The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team sued the USSF on March 8, 2019, for gender discrimination, blowing up the sport’s body for reportedly making “lip service” to gender equality and issued obviously more pay to the decidedly less successful men’s team. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court on International Women’s Day, comes after years of battles from the USWNT for equal pay and conditions.
“In reality, the USSF has utterly failed to promote gender equality”, the lawsuit says. “It has stubbornly refused to treat its female employees who are members of the women’s national team equally to its male employees who are members of the men’s national team.” The lawsuit claims, “has paid only lip service to gender equality and continues to practice gender-based discrimination against its champion female employees on the WNT in comparison to its less successful male employees on the MNT.”
“Despite the fact that these female and male players are called upon to perform the same job responsibilities on their teams and participate in international competitions for their single common employer, the USSF, the female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts,” the suit says. “This is true even though their performance has been superior to that of the male players – with the female players, in contrast to male players, becoming world champions.”
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The U.S. men’s soccer team did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Their best finish was third place in 1930. The U.S. women’s team, on the other hand, has won the World Cup three times in 1991, 1999, 2015 and the gold medal at the Olympics four times, most recently in 2012. The 28 members of the 2015 winning team are all named as plaintiffs and the suit requests action status to represent players who have been on the team since February of that year. The WNT earned more than three times less than the MNT while performing demonstrably better. The suit says that female players earned $15,000 for making the World Cup team in 2013.
On the other hand, men earned $55,000 for making the team in 2014 and $68,750 in 2018. “The pay for advancement through the rounds of the World Cup was so skewed that, in 2014, the USSF provided the MNT with performance bonuses totaling $5,375,000 for losing in the Round of 16, while, in 2015, the USSF provided the WNT with only $1,725,000 for winning the entire tournament,” the lawsuit reads. “The WNT earned more than three times less than the MNT while performing demonstrably better.” The lawsuit cites not just pay, but also the denial of “at least equal playing, training, and travel conditions; equal promotion of their games; equal support and development for their games; and other terms and conditions of employment.” That the women’s team, but not the men’s, was subjected to playing on turf fields was a regular issue between athletes and U.S. Soccer.
In 2017, the women’s team reached an agreement with the USSF after filing a complaint with the United States EEOC overpay. The agreement included direct and bonus pay increases equal to the men’s team, as well as improved travel and financial support for pregnant or adopting players. It also included improvements in National Women’s Soccer League standards.
In February, the EEOC issued the soccer players a “right to sue,” the new lawsuit indicates, which is required to sue for discrimination under federal law.
My overall opinion on this article is that I do agree that the NWSL deserves more pay due to the fact that the men’s soccer team isn’t doing as well as the women’s but they get more pay. This to me is considered as sexism and suing for gender discrimination is valid. Women are no less than men are and since they are both soccer teams playing for the United States they should get equal pay. But in all, women need more pay than what the men are making. They’ve won more games and competitions.
Not many people pay attention to the women’s league as well, the men’s soccer team is very popular, in which I am happy for them to be having their side of the popularity, but I’m sure if the women’s team would have gotten that same equality of fame this problem would be resolved or somewhat fixed.
