I am a huge sports fan. Football, basketball, soccer, you name it: if it's competitive, I'm into it. With that being said, I can't even begin to articulate how excited I am for the Olympics in Rio this summer!
The famed Olympic torch will be lit on August 5th, and the games will be taking place until the 21st. The United States will be represented by multiple athletes and while I'll be watching as many as I can, I'm most looking forward to the United States Women's National Soccer Team. Fresh off a historic World Cup win last summer, the USWNT is preparing to shatter even more records by trying to win back to back gold medals in major international tournaments.
In recent years, the wage gap between men and women in the workforce has been in the spotlight. I understood how this difference in pay impacted the people around me. However, it didn't really occur to me that female athletes faced this same type of discrimination.
Picture someone like Serena Williams. She is the number one tennis player in the world, has been a professional athlete since she was a teenager, and is paid less than male athletes in her field despite regularly outperforming them.
After following the success of the USWNT for several years, I was incredibly disappointed when I first learned that they too faced this type of inequality. The United States Men's National Team, which regularly under-performs in major tournaments (the team did not qualify for the Olympics this year), is consistently paid more than the women's team.
In fact, the USMNT received $9 million for losing in the first round of the World Cup, while the USWNT was paid $2 million for winning the entire World Cup.
Is your mind blown yet?
What if I told you that the men's team receives $5000 for a loss in a friendly match, while the women are not paid at all for losses?
Your mind is definitely blown now, because mine sure is.
Following their World Cup win over Japan, the USWNT and veteran players including Hope Solo, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd filed a lawsuit against U.S. soccer regarding this wage gap. While the team is not legally allowed to strike during the Olympics, the athletes are making it clear that they want their voices to be heard.
The "Equal Play, Equal Pay" campaign was recently launched by the USWNT with the intention of bringing awareness to the public.
The shirts shown in the above photo are currently being sold online, and all proceeds will go directly to the National Women's Soccer League. That's right, the women have a professional league just like the men, and are paid significantly less than MLS athletes.
I'll wrap this up now by saying that in addition to being incredible athletes, the members of the USWNT are more than just soccer players. They are positive role models who use their status as professional athletes to shine a light on important social justice issues like sexism, racism and LGBTQ rights.
When I watch the Olympics in August, I will be rooting for this team because they are wonderful examples of hard work and compassion, and deserve to be treated fairly. I stand with them in their fight for equality, and I invite you to do the same.
Change happens when people work together and stand up for what they believe in.
If you'd like to support the USWNT as they compete in Rio, their first group stage match against New Zealand takes place on August 3rd. The game will air at 6 PM on NBCSN!
