Liga MX Femenil – Guilty of Systemic Inequality and False Poverty

They earn 150 times less than men, but they demand the same passion from them. The Liga MX Femenil is in the dock, accused of labor exploitation disguised as "lack of profitability." The verdict: guilty of a historic injustice.

On the grand stage of professional sports, there are truths that are as uncomfortable as they are irrefutable. And the truth about the Liga MX Femenil is one of them: it's a system built on a foundation of alarming economic inequality, justified with arguments that crumble under the slightest scrutiny.

This court is not here to debate whether female soccer players should earn "the same" as men. It is here to judge a concrete fact: whether an average salary of 3,645 pesos per month is a decent wage for an elite professional athlete or a form of labor exploitation. The charge against the League and the club owners is clear: perpetuating an abysmal wage gap under the false pretext of poverty.

The numbers are the most compelling evidence. They admit no interpretation. They are a direct blow to the conscience of a multi-billion-dollar industry.

| Metric | Liga MX Men's | Liga MX Women's | Huge Difference |

|—|—|—|—|

| Average Monthly Salary | $609,239 MXN | $3,645 MXN | 167 times less |

| Maximum Annual Salary | ~$109.2 million ($9.1 million/month) | $1.8 million ($150,000/month) | ~60 times less (5,966%) |

| Average Club Revenue (Annual) | Hundreds of Millions | $5.3 Million | N/A |

| Marketing Investment | Strategic Priority | 2% of Expenses | Abysmal |

| Years of Professional History | ~100 years | ~7 years | N/A |

The League's defense, articulated by its president, Mariana Gutiérrez, during the debates on the base salary law, is that the competition "is not profitable." They claim that 80% of women's teams lose money and that imposing a decent salary would lead to the collapse of the tournament. This argument is a dangerous fallacy.

The "unprofitability" argument is a vicious cycle created by the League itself. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

* Subsistence wages are paid: At 3,645 pesos a month, it's impossible for a player to be a full-time professional. She must hold down other jobs, which limits her time for training, rest, and development.

* The product stagnates: By not being able to dedicate 100%, the quality of the on-court show, although improved by pure talent and heart, cannot reach its full potential.

* Investment is minimal: Clubs don't invest in marketing (only 2% of expenses) or in creating matchday experiences that attract more fans.

* Revenues are not growing: As a result of an underdeveloped and poorly promoted product, box office, sponsorship and TV rights revenues (only 20% of revenues) remain low.

* Low wages are justified: The League then uses these low incomes to justify poverty wages, completing the cycle.

The history of the men's league, with its 100 years of subsidies, investment, and brand-building, is conveniently forgotten. The women's league, barely five years old, is required to be self-sufficient from day one, a standard no sports company or league in the world could meet.

This court finds the Liga MX Femenil and the owners of Mexican soccer clubs guilty of maintaining a structure of systemic inequality and using the argument of "lack of profitability" as a smokescreen to mask a blatant lack of vision and investment.

The verdict is clear: by denying a decent base salary—a proposal as modest as 50,000 pesos a month that was met with criticism—they are not only committing a profound social injustice that forces athletes into premature retirement, but they are also acting like terrible businessmen and women. They are sabotaging their own potential for economic growth, leaving a booming global market on the table by clinging to an austerity model that only benefits their pockets in the short term. Inequality is not a problem of costs; it's a problem of will. The case is closed.