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Author Topic: Five top US women footballers sue for better pay  (Read 4042 times)

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daib0

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Five top US women footballers sue for better pay
« on March 31, 2016, 10:10:17 pm by daib0 »
BBC Sport


Five senior members of the World Cup-winning US football team have filed a lawsuit against the national federation for wage discrimination


Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Hope Solo say they are paid less than half of what the male USA players receive. "The numbers speak for themselves," said goalkeeper Solo in a statement.

The US Soccer Federation said it was disappointed, given the work it had done in building the women's game. American women's football has dominated the international game in recent decades, with a string of titles.

"We are the best in the world, have three World Cup Championships, four Olympic Championships, and the USMNT [men's team] get paid more just to show up than we get paid to win major championships," said Solo. Her team-mate Lloyd, who was named the best player at last year's World Cup, said they had been patient over the years in waiting for action to deliver fair pay.

Former Everton and LA Galaxy winger Landon Donovan - who won 157 caps for the US men's team - tweeted his support for the women's team's cause. "#USWNT absolutely deserve to be treated fairly in all ways," he said. "Important to remember that these issues are/can be collectively bargained."

The lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday morning. One of the lawyers representing the players, Jeffrey Kessler, said the women's game generated more income for US Soccer than the men's and it was time to address the "discriminatory and unfair treatment'' they have endured for years. The five players were acting on behalf of all the players, he said.

There has been an ongoing legal battle between the federation and the players' union over collective bargaining. A statement from US Soccer said it had not yet seen the complaint. But it added: "We have been a world leader in women's soccer and are proud of the commitment we have made to building the women's game in the United States over the past 30 years."



My questions are:

Should women be paid the same for the 'same job'? - for example, in a symphony orchestra it would be inconceivable to have a difference

If not, due to publicity, popularity, and 'skill' levels, what proportion of the men's average pay should women receive? 50% / 66% / 75% / 80% etc.

A special mention here because of your fantastic women's team  :thumbsup:

But should the topic even be touched upon? One might argue that it is for each club or organization to bargain how they see fit. But in  this case surely they will be open to far more law suits.

So ... in a nutshell, what is the solution to all this??



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idler

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Re: Five top US women footballers sue for better pay
« Reply #1 on March 31, 2016, 10:14:51 pm by idler »
 If womens' football generates the same as the male equivalent then expect the same pay.
If it doesn't then where does the money for equal pay come from?   ;)

daib0

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Re: Five top US women footballers sue for better pay
« Reply #2 on March 31, 2016, 11:12:30 pm by daib0 »
If womens' football generates the same as the male equivalent then expect the same pay.
If it doesn't then where does the money for equal pay come from?   ;)

The USA ladies should be paid the same or actually more than there male counterparts.

The USWNT Generates $8million more than the men each year. And that figure will grow again next year.

The ladies play more games than the mens national team.

And are at the top unlike the very very poor mens team,who lost to Guatemala 2-0 on Saturday and were very close to not qualifying for the next worl cup. Let alone win it.

idler

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Re: Five top US women footballers sue for better pay
« Reply #3 on April 01, 2016, 09:00:27 am by idler »
Fair enough then daib0, give them the money.
I think that it will be a long while before the England women's team generates more than our men's team though.

daib0

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Re: Five top US women footballers sue for better pay
« Reply #4 on April 01, 2016, 11:01:42 am by daib0 »
on the other hand, this from an American on my Reading forum:

A few other points to consider: The women, unlike the men, also draw a full-time salary from the federation of up to $72,000 per year regardless of their tournament performance or the hundreds of thousands in bonuses they typically collect, a baseline guarantee the men don't enjoy. They are also compensated by the federation for participating in the National Women's Soccer League. It is not quite as clear-cut as it might appear at first reading. If the women elect to drop those additional compensations so that each group of players are paid the performance bonuses only, then equal bonuses seem appropriate. Otherwise, you're speculating a bit on the value of a salary (and an additional income for participating in the NWSL) that the players are certain to get compared to the value of bonuses that are not guaranteed.

Part of the issue is that the men can make top salaries playing overseas, but the women have not been able to make nearly as much from 'regular' matches and leagues, so those salaries were created to let the women become full-time soccer players, independent of the bonus money. Even with the relative popularity of the women's team and their success, very few have been able to make much from endorsements (Alex Morgan and Hope Solo are exceptions, and I doubt they make as much as Landon Donovan).

graingrover

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Re: Five top US women footballers sue for better pay
« Reply #5 on April 01, 2016, 04:32:15 pm by graingrover »
It will be a long time before the Men 's game in England gets anywhere near the true sporting values ( I nearly said SportsMANship) that you see when you watch Doncaster Belles ' matches . No waving of imagined  yellow card in the referee's face , no rolling on the ground in agony , no foul language . Just like sport should be played .... oh BUT the official body is still the FA unfortunately with their chauvinistic and mercenary values ... hence Belles relegation in favour of Man City ladies two season's ago.
            Belles( unfortunately in my view) are so marked by their past treatment that they seem intent on building a future for the club with as few men a possible involved . They already have a women only Board and General Management and have declared their belief is to develop women coaches . You can't blame them but until such time as the FA gives equal status to men and women in their top decision making councils prejudice will continue .

              Do you know why the Belles changed their name to Doncaster ROVERS Belles ? Because they were told to do so by the FA !!! Yet Rovers has NO financial nor executive links whatsoever with Belles . Rovers are open arms in their willingness to help but Belles remain fiercely independent of the men's club . Not surprising really because they are aiming to do it their way .

 

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