It’s a myth that that men’s sports generate more money and more views than women’s. However, it's true that the women’s American softball team doesn’t take over every weekend in the fall and hold a World Series. There is no such a female Superbowl or even a women’s FIFA video game. Does this mean women should be paid any less for the sports that are equal such as American soccer? The obviously answer is no, but due to a lawsuit filed by five U.S. Soccer member’s against the U.S. Soccer organization, light has been shed on the complications that accompany the answer.
When someone thinks of the wage gap, mundane jobs such as physicians, coaches or salesmen, however five members of the U.S. Soccer team have addressed this issue in the world of professional sports. U.S. Captains Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn, along with Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan have filed a lawsuit against their boss, U.S. Soccer. These five women have been part of a team in the last decade that has brought home titles such as Olympic gold medalists, World Champions and almost everything in between.
These women play the same game to their male counterpart’s. They follow the same FIFA and U.S. soccer rules, same two nets, same 11 players on the field and the same passion. However, in recent years, some of the inequalities have risen. Almost a year ago, Women’s Soccer teams went to battle with FIFA over being forced to play on turf. Any varsity athlete knows the damage of turf, it may be easier to maintain but the burns and unpredictability of the material are volatile. While men’s teams asked to have their turf replaced, women’s teams were often not responded with the same generosity. This new storm of unequal pay is no surprise with the fearlessness of this generation of U.S. Women’s soccer.
Carli Lloyd, U.S. Women’s soccer captain and a leading voice in this lawsuit, was quoted from her article in the New York Times saying, “The top five players on the men’s team make an average of $406,000 each year from these games. The top five women are guaranteed only $72,000 each year.” As well as, “If I were a male soccer player who won a World Cup for the United States, my bonus would be $390,000. Because I am a female soccer player, the bonus I got for our World Cup victory last summer was $75,000”. These are just a few of the damning statistics that represent the wage discrimination female soccer players experience. It’s not like these women are unsuccessful, either. The United States women’s national team is the most successful team in the history of U.S. Soccer. They have won three World Cups and are aiming to win their fifth Olympic gold medal this summer in Brazil. When the women went head to head with Canada’s national team, they generated the most American television ratings for soccer history. The views they brought in generated $17.7 million in profits for the federation.
So where does your support lie? Should professional athletes also be accountable in equal wages? This lawsuit will be one to follow as we grow closer to the Olympics this summer and see if we witness a pay increase and equal treatment.
