Monica Abbott becomes the first female athlete to sign US$1 million contract

IF YOU thought female professional athletes in team sports didn’t make much money, just ask Monica Abbott about her latest contract.

Abbott is set for a big payday.

IF YOU thought female professional athletes in team sports didn’t make much money, just ask Monica Abbott about her latest contract.

The American professional softballer became the first woman in history to sign a contract worth as much as US $1 million (AUD $1.36 million), which will be spread across a period of six years.

Signing with the Scrap Yard Dawgs, a Houston-based team in the National Pro Fastpitch, Abbot will take home just US $20,000 (AUD $27,150) as an annual base salary. The majority of her income however will come in the form of attendance bonuses, whereby the amount paid is directly determined by the number of fans that attend each game.

In order for her to qualify for a bonus, there must be at least 100 people in attendance. On average, the league pulls a crowd of close to 1000 people.

With the chance to earn as much as US $180,000 (AUD $244,300) a season in salary and bonuses, Abbott’s earnings will reach the million dollar mark by the end of her contract’s terms.

Widely considered the best softball pitcher in the world, Abbot’s salary is miles ahead of her teammates, who generally earn between US $5000 —$8000 per year (AUD $6700 —$10,800).

Most teams in the National Pro Fastpitch spread a salary cap of $150,000 across a squad of 18 players. Monica however, is a slightly different case.

I have been waiting to share this with you all@ScrapYardDawgs #firstonemildeal pic.twitter.com/A2u6ctPTdB

— Monica Abbott (@monicaabbott) May 5, 2016

Congrats to @monicaabbott on her new contract! #MakingHistory https://t.co/s8NEtTV4CP

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) May 5, 2016

These are exciting times in women’s sports! https://t.co/aFRFKfkufL

— Monica Abbott (@monicaabbott) May 5, 2016

“I think it’s a proud moment for National Pro Fastpitch,” league commissioner Cheri Kempf told ESPN.

“But I think it goes further than that. I think it’s a proud moment for women in professional sports in this country. I feel glad that it’s happening in the league. I’m glad that we’re going to lead the way, in some respects.”

Co-founder of the International Women’s Professional Softball Association, former world No. 1 tennis player Billie Jean King, said the deal was nothing short of historic.

“This contract recognises Monica’s talents, her accomplishments and her contributions on and off the field and it sends the right message that women’s professional softball is stepping up and making salaries and athletic achievement a major priority in their league,” King said.

“This is a historic contract for professional softball and for all women’s sports and I hope it is the first of many to come.”

Olympian turned millionaire.

An Olympic silver medallist with the United States at the 2008 Beijing Games, Abbott previously won the 2007 Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year, and won gold medals at the World Cup of softball four years running from 2006-2010.

She said the contract will open up opportunities for the next generation.

“In my mind, it represents an opportunity for the younger players in our game,” Abbott told ESPN.

“The pro league, it’s continued to grow year-in and year-out. And even with my (former team the) Bandits ... we were constantly talking about creating a future for the next generation. For me, that’s what I see in this deal. I see opportunities for other athletes, for the college girls coming in, for the college freshmen, for the 12-year-olds. I see opportunities for them to only be a professional softball player. To not have to have another career, another job.”