Star players take on U.S. Soccer's gender wage gap
Five members of the US Women鈥檚 National Soccer Team have filed a federal complaint charging the United States Soccer Federation with wage discrimination, saying they are paid far less than their counterparts on the men鈥檚 national team.
The players 鈥� Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn 鈥� say that despite the team鈥檚 status as the reigning Women鈥檚 World Cup and Olympic champion, they are than the US men鈥檚 national team.
They say the disparity is particularly galling as the women鈥檚 national team is a driving economic force for the U.S. Soccer Federation, the sport鈥檚 governing body in the United States, producing nearly $20 million in revenue in 2015, according to the federation's most recent financial report.
"We have proven our worth over the years," Ms. Lloyd on NBC's "Today," adding, "The pay disparity between the men and the women is just too large."
In their complaint, filed Wednesday with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that enforces civil rights laws barring workplace discrimination, the players state they were paid far less for everything from bonuses and appearance fees to per diems.
In one example, players on the men鈥檚 team have received between $5,000 and $17,625 for each game they play beyond the 20 friendly matches they're required to play in a year, while players on the women's team have received nothing for additional games, the EEOC filing says, .
The complaint, which calls for an investigation of U.S. Soccer, comes amid a growing battle about equal pay for male and female athletes in several sports, including .
"This is the strongest case of discrimination against women athletes in violation of law that I have ever seen," Jeffrey Kessler, the players' lawyer, . Though five players signed the complaint, they鈥檝e said they are filing with the EEOC on behalf of the entire team.
The complaint is the latest step in an escalating battle between U.S. Soccer and the women鈥檚 national team.
"This is not only about equal pay 鈥� we get paid less than half of our male counterparts 鈥� but also equal treatment. We deserve to play in top-notch, grass-only facilities like the U.S. Men鈥檚 National Team, not dangerous turf fields," on her Facebook page today, referring to the fact that all of the women's World Cup games in 2015聽 in Canada. "We want to have decent travel accommodations. We have dedicated our lives to this sport and our country and we love soccer and our fans. We think it鈥檚 high time for employers to truly address the inequality and do not only what is fair, but what is right."
The two sides have been involved in an increasingly bitter dispute over the collective bargaining agreement the women鈥檚 national team negotiated with U.S. Soccer, which can include how much players are paid.
"While we have not seen this complaint and can鈥檛 comment on the specifics of it," U.S. Soccer said in a statement, "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鈥檚 game in the United States over the past 30 years."
The women's team maintains its agreement has expired, while U.S. Soccer argues that the agreement is still in effect through the end of 2016 because of a memorandum of understanding the two sides signed in 2013.
In February, , U.S. Soccer filed suit against the women's national team in federal court in Chicago to resolve the dispute. Oral arguments in that case are expected to begin May 25, according to Sports Illustrated.
Mr. Kessler, a prominent sports lawyer who has a number of players鈥� unions and athletes (including football players Tom Brady and Ray Rice) in disputes with professional leagues, noted that the men's and women's teams have "identical work requirements."
"We continue to be told we should be grateful just to have the opportunity to play professional soccer, to get paid for doing it," said Ms. Solo, a goalkeeper and two-time Olympic goal medalist who has been playing for the team since 2000, in the "Today" interview on Thursday.
"We believe now the time is right because we believe it's our responsibility for women's sports and specifically for women's soccer to do whatever it takes to push for equal pay and equal rights. And to be treated with respect," she added.
