The Women's FIFA World Cup is upon us! And the USA team is absolutely dominating!! They haven't lost a game yet, and even before the World Cup games began, they were sweeping almost every team they played! However, the drama began after their first World Cup game, when they swept Thailand 13-0. They received HUGE backlash for being over enthused because they continued to celebrate goals beyond 6-0.
Now, this controversy has brought up a huge question: Would the male players be treated the same in this situation? And given past history, the answer is clearly no. The issue of inequality and double-standards is not uncommon in soccer, especially within the past few years for the USA women's soccer team— who are still fighting for equal pay.
After hearing that statistic, you may be questioning its truth, and that's understandable. But if you don't take my word on it, look for yourself, and you will easily find other articles that confirm this. And what's more, the women's soccer team, over the past few years, have brought in more revenue than the men's soccer team, yet they are still paid less! Even after winning the last World Cup in 2015, they still have to fight for equal pay for equal work.
These women, being fed up with being treated unfairly, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). According to this lawsuit, between 2013 and 2016 (the period of time in which the women's team won the World Cup!), the players on the women's team were paid a maximum of $4,950 for each non-tournament game they won, while the male players were paid an average of $13,166 for the same thing! In 2017, the USSF and the women's team reached a collective-bargaining agreement that did raise the women's salaries, the pay is still unequal.
So not only are these women being criticized and treated more harshly than their male counterparts ever would be, but they are also not receiving the pay they deserve for all of their hard work and dedication to the game that they love.
If you want to check out a more in-depth report of the lawsuit and what it entails, click here!
