In an era when the egos of male athletes are dwarfed only by their paychecks , the World Cup women , minimum wagers by pro-sports standards , reminded the country that sports superstars can be gracious and grateful , coos Newsweek . CNN 's Bruce Morton observes approvingly that unlike male athletes , the female players don 't have million dollar contracts or big shoe deals .
The World Cup women don 't make much money because only 10 % of the tickets get sold .