A recent Seton Hall Sports Poll sponsored and conducted by the Sharkey Institute/The Stillman School of Business found that 91% of women believe men should pay equal amount for playing soccer. However, only 74% of men agree. Also, 79% believe equal pay should apply to professional sports while only 59% agree. While this is definitely a step in the right direction, it still needs to be a reality.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock, along with other female sports stars, called for equal pay at the U.S. women's World Cup. Many men in sports are also being underpaid, even though they are not the only ones who are female. The Best Team Award was won by the US Women's National Team at the 2018 Women's World Cup. Bullock presented Bullock with the award. Alex Morgan, who was awarded the Best Female Athlete award, is representing the team.
The United States Women's National Soccer Team occupied the centre stage at 2019 ESPY Award. Bullock presented a Best Team Award (to Megan Rapinoe), the Golden Boot Award Winner of the FIFA Women's World Cup. Sandra Bullock wore monochrome black and accompanied Megan Rapinoe in a double-breasted jacket adorned with flapper-style flapper tassels.
Alex Morgan
The United States women's soccer team still has a lot of work to do before it earns the same salary as its male counterparts. Equal pay for women in soccer is an important goal, both in the United States as well as other countries. However, there are some steps we can take to make it happen. Women currently earn 80 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to Cherita Ellens, CEO of Women Employed. Ellens says this is still a significant gap but is optimistic that women's teams will eventually attain equal pay for equal work. Ellens hopes that the players will contribute to this effort in order to make it a real possibility.
Equal pay is subjective. If the men's team won 2015's World Cup, then the women's team should also have won it. The men's team deserves to be rewarded equally, but that doesn't mean women's teams should not be recognized. The women's teams have played in more games than their male counterparts. They have had much more to do to keep up. The World Cups have a lot of prize money. However, not all players are selected for each camp. What factors into who plays where? Injury, coaching decisions, and how many games each side plays are all important.
U.S. Soccer
An historic agreement was reached by the USSF with soccer unions to guarantee equal pay for both men and women playing soccer. This agreement guarantees that both sides receive equal pay and share in the prize money earned at World Cups. The agreement also stipulates that women and men will receive equal pay at non-World Cup tournaments. The same amount of money will be earned at home and abroad for men and woman, so long as they play equal numbers of games.
Cone, a former woman's national team player, said in September that he wouldn't sign a contract for any team that didn’t offer equal prize money. On Tuesday, Cone reached a deal and the women's association supported it. Lawyers were present at the negotiations by the men's union. The women's players association congratulated players for winning the battle against gender discrimination. Leaders of the women's football players' union stated that they would continue holding U.S. Soccer accountable.
United States Women’s National Team
The prize money in soccer has the largest pay gap. Men's teams compete for nearly $440 million in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while women compete for just $30 million. Five female soccer stars have sued to demand equal pay. They claim that their wages are fourfold lower than those of their male counterparts. Equal pay for women in soccer is long overdue. Why is it still a problem though?
There are many causes for the disparity in women's and men's salaries. In order to survive, women have traditionally had to compete for wages with men. The difference in pay has been significant. USSF has not always been transparent about their salaries. Women on its team are no exception. Their recent public relations blitz reflects this. A USSF spokesperson told Reuters that the organisation has a "strong dedication" to equal pay.