Tyler Wright bridges pay divide with World Surf League title
Australian surfer Tyler Wright's has eclipsed her male counterparts for competitive earnings in 2016 after securing the World Surf League world title in France.
Wright, who has already won four WSL tournaments this year, has pocketed US$340,500 ($447,023) while current men's rating leader, John John Florence of Hawaii, who has one win and five final placings, has earned US$289,500 ($380,068).
There is, however, only one event left on the women's calendar, in Hawaii, and two for the men, with a trip to Portugal preceding the season finale at Pipe Masters in Oahu.
Wright has arrived back in Australia after being crowned world champion in France, an achievement she dedicated to her late uncle and brother Owen, who suffered a head injury while surfing in Hawaii last year. She was met at the airport by family, friends and a large media gathering.
"For me, that's what it's all about and is why I did it," Wright said of her family who arrived wearing various competition jerseys belonging to the 22-year-old from New South Wales's south coast.
"They were all in my jerseys. It was the best thing ever."
'Most exciting title races'
World Surf League vice-president of communications Dave Prodan said prize-money parity for World Surf League competitors was implemented in 2014 and is based on the number of surfers on each tour.
On average, there are 18 female contestants at each WSL event vying for a combined purse of $360,250 while on the men's tour, 36 surfers compete for a combined $721,810.
A brain injury to her brother has put things in perspective for Australian surfing star Tyler Wright, writes Brittany Carter.
Prodan said prize money parity and event quality was a priority for the sport's new owners.
"In 2014, we saw the addition of events in Fiji, Trestles and Maui to the women's schedule as well as the movement of the French event to Hossegor," Prodan said.
"The women in recent years have returned the investment by displaying the best surfing ever done in the sport and generating the most exciting title races the sport has ever seen."
On average, each surfer (male or female) averages $20,050, with 10 events on the women's tour and 11 for the men's tour, up from an average of $15,465 for men and $8,005 for women in 2012.
US surfer Kelly Slater, who has 11 world titles, has competitive earnings of close to US$4 million, while Hawaii's Carissa Moore leads the women at US$1,226,800.
// Anthony Pancia © Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
Comments
I bet, when "sponsorship and endorsements" are added in, Tyler, nor any of the, let's say 10%, of women on the CT would be anywhere near the top 10% of men.
Another fluffy piece of journalism.
C'mon Stu, Swellnet, can we have more articles about board design and your own articles about the surf industry? The design articles have been great, and stuff you did with the 'viewers', awesome. More of that stuff please, less of these repost publishing from ABC.
".....the sport's new owners"
Do I need their permission to go for a dawny tomorrow?
Umm - maybe a little sexist :))
Fair play Wingnut, it maybe hardly relelvant to you and me but if you are an aspiring your surfer there's more to this. If you told Tyler 5 years she would earn 350k in prizemoney and same again in spono deals she'd be tripping.
Frankly I didn't realise the WSL were so far ahead of the curve with pay parity and its a gravy train to get on in case it goes sour.
Be rather boring too if it was just tech info board design don't ya reckon
We'll have to agree to disagree mick-free.
I forgot about the 'forecasting / weather' series too. I see the "tides" article up - about to go read it.
And, I see an article about design stuff - outlines. Hmm. Going to check it out too!
IMHO, and for all it's $0.02 worth, a publisher like Swellnet needs to have original content to differentiate from the other publications in it's market segment. To reproduce an ABC article, or fill the content feed with "advertorial" (yes Stu - I have a problem with it), is only going down the wrong path, again, IMHO. But, well, I'm just a surf bum, so don't listen to me :)
I reckon it's a fascinating story that Tyler has higher contest earnings this year than JJF, Gabs, Mick and Kelly. Good on her too, I reckon we'll see more TW world titles in the next decade.