U.S. women’s soccer players deserve a big raise

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Catapulted by its World Cup championship, the U.S. women’s soccer team generated nearly $20 million in revenue for U.S. soccer last year.

The team’s popularity skyrocketed. The championship game against Japan drew more than 25 million television viewers to Fox, slightly more than for Game 7 of the 2014 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants.

Yet, the women earned significantly less than members of the men’s national soccer team. In international exhibition games, known as friendlies, women got $1,350 each for victories and zilch for losses. Men got $5,000 apiece for losses and as much as $17,625 for victories.

There is no doubt the Chicago-based U.S. Soccer Federation is behind the curve in recognizing the achievements of the women’s team. The women deserve better pay based on their market value, which has come a long way since 1991, when they won the inaugural women’s World Cup. U.S. women have won three World Cup titles in the last 25 years; the men have done no better than the quarterfinals in that time.

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The top women’s players in America are demanding better pay. The sport’s household names — Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe — have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over wage discrimination, a first step to sue the soccer federation. They have succeeded in shocking some observers over the gross disparity in pay, even though we shouldn’t be surprised. On average, women across America make 79 cents for each dollar made by a man.

U.S. Soccer says wages will be up for renegotiation at the end of the year. A collective bargaining agreement between the federation and players’ union expired in 2012, and the federation says a memorandum of understanding has since been in place. The union says there is no understanding. The two sides are in litigation over this in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

A victory in court for the women will open the door for a players’ strike — or the threat of one — and likely more generous pay because players will have leverage with the Olympics right around the corner. The U.S. women reign supreme at the Olympics. They have won gold medals in the last three Olympic Games. If the women lose in court, they will have to wait until December for a new contract.

It is appropriate for pay to be determined by market forces. Nobody expects women’s basketball players in the WNBA to be paid like Jimmy Butler of the Bulls, but this is a case where traditional gender bias is slowing up fairness.

Federations that govern sports should promote fair play, including on pay. The U.S. Olympic Committee gives Americans who win Olympic gold medals $25,000, whether it’s LeBron James or women’s swimming sensation Missy Franklin.

Complaints by women’s soccer players go beyond the wage gap. They get less than the men for their meal or spending allowance while on the road. Women have complained about shoddy playing conditions. Last year they refused to play a game in Hawaii because the artificial turf was in bad shape and they worried about sustaining injuries.

A national federation, charged with looking out for its players, should do better.

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