US women's team files wage-discrimination action vs. US Soccer

[n2doc]

Source: ESPN

Five members of the US women's national soccer team -- including Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan -- have filed on behalf of the entire team a wage-discrimination action against the US Soccer Federation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The filing, citing figures from the USSF's 2015 financial report, says that despite the women's team generating nearly $20 million more revenue last year than the US men's team, the women are paid almost four times less.

"Recently, it has become clear that the Federation has no intention of providing us equal pay for equal work," said Megan Rapinoe in a press release, after also attaching her name to the filing along with Becky Sauerbrunn.

The action was filed by the law firm of Winston & Strewn and its co-chairman Jeffrey Kessler, who has represented numerous players' unions and athletes -- including Tom Brady and Ray Rice -- in disputes with professional leagues and organizations.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/espnw/sports/article/15102506/women-national-team-files-wage-discrimination-action-vs-us-soccer-federation

[Depaysement]

1. Leverage in the CBA negotiations

Good on them.

[MowCowWhoHow III]

2. If pay was performance based the women's team should be paid more

US Women's & Men's Soccer: A World Cup of Difference

WASHINGTON — The U.S. women's soccer team is a powerhouse on the world stage.

The American women just won a record third FIFA World Cup, beating Japan Sunday in Vancouver, Canada, in demonstrative fashion, 5-2. That record is startling considering that international football is far from the most popular professional sport in the United States. Plus, the U.S. women have never finished out of the top three teams since the women's World Cup debuted in 1991, and have never missed out on the Olympic gold medal since winning silver in Sydney, Australia in 2000.

The U.S. men's team, in comparison, lags behind perennial football juggernauts such as Germany, Argentina, the Netherlands and Brazil. The American men have never even made it to the semifinals in the modern era of World Cup competition, and only made it to the quarterfinals once, in 2002.

So why is there such a disparity in success between the two U.S. teams?

http://www.voanews.com/content/us-womens-and-mens-soccer-a-world-cup-of-difference/2856121.html

[n2doc]

3. Exactly! n/t

[dembotoz]

4. so very very true

[Roland99]

8. I heard about this morning. My first thought was they don't generate the same ad/licensing revenue..

after seeing this, wow...yeah.. they are getting shafted!!

[Travis_0004]

15. They had the world cup in 2015. The men did not.

In 2016 the men will probably be higher, and in 2018 the men will be significantly higher. The women will likely bring in more revenue in 2019, but over a 4 year span I think the men have always brought in more revenue.

[Bob41213]

26. I believe your statement is correct.

Just heard on the radio about this today. Heard the tail end, but the gist of what I heard was:

Yes, if you pick one year the women make more because you are skipping the biggest money maker in the world (The World Cup).

If you look at a 4 year average. The men generate many times more money (4-6x was thrown out there).

[NobodyHere]

14. It's not about performance on the field

It's putting asses in seats and eyeballs on the screen.

Revenue from the men's world cup is far far greater than revenue from the women's world cup.

[Dont call me Shirley]

18. It's about the women working just as hard as the men and DESERVE EQUAL PAY!

[davidn3600]

19. Sports doesn't work that way

Should WNBA players get the same money as men NBA players? Even though the NBA gets 10 times the viewers and audience?

You'll be asking men to give up a vast amount of their money they are generating on their own. You think that is fair?

[Dont call me Shirley]

21. Yup. It's about time women get the same pay for the same amount of work.

[davidn3600]

22. But that's the thing, they want equal pay for LESS work

Women's World Cup tournament is shorter than the men's World Cup. They don't have to play as many matches and the competition level is lower.

Just like in tennis, women get equal prize money but they only have to play 3 sets while the men play 5 sets.

Is that fair?

[Dont call me Shirley]

25. Equal pay for equal work, per game. That is fair.

[Ace Rothstein]

27. That's not how the real world works.

If you are in sales and you have two people putting the same effort in while one makes sale after sale and the other does not, they aren't going to be paid the same. It is all about who is bringing the most revenue in, that's who is going to get paid.

[Dont call me Shirley]

28. "That's not how the real world works"...

The new catchphrase for everything that's fucked up.

[NobodyHere]

23. Surely you can't be serious

If you pay the women soccer players the same as the men then you'll bankrupt women's soccer.

