Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning, the two absolute icons of their respective Sport, have inspired innumerable individuals from varied fields over the years. For their unmatched contribution, back in 2016 when the two athletes had just ended their careers, ESPN decided to honor them with special Icon Awards. However, along with them, there was one more super athlete who received the same award, but then broke the internet with her fiery take on gender pay gap.
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Yes, we are talking about, Abby Wambach, the soccer superstar who has been a trendsetter for women athletes across the word. After all, guiding one’s team to two Olympic Gold medals and a World Cup win are not the kind of achievements which many athletes get to add on their Résumés. However, due to what Abby said on ESPN’s “37 Words” about gender pay gap while referring to the award she received alongside Kobe and Peyton, an absolute war was ignited on Twitter.
Abby Wambach gets brutally trolled on Twitter for her comments on gender pay gap in Sports
In a snippet from “37 Words” recently shared by ESPN in March this year, Abby can be seen stating that when she got awarded for her achievements alongside Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant, she was beyond elated. However, she then proceeds to claims that she also felt extremely angry at the same time.
“Why do I feel so p*ssed off? Why do I feel so angry right now? Because my career is done and the three of us (her, Bryant & Manning), we just got the same damn award. Same sweat, same sacrifices, yet the three of us were walking into three very different retirements,” Abby stated.
However, the star forward also went on to claim that she means no disrespect to both, Kobe and Manning as they deserved every single penny which they earned in their careers. The only thing which bothered Abby was the fact that post retirement, she had to find a new job to pay off her mortgage.
“I didn’t make enough money in my career to be able to support the rest of my life. That’s true, that’s true for almost every woman professional athlete, no matter who you are,” Wambach further claimed. As one can expect, her comments attracted an array of reactions on Twitter with many even asking the legendary footballer to quit whining as women’s soccer isn’t brining in as much revenue as NBA and NFL.
You bring In less revenue. That’s not pay gap, that’s your product not selling!
— SammyD1982 (@Sammy_D1982) March 14, 2023
She’s a great athlete, but she’s not being honest, and neither is ESPN for being so sanctimonious.
Women’s sports draw very little viewership compared to the NFL and NBA.
— Tuck’s Swag (@TheATeamMSU) March 14, 2023
I support equal pay. I want $30 mil a year too. Just because I’m in construction and they play sports shouldn’t matter. Where’s my 6year/$80mil fully guaranteed contract???
— aaron kangieser (@AaronKangieser) March 15, 2023
Y’all really need to give it up @AbbyWambach. It’s simple economics. Stop whining.
— MM (@m_matt9) March 14, 2023
Abby referred to Peyton Manning & Kobe Bryant as her heroes during 2016 ESPYs
Abby Wambach’s speech after accepting the award at ESPYs had also gained a lot of attention back in 2016. Calling Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning her heroes, Abby had stated that for her, it wasn’t about being the best player in the sport, but about “embracing every eery challenge.”
“I wanted people to see who I was underneath the jersey and see me as a person and not just an athlete,” Wambach had stated, adding that she was extremely proud of the fight that she had initiated in order to get other women athletes the kind of respect and monetary benefits they deserved for their efforts.
After retiring from her favorite sport, Abby went on to establish herself as a motivational speaker and an author, with her books WOLFPACK, and Forward attaining widespread acclaim.
