According to a recent Seton Hall Sports Poll sponsored by the Sharkey Institute and the Stillman School of Business, 91 percent of women think women should receive equal pay for playing soccer, while only 74 percent of men agree. Similar results were found for professional sports: 79 percent believe equal pay should be the norm, while only 59% agree. This is progress, but it's still not 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 the award. Alex Morgan is the team's representative and she won the Best Female Athlete Award.
The 2019 ESPY Awards saw the United States Women's National Soccer Team take center stage. Bullock presented a Best Team Award to Megan Rapinoe's team, who was also the Golden Boot Award recipient at the FIFA Women's World Cup. Sandra Bullock, in monochrome black, accompanied Megan Rapinoe, wearing a double-breasted jacket and flapper-styled tassels.
Alex Morgan
It's still a long way before the United States women’s team earns the same amount as their male counterparts. There are steps to be taken in order to attain equal pay for women soccer players in the United States and other nations. Cherita Ellens from Women Employed, CEO, says that women currently earn 80c for every dollar made by men. Ellens believes that the women's team will eventually be paid equal wages for equal work. Ellens hopes that the players will contribute to this effort in order to make it a real possibility.
Equal pay can be subjective. For example, the men's World Cup team in 2015 should have won, and the women's squad should have also won. The men's team deserves to be rewarded equally, but that doesn't mean women's teams should not be recognized. Women's team players are competing for more games then the men's. They have had to work much harder to keep up. The World Cups prizes are no exception. Not all players are called up to every camp. How many games each team plays and injuries all play into who gets called up.
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. If they play the same number games, both men and women will be paid the same amount in home and overseas.
Cone, who was a former member of the women's national team, stated in September that he would not sign any contract with any team offering less prize money. A deal was reached on Tuesday, and the women's union expressed its support. The lawyers of the men's Union were present for the negotiations. The women players association congratulated all the players on their victories 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 biggest pay gap for soccer is in the prize money. The 2022 FIFA World Cup will feature nearly $440 million of prize money for men, and $30 million for women. Five women's soccer players filed a recent lawsuit to demand equal pay. The players claim their wages are four times lower than their male counterparts. Equal pay for soccer women is long overdue. But why is it still a problem.
There are many reasons that women and men earn different salaries. Women have always had to compete with men in order to survive. Nevertheless, the difference in compensation has been significant. The USSF has never been transparent with its employees about their salaries. This is especially true for women on its staff. This is why they have been so active in public relations. A USSF spokesman told Reuters that the organization has a "strong commitment" to equal pay for all players.