The Women's National Soccer Team

Members of the United States Women’s National Soccer team (U.S. Women’s Team) are speaking up about issues concerning wage-discrimination. Despite their incredible success in the previous years, their compensation is a significantly lesser amount than the United States Men’s National Soccer team. In 2015, the U.S. Women’s Team claims they generated nearly $20 million more in revenue than the U.S. Men’s Team and yet they were paid less. For being champions in the 2015 FIFA Wold Cup, the Women’s Soccer Team received a payout of $2 million dollars. But when compared to the victories of the U.S. Men’s Team, the numbers are very far from being equal. In the 2014 World Cup, the Men’s Soccer Team finished in 11th place but compensated at a considerably
higher amount of $9 million. The pay discrepancies between the women’s team versus men’s teams, promoted five soccer players on the U.S. Women’s National Team to file a wage bias complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC is responsible for enforcing laws about civil rights. The five soccer players – Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn – are the names that appear on the complaint. They claim to represent the entire U.S. Women’s Team in speaking up for their rights and the pay they feel that they deserve.
“The numbers speak for themselves. We are the best in the world, have three World Cup championships, four Olympic championships.” Hope Solo, who is the U.S. Women’s Team goalkeeper. Solo also stated that the men on the U.S. team “get paid more just to show up than we get paid to win major championships.” The U.S.
Soccer Federation sets up collective bargaining agreements with both the women and men’s teams, but within those agreements, the financial terms differ widely. For example, when a male player loses in a match, they are paid $5,000 and when they win against a top opponent they can receive as much as $17,625. When comparing a female player, if they win in a similar match they only receive $1,350, yet the women receive no pay if they lose. The women on the soccer team believe that it is now their time to speak up on something that has been an ongoing issue. The U.S. Soccer Federation claims that some of the figure discrepancies which surround the EEOC complaint are “inaccurate, misleading or both.” Arguments against the pay disparities between the U.S. Women’s and U.S. Men’s soccer teams include that many different factors that go into play when comparing the compensation of players, such as the revenue each team generates. Arguing that the reason why men’s sports and players deserve higher pay is because they “draw bigger crowds and make far more money in ticket sales and corporate sponsorships.” The U.S. Women’s team rebuts this argument by claiming that they generated almost $20 million more in revenue in 2015 than the U.S. men’s teams. Also, in 2015, 25.4 million people tuned in to watch the 2015 FIFA World Cup final game, which made it the most-watched soccer match in the history of this
country. “Title IX protects individuals from discrimination based on sex in educational programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance. Under the law, the definition of educational programs and events considers athletic programs. What does the U.S. Women’s team have to prove to be successful in the E.E.O.C. claim against the U.S. Soccer Federation? Since this is a case concerning equal pay, the U.S. Women’s Team needs to prove that when compared to the U.S. Men’s Team, they are working “in substantially similar jobs with the same employer yet they are receiving different compensation.” (www.campbelllawobserver.com) The U.S.
Soccer Federation released a statement saying that they are open and committed to negotiating new agreements that directly address the compensation that the women players are getting paid. But their report does not directly address pay discrepancy. Hopefully, the action taken by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team will help with raising the awareness about pay discrimination and unequal justice. As discussed above, the EEOC has a significant impact on the application in the world of sports. The EEOC, a federal agency, enforces civil right laws. Complaints investigated by the EEOC result as a finding. The EEOC issues the finding; the complaining party can use this information to pursue further action. Looking back to the wage separation claims, while these charges don't present any new or novel issues of law (other than long-standing EPA point of reference). This case highlights the resurgence of EPA cases, situated in large part on support to close the national sexual orientation remuneration crevice from everybody from renowned Hollywood performing artists to presidential competitors, and now, soccer stars. At the time, the decision is pending in the EEOC complaint. The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team still contend energetically for equal pay. This stance has not changed. The team appears to stay energized because the battle remains the same and as have a morally justified feeling to fight for something. The fact remains the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team must
persuade U.S. Soccer that they merit equal pay. The right to equal pay is a right and needs to expand across the board. It is time to treat women in sports with a similarly esteemed value they deserve.