Female athletes’ biggest wins occurring at negotiating table
Stands taken by hockey, soccer players inspire others to fight for fair compensation
In a matter of days, female athletes around the globe scored a trio of wins in their fight for equality after decades of work.
The U.S. women’s national soccer team struck a new collective agreement with their federation, ending more than a year of at times contentious negotiations, with players seeking comparable compensation to the men’s national team.
It followed the U.S. national hockey team’s deal with USA Hockey after players threatened to boycott the world championship over wages.
The quest for better pay and conditions even extended across the Atlantic to Ireland, where the women’s national soccer team there threatened to sit out an exhibition match.
“It’s pretty incredible what the women’s hockey team did and they were courageous in their fight. There were differences between our battle and their battle, but they were inspirational,” U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe said. “For us and them, we were able to inspire other teams.”
The actions of these teams highlight the struggle for female athletes to achieve fair compensation for their efforts. ‘Fair’ can include even simple items such as access to changing rooms, in the Irish players’ case. It is not a new fight. American soccer players had work disruptions both before the 1996 Olympics and after their victory in the 1999 World Cup.
The hockey players’ fight with USA Hockey was launched in 2000 by Cammi Granato, the first American woman inducted as a player into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lacking leverage to move the effort forward, it failed and the issue was largely dropped — until this year.
The lawyer Granato engaged, John Langel, also helped the team reach a deal before the world championship. Asocial media hashtag, #BeBoldForChange, helped make the cause an international sensation.
“I think that this is just the beginning, and I think you’re going to see more of this. We are reaching the next level of women’s sports,” said U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. “At the beginning it was just allowing women to play, then it was making sure they got funded in the schools so they could play, and now we’re reaching that biggest pinnacle, which is really getting them to the point where people are watching them as much as they watch men . . . the only way we get there is by using examples like what just happened with hockey and moving it out into other sports.”
Ireland’s national team, made up mostly of amateurs with day jobs, wasn’t getting even basic support for things such as compensation for time off from work. Players said they’d been forced to dress in public restrooms and had to share teambranded apparel with junior teams.
The women held a news conference decrying the conditions. It drew public sympathy and helped force the Football Association of Ireland to work out a deal with the women.
Goalkeeper Emma Byrne posted to Twitter: “Victory! Thank you for all your support. It proves unity is a powerful force.”
The Australian women’s soccer team, capitalizing on the team’s run in the 2015 World Cup, boycotted friendlies in the United States and wound up negotiating a deal that got them better wages, bonuses and travel provisions.
Women’s sports are more popular than ever, thanks in part to Title IX, which spurred increased female participation at the U.S. college level. The internet has given fans greater access to the games and its stars.
On Friday, the U.S. hockey team capped an emotional two weeks with a 3-2 overtime win over Canada in the world championship final.
“If anything that we did can inspire anyone — sports, girls, boys, out of sports, whatever — to stand up for what they believe in, I think that’s a huge plus,” captain Meghan Duggan said.