[Recursion]

5. The US has the absolute best women's soccer team in world history

Their World Cup performances leave no doubt.

We have a fair to middling (closer to middling) men's soccer program.

This speaks for itself in the revenues.

Women's soccer has carried men's soccer in the US for a while, and will continue to, but the athletes who actually do the carrying deserve to get paid.

[fbc]

7. Define "carry"

"Women's soccer has carried men's soccer in the US for a while"

What does this mean?

Men's soccer is the most popular sport in the world. The US men can't compete at the highest levels because it's just not that popular here. Women's soccer is the opposite situation. The US women dominate because women's soccer is much more popular here than in the rest of the world.

But how does that equate to the women's team "carrying" the men's team? What benefit does the men's team receive from having a strong women's team?

[fbc]

6. This doesn't sound like the whole story to me.

Of course the women's team made more than the men's team last year, there was a women's World Cup. Does the men's team make more than the women's team when there is a men's World Cup? Of course. By a much, much larger margin.

Should WNBA players make the same as NBA players when their sport brings in a tiny fraction of the money the NBA brings in?

Unfortunately, while women's soccer is big here in the US, in the rest of the world it's more of a NBA/WNBA situation. And that's where most of the money is coming from, not from gate receipts from the few friendlies both teams play.

Should the women make more than they do? Maybe? But they've got a union that negotiated the contract. They aren't without representation here.

[Roland99]

10. Then why not make the salaries dependent upon revenues generated and if there's a World Cup or not?

seems fair, eh?

Make it bonus, perhaps, if they win the World Cup, but this seems a huge slap in the face, for this year in particular.

[fbc]

11. I'd say that's a good idea.

The players union should negotiate a contract like that.

[Roland99]

12. Perhaps it's time for some new union leaders, too, eh?

[JudyM]

9. Hopefully they'll win and get retroactive pay. Glad to see they retained a good law firm. nt

[fbc]

13. Here's an idea if you want to support women's soccer

Go to the games. Not just the women's national team games, but the NWSL games.

The highest attendance ever at a NWSL game is 21,144. That's 500 less than the average attendance at a Major League soccer game. Average attendance at NWSL games is less than 5,000. (source: wikipedia)

If you really support women's soccer, try supporting it at the box office and not just with internet comments.

[NobodyHere]

24. This

+1

[threethirteen]

16. um, they are doing the same job. That's all that counts.

But they did have representation when the contracts were negotiated. So this will be interesting to watch.

[davidn3600]

17. Sorry, but professional sports wages is not based on performance....it's ratings

And that's why the women's team is trying hard to limit the debate to the US market where soccer isn't very popular. Soccer is mainly an international sport. And there is no question when you compare the men and women on the global stage, the men blow the doors off the women's game with revenue. The US men's team doesn't have very good ratings in this country, that's true, but the men's side of soccer provides massive ratings on the world stage. And that global number is what the money is being based on....not just the American market.

The women's tournament is also shorter in duration. And it's competition level is shallower than the men.

Are we suggesting that WNBA players make the same as Men's NBA players? The WNBA by itself doesn't bring in the money for that. You want the men to give up the money they are bringing in so women can mooch off it and claim equality?

And if you want to support women's sports....go to the games. Don't just bitch and moan on message boards. You need to go to the games and watch it. Professional sports is based on RATINGS. 100%.

[musiclawyer]

20. This is a CBA leverage /shaming exercise

It's not about winning an EEOC case. Why? Because it's apples v oranges. Yes the women on the USWNT are underpaid by the Federation. It's their main income. Income from club ball is peanuts or nothing at all

By contrast the men on the USMNT get paid, usually via bonus, for being called up to the team. There are incentives for winning But the men all get paid their main income by their clubs NOT from national team duty

It's apples and oranges . The tv revenue and overall income generate by the USWNT is relevant only in showing the "degree" to which the ladies deserve more income from the Federation.

You don't see the ladies saying they are underpaid for playing on their clubs. That's truly an apples to apples comparison. But they won't do that because it's risible in that the highest tier womens' club teams either make zero money, or barely break even. The highest tier men's club teams making exponentially more money and revenue from different sources and can thus afford to pay higher salaries.