April 1, 2016 5:33 AM

If women want to be paid like men, they should've been born with a penis...or played a sport other than soccer

Five prominent members of the U.S. Women’s National Team have filed a wage discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that governing body U.S. Soccer has illegally and unfairly paid women’s players less than their counterparts on the USMNT, despite the women’s team being more successful and, at the moment, more profitable. The complaint, which was filed by Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Alex Morgan, alleges that, “There are no legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for this gross disparity of wages, nor can it be explained away by any bona fide seniority, merit or incentive system or any factor other than sex.”…. According to the complaint, USWNT players currently take home four times less than their male counterparts…. This filing should be read in the context of the ugly, drawn-out labor war between the women’s team and the USSF, which has manifested itself in battles over games held in stadiums with artificial turf, which the players deem dangerous. A December friendly in Hawaii was canceled, a day after Rapinoe tore her ACL training on the field.

Consider this scenario if you would: You’re a woman who works for a very successful company. The division you work for tailors its goods and service to women, and its’ profitability and success greatly exceeds that of the men’s division. Despite that, you make significantly less money than men doing essentially the work same work without the same results. You might think that’s a textbook example of gender-based wage discrimination…and you’d have a solid case. This is for all intents and purposes the argument being made by the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT). The wage discrimination complaint filed by five players on behalf of USWNT claims that the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) is treated preferentially by the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). The claim alleges, using budget projections obtained from USSF, that the discrimination includes being paid less than members of USMNT and afforded less favorable working conditions.

USWNT, which won the 2015 Women’s Cup (their third), has three more world titles and four more Olympic gold medals than USMNT (which has never won either competition). USWNT is projected (using USSF’s numbers) to generate significantly more revenue in both FY2016 and FY2017 than USMNT. Despite that, USWNT players are paid on average about one-quarter what USMNT players take home. Like the women who filed the wage discrimination complaint against USSF, I believe Americans deserve to know if there’s a valid, rational explanation to be made for this disparity. USSF’s own numbers make a convincing argument that there’s no “bona fide seniority, merit or incentive system or any factor other than sex.”

A more cynical person than myself might conclude that USMNT players are paid more because they’re the ones with the penises…and that the women of USWNT are just going to get married and have babies, anyway. Judging by USSF’s intransigence, that cynicism may well be warranted.

In their complaint — which was submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces civil rights laws against workplace discrimination, on Wednesday — the players requested an investigation of U.S. Soccer. But in taking official action, they also thrust their team into a debate roiling in several sports, notably professional tennis, about equal pay for men and women.

“We have been quite patient over the years with the belief that the federation would do the right thing and compensate us fairly,” Lloyd, the most valuable player of last year’s Women’s World Cup, said in a statement released by the players and Kessler.

Solo was more blunt in the statement, directly comparing the women’s achievements with those of the men’s national team.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Solo said. “We are the best in the world, have three World Cup championships, four Olympic championships, and the U.S.M.N.T. get paid more to just show up than we get paid to win major championships.”

Despite their success on the world stage, USWNT still finds itself regarded by USSF as the sport’s poor relations. USSF thinks nothing of scheduling USWNT matches on substandard fields USMNT would never be expected to set foot on. They’re paid less despite their greater historical success and the fact they generate more revenue. They’ve inspired an entire genuine of female youth soccer players and they’ve helped grow the game in ways USMNT players haven’t and couldn’t. To call them role models for millions of young American girls would be something of an understatement. Then again, they don’t have penises, which I suspect is what makes the difference.

The discrepancy in earnings is arresting. Per espnW, if the women win each of the minimum 20 friendlies they play annually and the men lose the same number of matches, the men’s side would still earn more than the women’s. The men get at least $5,000 for every additional contest they play over that 20-game baseline. The women receive no additional pay.

“In this day and age, it’s about equality,” Solo said. “It’s about equal rights. It’s about equal pay. We’re pushing for that. We believe now the time is right because we believe it’s our responsibility for women’s sports, and specifically for women’s soccer, to do whatever it takes to push for equal pay and equal rights. And to be treated with respect.”

