the 2014 men's final, they got 26.5 million viewers. and the women's final this year drew 26.7 million viewers. that's the most americans who have ever watched a soccer game. but look ratings isn't everything. how much did they actually make? fox sports 1 is thought to have made $17 million in sponsorship revenue during the world cup. or in soccer terms, goal! and the men's world cup, $529 million or in soccer terms, score! so yes, the women's world cup makes less than the men's world cup so they get less money. that's the way it has to be that's the market, right? not necessarily. some sports have changed their pay structure. at the new york city marathon they split 50/50. the only major sport to do this is tennis. they also split all prizes 50/50, men and women. but that wasn't always the case. in the 1970s, tennis tournaments were paying men 12 times what women were getting. the biggest female tennis star at the time billie jean king