Finally: a salary for those who work hard (and not just men)
It seems that in the Congress of the Union someone finally realized that the 21st century exists. The parliamentary group of Citizen Movement, in a fit of lucidity, has had the audacity to propose a reform to guarantee a base salary for professional athletes. The revolutionary idea? This income does not depend on whether or not you have between your legs, whether you use a wheelchair or any other condition that, apparently, seems to some still a reason to pay less. All this, of course, in the face of the abysmal and surprising (to no one) salary disparity between men and women in disciplines such as football. What a discovery!
In the wonderfully titled “We Change the Game” forum in the Senate, Senator Clemente Castañeda did a legislative magic trick: pulling out of a hat an initiative identical to one that was already approved unanimously… and then conveniently forgotten in a drawer in the Chamber of Deputies. So, as in a comedy of affairs, the orange parliamentary group has decided to present it again. Let’s see if in this legislature they feel less ashamed of others and manage to vote for it.
Speeches: between common sense and “don’t tell me”
The coordinator of the Orange Caucus strove to clarify something that should be obvious: the initiative does not seek to end the sports industry. God save us! Just try to demonstrate that this multi-million dollar business is “perfectly compatible” with the right not to starve while representing your country. A radical concept, we know.
Then the representative and former racquetball player Paola Longoria spoke, who, in a fascinating plot twist, said she knows what it is to train, compete and win. Incredible! “I know what it means to sacrifice for a dream,” he confessed, and also to face obstacles that “have nothing to do with the field,” such as discrimination and lack of support. Who was going to say it? Elite athletes facing inequality. What a plot twist.
“We want the same even floor,” he asked, arguing that discipline and effort are worth the same, whether in a men’s or women’s team. The stunned audience took note of this revelation.
But the party of obviousness did not end there. The former Paralympic athlete and deputy Juan Armando Ruiz recalled, to the surprise of absolutely everyone, that Paralympic athletes have also been marginalized historically. Despite winning medals and raising the name of the country, of course, but that seems to be worth less than an advertising contract. “Equality cannot be spared from anyone,” he stated, asking to break with the traditional vision that minimizes the value of women with capitalist arguments. Someone who finally said the taboo word: surplus value.
Deputy Anayeli Muñoz, for her part, considered that the Congress must be consistent with the feminist policy that it advocates. What a concept: coherence between saying and doing! What a novel idea for the political class.
To top off the circus, former soccer player Paola López Yrigoyen suggested that this base salary should be negotiated between public and private power (owners, federations, leagues and… oh, yes, the athletes themselves, those who are usually ignored in these conversations).
In short, we have an initiative that basically asks that those who entertain millions be treated as human beings. A concept so revolutionary that you’ll probably need to go through another dozen cleverly named forums before anyone decides to act. Meanwhile, athletes and Paralympians will continue to collect crumbs, demonstrating that their greatest disability is navigating a system that ignores them. Bravo for the show!
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