According to the complaint, members of the USWNT earned roughly one-fourth of male players’ earnings in 2015, despite riding their World Cup heroics to almost $20 million more in revenue for U.S. Soccer.

Perhaps it’s time for the men who run USSF to face a work stoppage by USWNT, which is one of the options currently under discussion. With the Olympics just over the horizon, a work stoppage by the reigning World Cup champion would be a huge (but hardly undeserved) black eye for USSF, which seems unable to take USWNT seriously.

The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between USWNT and USSF expired in 2012. Since then, both have operated under a memorandum of understanding that essentially maintains the status quo…which is what USWNT is claiming to be the problem. They contend that USSF hasn’t made a good faith effort to negotiate a new CBA because the status quo serves their interests.

Until now, the women of USWNT have occasionally complained about the discrepancies and unequal treatment vis-a-vis USMNT. They’re tried to play nice and work within the system, but the predominantly male hierarchy at USSF has shown little inclination to take their not at all unreasonable concerns seriously.

Citing budget figures released last month by U.S. Soccer, [lawyer Jeffrey] Kessler said the players contend that they earned as little as 40 percent of what players on the United States men’s national team earned even as they marched to the team’s third world championship last year, and that they were shortchanged on everything from bonuses and appearance fees to per diems.

“This is the strongest case of discrimination against women athletes in violation of law that I have ever seen,” Kessler said.

Here we are in the 21st century, and USSF still sees nothing amiss with treating women like second-class citizens who should be grateful for whatever crumbs are directed their way. Wage discrimination is reprehensible under any circumstances, but it’s especially distressing when the gap between compensation afforded Penis-Americans and Vagina-Americas is so wide. Given that USWNT is projected to generate significantly more revenue for U.S. Soccer over FY2106 and FY2017, there no credible argument to be made for the current state of affairs. I sincerely hope USWNT will prevail and embarrass U.S. Soccer into rectifying an egregiously inequitable situation.

There’s a time and a place when drawing a metaphorical line in the sand is not only appropriate but necessary. USSF has created this situation by refusing to treat USWNT fairly and equitably. My hope is that USSF will come to its senses and do the right thing prior to the Olympic Games this summer. If they continue to drag their feet, however, I would wholeheartedly support whatever action USWNT determines is appropriate. If that includes a work stoppage up to and including boycotting this summer’s Olympic competition, then so be it. It may just be that USSF will continue to ignore the legitimate concerns of USWNT, which means that it may take hitting USSF’s bottom line to be taken seriously.

I hope it won’t come down to a work stoppage, but if that’s what it takes then USWNT will have my wholehearted support. Some things are bigger than the game of soccer- things like equality, fair treatment, and respect, f’rinstance. USWNT has set the example for millions of young women and girls who’ve been inspired to play soccer, especially in the aftermath of last summer’s World Cup championship.

Now it’s time for USWNT to set another example for those same young women and girls. They deserve to expect and receive equal treatment, opportunity, working conditions, and compensation when their time to represent their country comes around. If the current generation doesn’t take a stand, who will?

Erin and I have season tickets to Portland Thorns FC (PTFC) of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The quality of competition in NWSL is arguably the best in the world, and there are five PTFC players who are also members of USWNT. Even with the success of USWNT and the excitement and inspiration generated by them, female professional soccer players still struggle to make a living. For every Alex Morgan, there are far too many talented and accomplished women struggling to make ends meet. Over the past few years, too many young American women have retired from the professional game because they can’t justify putting their lives, families, and earning power on hold in order to continue playing the game they love.

USWNT’s wage discrimination complaint won’t solve all of the problems facing women’s soccer in this country, but it does draw a line in the sand demanding that USSF treat and compensate Vagina-American players in a manner equal to Penis-Americans. It’s about equality. It’s about fairness. It’s about time.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on April 1, 2016 5:33 AM.

For all intensive porpoises, our lawmakers is just like us was the previous entry in this blog.

Some of us were born into this world as a warning to others is the next entry in this blog.

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