TV sponsors wanted to show their commercial films more on TV. It’s a terrible reason, isn’t it? On the other hand, there’s a good aspect. We don’t have to watch lengthy and boring game any more. The players always have enough stamina to show good performances. For people who are just watching, it’s much better. Tennis is the same. I never think that a woman is weaker than a man by nature. Some people say women runners might be able to run longer than men if they started at the same time. So, thanks to less number of the set, we can watch women’s powerful, speedy, skillful and technical plays. We can also watch men’s various strategies and tactics for the games and their staying power.

Both women players and men players do their best for the sport, tennis. I think the equality of prize money between Gentlemen’s event and ladies’ event is very good.