The United States Women’s soccer team delivered the ultimate win after defeating Japan in the FIFA World Cup this past year, which made them the first country to win three World Cups. Americans were ecstatic about it, but the players were not as happy as you would expect. A lawsuit by the top five players was filed regarding unequal pay between the Women’s and Men’s soccer team. Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Hope Solo are representing the Women’s U.S. soccer team because they are paid significantly less than the Men’s soccer team, who did not even make it to the final two in the World Cup. A common misconception about the Women U.S. soccer team is that they are getting paid less because it is not as popular as the Men’s team, but this could not be further than the truth.
According to the FIFA charts, the Women’s U.S. soccer team is ranked number one in the world, while the Men’s team is ranked 30th. The Women’s soccer team is known to bring in more viewers and more money, so it makes sense for them to be paid equally. Women athletes have always experienced unfairness compared to men sports. In 1972 a federal amendment was passed that helped prevent discrimination against gender in education and activities. Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Title IX has helped encourage female participation in high school varsity sports. According to the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, “in 1971, fewer than 295,000 girls participated in high school varsity athletics, accounting for just 7 percent of all varsity athletes; in 2001, that number leaped to 2.8 million.” Title IX had a huge impact on women’s sports and has caused participation in women’s sports to increase over the last 40 years. After Title IX was created, FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football, allowed women to join. They became part of the league in 1988, which was 58 years after the first men’s World Cup. The first World Cup was created when the first inaugural tournament was hosted by China, in November 1991. Twelve teams from six continents competed in a series of games to be crowned the first-ever Women's World Champion, which was awarded to the U.S. team.
The players filed a lawsuit with lawyer Jeff Kessler, who has experience with other sports cases. He represented Tom Brady, who was accused of deflating footballs before a game with the New England Patriots. Jeff’s partner, Eva Cole, was able to comment on the progress of the lawsuit. The lawsuit is currently under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (E.E.O.C.) “The investigation is moving fairly quickly. It is going on its seventh month, but it could take up to two years,” said Eva Cole. There is not much to comment on since it is still under investigation, but Eva Cole said, “the media is doing a pretty good job at informing the public what the Women’s Soccer team wants and expects from this lawsuit.” Hopefully, the lawsuit progress continues fairly quickly so justice can be served for equal rights in sports.
Women have been fighting for equality for a long time and they have made a lot of progress. Women can vote, play sports, divorce, work, and as of 2016, a woman has even run for President of the United States. The Women’s U.S. soccer team has proved themselves over the past couple of years. Ranked number one in the world, won three World Cups, and four Olympic gold medals. It is time for women to be looked at and treated equally to men. Justice will be served, for not only the Women’s U.S. soccer team, but for women all around the world.
