News U.S. Soccer, USWNT, USMNT agree to historic equal pay deals (1 Viewer)

Saint_Ward

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I just noticed this tonight. Good for them. Hope it helps build the game too.


The U.S. Soccer Federation and its men's and women's national teams agreed to side-by-side collective bargaining agreements that will equalize pay and vindicate the women in their years-long battle with the federation over inequities.

The two deals, which run through 2028, will pay men's and women's players on "identical" terms, the federation and the two players unions announced Wednesday. They will also equalize World Cup prize money, clearing a major barrier that had perpetuated inequality and still does elsewhere around the globe.

And whereas previous labor agreements positioned the USMNT and USWNT as competitors for finite resources, the new agreements position the men and women as partners on a joint mission: to raise soccer's profile in the United States, and capitalize financially as they do.

The deals come three months after dozens of women's players and U.S. Soccer settled a gender discrimination lawsuit that had strained the relationship between the federation and its most successful team. The settlement netted the women $24 million, and came with a promise of equal pay.
 
Money is respect. For too long, a U.S. women’s soccer player opened a paycheck that told her she was cut-rate merchandise and that her gold medals were cheap.
Finally, the U.S. women’s national team members will be properly valued as the national treasures they are.

The new “identical compensation” deal for the U.S. soccer teams — negotiated in mutual agreement with their male counterparts — will pay the women equal salaries and World Cup bonuses.

It’s a revolutionary deal, and that’s only fitting because it took a revolt to get here. Don’t ever forget how hard it was to win such a basic contract.


It took 25 years, strikes and work stoppages, and a rebellious, siege-like lawsuit — all to win simple, fair fiscal recognition of an unprecedentedly achieving women’s squad, winner of four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals, which has blown the door open to a fresh worldwide audience that pours new dollars into old suit pockets.

No more devaluing pittances of 38 cents on the dollar for women who win trophies while men make exponentially more for losing in the group stage.

No more paychecks that read like personal insults from their intransigent federation. In 1996, the women’s Olympic gold medal team “made about $10 a day,” Julie Foudy recalled.

When players asked for bonuses, a soccer official told them, “Don’t be greedy,” and suggested they should be happy they got a jersey that said “USA” on it.

Three years later, they packed the Rose Bowl and beat China to win the 1999 World Cup — and believed they were entitled to a modest raise, especially after the federation signed a $120 million deal with Nike.

So, going into the 2000 Olympics, the women asked for $5,000 per month, up from $3,150. The federation balked. When Foudy and Mia Hamm rallied the team to stage a strike, one soccer official said dismissively, “They’re currently unemployed.”

Only when the women threatened to skip the entire Olympics did they win their measly raise. “They have essentially ignored our successes over the past three years — including a World Cup win and an Olympic gold medal,” team captain Carla Overbeck said then.

By 2015, the Women’s World Cup final was the most-watched soccer game ever on a U.S. network, men’s or women’s — more Americans watched it than the NBA Finals — and it spurred a $20 million boost in revenue for the federation.

Yet the federation was still dealing out petty fiscal insults. It gave the women just $60 per day in meal allowance while paying the men $75.

This time, when the women complained and asked for more equitable terms, officials called them “irrational” — as if they were hysterics.


They filed a federal discrimination suit — and fought that legal battle for six years while still raking in the medals……

 
Obviously needed to happen years ago - but glad it finally happened

It will be interesting bc the USWNT is in a bit of a transition period
The Alex Morgan (et al) era is mostly done - they stayed together for awhile
A new group is emerging (including Dennis Rodman’s kid), but they’re young - plus a newish coach finding his way
If there are some bobbles in the early going I’m sure the new contract will be 65% of what is discussed
 
I want to be optimistic about this and genuinely hope it succeeds. That said, what is going to matter is will soccer fans fully embrace women's soccer? I hope so, but ultimately it's going to be about pulling in fans which in turn pulls in the ad dollars.
 
I thought I had read that the ratings for the womens matches were comparable to the mens

Is that right?
 
