The 2015 USWNT with the World Cup trophy (Getty Images)
Five members of the U.S. women’s national soccer team filed complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that U.S. Soccer has paid them far less than male players. Goalie Hope Solo said, “The numbers speak for themselves. We are the best in the world, have three World Cup Championships, four Olympic Championships, and the USMNT get paid more just to show up than we get paid to win major championships.”
Other players involved in the complaint are Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn, and the entire women’s team supports it. Lloyd said, “We have been quite patient over the years with the belief that the federation would do the right thing and compensate us fairly.”
The NY Times reports, “Citing budget figures released last month by U.S. Soccer, [lawyer Jeffrey] Kessler said the players contend that they earned as little as 40 percent of what players on the United States men’s national team earned even as they marched to the team’s third world championship last year, and that they were shortchanged on everything from bonuses and appearance fees to per diems.”
The USWNT earned $2 million in prize money for winning the World Cup last year; Today points out, “Meanwhile, the men’s team, which lost in the World Cup’s Round of 16, earned $9 million. The men’s team that won the tournament, Germany, earned $35 million.”
US women’s soccer players to file suit over pay disparity vs men. Here’s a comparison, per @NYDNSports pic.twitter.com/LOyRb7xgdS
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 31, 2016
Updated pay charts from US Soccer lawsuit — what men get vs what women get (via @AndrewBrandt) pic.twitter.com/gZufLryC9j
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 31, 2016
As for complaints that the USWNT doesn’t earn as much in revenue as USMNT, U.S. Soccer projected USWNT be the top money maker for 2016 and 2017.
U.S. Soccer said in a statement, “While we have not seen this complaint and can’t comment on the specifics of it, we are disappointed about this action. We have been a world leader in women’s soccer and are proud of the commitment we have made to building the women’s game in the United States over the past 30 years.”
In remarks at a White House ceremony, President Barack Obama said of the world champion USWNT team, “This team taught all of America’s children that playing like a girl means being a badass.”
