"US Women’s Soccer Sues for Equal Pay" by Mika P.
On August 9, 2019, District Judge R. Gary Klausner set a trial date for the lawsuit brought against U.S. Soccer by members of the women's national team. The trial will begin on May 5, 2020, and last four to five days (ESPN). The lawsuit is about the gender pay gap. Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn will represent the 28 women that are on the current team.
On November 8, 2019, the judge granted the women’s players motion to be certified as a class-action lawsuit. Molly Levinson called it “a historic step forward in the struggle to achieve equal pay” (ESPN). The women’s team accused U.S. Soccer League of constantly shorting their pay despite their greater on-field success compared to the higher-paid men’s players. Job conditions, including the types of surfaces the teams play on, their travel arrangements and how U.S. Soccer promotes women’s games compared to men’s, are also very unequal. “Pay should be based on performance, not gender,” Molly Levinson (Bloomburg). A female player on a World Cup-winning team would earn a maximum of $260,869, while a male player could net $1,114,429, meaning that members of this year’s number 1 female team earned less than a quarter of what a man could’ve for the same outcome (The Ringer).
The U.S. women’s soccer team is seeking more than $66 million in damages as part of their gender discrimination against the U.S. Soccer Federation (Market Watch). “Women’s national team players are paid differently because they specifically asked for and negotiated a completely different contract than the men’s national team, despite being offered, and rejecting, a similar pay-to-play agreement during the past negotiations,” U.S. Soccer Federation said in a statement. (The New York Times). The Women’s team has won four World Cup titles while the men’s team has not won any. If both teams played and won 20 "friendly" matches in a year, the women would earn a maximum of $99,000 and the men would earn an average of $263,320 (Tampa Bay Times). During the three years following the 2015 Women's World Cup, the women's team brought in slightly more revenue from games than the men's team did. The lawsuit, filed by 28 players alleges that U.S. Soccer pays the women's team less, gives them unequal playing conditions and does not promote their games as much as the men's team. Closing the equal pay gap is the most important possible outcome after this year’s World Cup. The four representatives represent 28 women on the current team and said in a filing last month seeking class-action status that the group could top 50 “when accounting for absent current and former players.” (Bloomburg)
How do you think that the U.S. Soccer Federation could close the pay gap? Do you think that women are discriminated against in sports? If the women do win the lawsuit, what should be the appropriate reparations?
(Carli Lloyd, from left, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrun)
(Megan Rapinoe poses with the Golden Boot during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.)
The U.S. women’s soccer team is seeking more than $66 million in damages as part of their gender discrimination against the U.S. Soccer Federation (Market Watch). “Women’s national team players are paid differently because they specifically asked for and negotiated a completely different contract than the men’s national team, despite being offered, and rejecting, a similar pay-to-play agreement during the past negotiations,” U.S. Soccer Federation said in a statement. (The New York Times). The Women’s team has won four World Cup titles while the men’s team has not won any. If both teams played and won 20 "friendly" matches in a year, the women would earn a maximum of $99,000 and the men would earn an average of $263,320 (Tampa Bay Times). During the three years following the 2015 Women's World Cup, the women's team brought in slightly more revenue from games than the men's team did. The lawsuit, filed by 28 players alleges that U.S. Soccer pays the women's team less, gives them unequal playing conditions and does not promote their games as much as the men's team. Closing the equal pay gap is the most important possible outcome after this year’s World Cup. The four representatives represent 28 women on the current team and said in a filing last month seeking class-action status that the group could top 50 “when accounting for absent current and former players.” (Bloomburg)
How do you think that the U.S. Soccer Federation could close the pay gap? Do you think that women are discriminated against in sports? If the women do win the lawsuit, what should be the appropriate reparations?
Work Cited
Associated Press. “U.S. Women's Soccer Team Seeks $66 Million in Gender Discrimination Lawsuit.” MarketWatch, MarketWatch, 21 Feb. 2020, www.marketwatch.com/story/the-us-womens-soccer-team-seeks-66-million-in-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-2020-02-21.
Das, Andrew. “U.S. Women's Soccer Team Sets Price for Ending Lawsuit: $67 Million.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Feb. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/sports/soccer/uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit.html.
Kaplan, Emily. “U.S. Women's Soccer Equal Pay Fight: What's the Latest, and What's next?” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 9 Nov. 2019, www.espn.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/27175927/us-women-soccer-equal-pay-fight-latest-next.
Kliegman, Julie. “What's Next for the USWNT and Their Equal Pay Lawsuit?” The Ringer, The Ringer, 13 Aug. 2019, www.theringer.com/2019/8/13/20802004/uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit-nwsl-us-soccer-megan-rapinoe.
“PolitiFact: Does the U.S. Women's Soccer Team Bring in More Revenue but Get Paid Less than the Men?” Tampa Bay Times, www.tampabay.com/nation-world/politifact-does-the-us-womens-soccer-team-bring-in-more-revenue-but-get-paid-less-than-the-men-20190712/.
“U.S. Soccer Says Women Suing Over Pay Make More Than Men.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 2019, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-01/women-suing-for-equal-soccer-pay-make-more-than-men-league-says.
I think the way to close the pay gap is to track all funds and their direct relation with either the men's or women's teams. To me, I believe the pay gap is a cause of two reasons, two different type of payment and contracts for each team, and the difference in prize money for men's teams. I don't believe women are discriminated against in sports according to a pay gap. In 99% of all cases in sports, women's teams and leagues only make a fraction of what men's teams do. If this is that 1% where the women make just as much (if not more) than the men do, then i think something should be fixed, and figured out. I believe the only reparation is to change their contract and have what they want. They can't take money away from the men because that would be violation of contract, but i do think they could change contracts for future payments and allow the women to be paid much more.
ReplyDeleteI think women are discriminated around the sports world. However, I do believe that male sports have more revenue because they are more exciting to watch. This is why I think there is a pay gap in between the two. The more revenue you produce the more you should get paid more. Also, if the women win the lawsuit it will pave the way for them to get paid more money. I also believe that it will make people realize that women sports are just as important and should get paid similar amounts of money compared to male athletes.
ReplyDeleteI believe that women are discriminated against in many sports. I also believe the pay gap is very real. The women´s soccer team should be earning relatively the same as the men´s team. It is unfair that they are winning and doing better than the men´s team and still not making the same as them.. I think that the lawsuit is an important step in closing the gap and making sure women are treated fairly.
ReplyDeleteIn many cases, the excuse for the pay gap is that men's teams make more money than women's teams. This is not the case here. There is no reason that these women should be paid a fraction of what men are taking home if they are bringing in the same revenue, not to mention that the women's team is actually winning games. If the women win this lawsuit, I think it will help to give attention to not only these dominating athletes, but women in general. I hope this lawsuit paves the way to ironing out inequality in the United States.
ReplyDelete