I want to be optimistic about this and genuinely hope it succeeds. That said, what is going to matter is will soccer fans fully embrace women's soccer? I hope so, but ultimately it's going to be about pulling in fans which in turn pulls in the ad dollars.
USWNT is fully embraced
NWSL seems to have a smart growth plan (they just need to clean up some of the boardroom culture- but what doesn’t)?
But it suffers from the same clunky thing MLS does - no consistent plan to promote and showcase (tv) domestic soccer
 
I thought I had read that the ratings for the womens matches were comparable to the mens

Is that right?
Yes

Because they dominate when they play. Fairweather fans will always tune in to watch a winner.
 
USWNT is fully embraced
NWSL seems to have a smart growth plan (they just need to clean up some of the boardroom culture- but what doesn’t)?
But it suffers from the same clunky thing MLS does - no consistent plan to promote and showcase (tv) domestic soccer
Well, that is part of it. I mean, serious question, who watches women's pro soccer? I watch the national team occasionally, but I know nothing of women's pro soccer.
 
Well, that is part of it. I mean, serious question, who watches women's pro soccer? I watch the national team occasionally, but I know nothing of women's pro soccer.
I’ve seen maybe 2 matches this year - maybe one more MLS match
And it’s not for lack of trying
I listen to two different soccer podcasts- one mostly Euro with some domestic mixed in; the other entirely domestic- so I know what’s going on in each league, it’s just very seldom on tv (only on espn if a shot makes top 10)
 
I’ve seen maybe 2 matches this year - maybe one more MLS match
And it’s not for lack of trying
I listen to two different soccer podcasts- one mostly Euro with some domestic mixed in; the other entirely domestic- so I know what’s going on in each league, it’s just very seldom on tv (only on espn if a shot makes top 10)
Yep. ESPN used to air a lot of the MLS games back in the day and I actually watched more of the indoor league than the regular soccer. I don't know if there's enough interest to really get soccer into a top 3 sport in the US in terms of TV, but I think interest has grown in recent years, but I'm not sure if it's enough for the women to really be more visible on the national stage.

And tbh, I haven't really taken an interest in soccer outside of the national teams.
 
Yep. ESPN used to air a lot of the MLS games back in the day and I actually watched more of the indoor league than the regular soccer. I don't know if there's enough interest to really get soccer into a top 3 sport in the US in terms of TV, but I think interest has grown in recent years, but I'm not sure if it's enough for the women to really be more visible on the national stage.

And tbh, I haven't really taken an interest in soccer outside of the national teams.
MLS splits rights between espn, fox and Uni - espn tries to push fans to espn+; I can’t even tell you what fox tries to do, their soccer broadcasts across all leagues has been a giant clusterbleep

If you added Gala/Uni, et al to the tallies, I bet soccer is already top three in viewership
 
MLS splits rights between espn, fox and Uni - espn tries to push fans to espn+; I can’t even tell you what fox tries to do, their soccer broadcasts across all leagues has been a giant clusterbleep

If you added Gala/Uni, et al to the tallies, I bet soccer is already top three in viewership
Maybe in some TV markets, but nationally? I'm skeptical.
 
Maybe in some TV markets, but nationally? I'm skeptical.
This isn’t a perfect article to address the question: whereas baseball has one league and 3 platforms it broadcasts on; soccer has 6-8 leagues that broadcast on US channels (maybe 10 platforms)

The article says soccer is 4th, but also that the avg age of baseball fan is like 55 and for soccer it’s under 40
Also that soccer is 2nd most popular among 12-24 yr olds
 
This isn’t a perfect article to address the question: whereas baseball has one league and 3 platforms it broadcasts on; soccer has 6-8 leagues that broadcast on US channels (maybe 10 platforms)

The article says soccer is 4th, but also that the avg age of baseball fan is like 55 and for soccer it’s under 40
Also that soccer is 2nd most popular among 12-24 yr olds
Yeah, that makes sense.
 

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