When I watched the US women's soccer team win the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics I felt inspired. I sat in my friend's living room, wearing red white and blue with an American flag bow in my hair, in awe of what these powerful women represented. As a young athlete and avid soccer player I dreamt of heading the ball like Abby Wambach, weaving through defenders like Alex Morgan, and muscling through the game like Carli Lloyd. The women's national soccer team has made headlines over the past decade with their mounting success on the field, proving that women's professional sports are legitimate, making a statement that women and girls everywhere can be inspired by. But recently they have made a different kind of statement, one that needs to be heard.
The US women's soccer team is an astonishingly talented group. With three FIFA World Cup titles, four Olympic Gold Medals in the last five Olympic games, and a dominating performance at every major tournament and cup in the past ten years, they are undoubtedly the best women's soccer team in the world. You would think that with all of this success along with increased revenue flowing though the US Soccer Federation's empire, the players would be earning their fair share of pay and more importantly, appreciation of the revitalization they have brought to US soccer. Unfortunately, that's not the case.
About a month ago, several of the team's top players filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation claiming wage discrimination and demanding equal pay and treatment compared to the mens national team. Let's pause for a moment. How many of you heard about this lawsuit and saw it covered either on social media, major sports networks, or news stations? This issue has not been given the attention it deserves. Four players and their team lawyer were on "The Today Show" discussing the issue for a total of four minutes before their segment was cut off. The players, who include goalkeeper Hope Solo, co-captains Carli Lloyd and Becky Suarbruan, and young superstars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, have vowed to fight for not only the major pay gap between the men's and women's teams, but for the overall inequalities between men and women in professional sports. Their movement is called "Equal Play, Equal Pay."
The federation has pushed back, unwilling to admit that women are paid just forty percent of what male players are paid. Last year the US Soccer Federation made over 16 million dollars in revenue from the womens national team alone. The mens team, however, cost the federation two million dollars. After a few hours of research, I put together this chart as a visual.
The discrepancies are obvious. Men are paid more regardless of match outcome.
In 1999, the women won the FIFA World Cup hosted right here in the US. In soccer, it is common among men to take their shirts off in celebration of a major win. When Brandi Chastain scored the winning penalty kick to give the team their second World Cup title, she took off her jersey and dropped to her knees, flexing her muscles and basking in a moment that made headlines across the country. The celebration sparked controversy. Critics claimed it was inappropriate for a woman to take off her shirt. Yet the now iconic image of Chastain graced the covers of Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and Time.
If women are just as entitled to celebrate their hard-earned victories as men are, then why aren't they entitled to fair, equal pay? As the fight rages on we must support the team off the field just as we have on the field, with a tremendous amount of passion and respect for the hard work, dedication and undying love these women show for the sport.
The US women's soccer team has reignited the love of the game here in the states. They are becoming increasingly popular and gaining traction as one of the most respected teams in the world. Young girls look up to them. I know I did and definitely still do. They represent a movement, and they take strides to prove that just because they are women does not mean they are not fierce, competitive, gritty athletes. For these women it's not really about the money. It's what the money represents. Together we need to continue to be a society that supports and embraces female athletes as no less than male athletes, celebrating the passion they bring to the game and the pride they show for our country every time they step onto the pitch. Lets not only pay, but treat and appreciate these incredible women like the champions they are.
