USWNT sues U.S. Soccer for gender discrimination just three months before World Cup
By Jordan Small
The defending women’s World Cup champion United States women’s national team has sued U.S. Soccer.
On Friday morning, the New York Times reported that the 28 players from the 2015 World Cup team have sued the U.S. Soccer Federation on grounds of gender discrimination. They are citing not only pay disputes but training and playing conditions, among other issues. This is a serious step forward for the women’s team in their fight for equal pay, something they’ve been working towards for quite some time.
In March of 2016, five USWNT players filed action with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in regards to the pay dispute. Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo, and Becky Sauerbrunn were arguing that despite recent results, the USWNT were making nearly four times less than the men’s team. With three years without concrete changes being made after the EEOC filing, the players have decided to bring up a lawsuit, ending the EEOC complaint. The lawsuit seeks to represent any player that has played for the USWNT since February 4, 2015. They are hoping to be awarded back pay and damages.
The timing of this is definitely interesting. First, the report of this suit comes on International Women’s Day. This is a day when women are recognized for all of their accomplishments in the world. The USWNT is the most successful women’s soccer team in the world and yet they are still not compensated the same as the men’s team, who failed to even qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Then there is the issue of the upcoming World Cup. On June 11, just three months away, the USWNT will open their title defense in France. It is still early, but it will be interesting to see what the response is by the Federation.
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In 2017, the U.S. women’s hockey team went through a similar battle with USA Hockey. The women were demanding equal treatment as the men’s team. They wanted the same equipment, staff, and travel accommodations. With the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship coming up, the team was prepared to sit out the competition in protest. The dispute lasted 15 months but terms were agreed to just prior to the tournament.
While this doesn’t seem like an option for the soccer team, it will be interesting to see how they choose to buckle down in order to force U.S. Soccer’s hand in the fight.