U.S. women’s soccer team kicking down social justice barriers
They have been kicking down our pre-conceived notions of sports models for a couple of years now.
Literally.
Now the U.S. Women’s soccer team is ready to “buck” one more trend.
Like so many athletes, they want to be paid. Unlike so many other pro jocks looking to cash in, they have a legitimate beef.
In the process, they are leading the charge on one more social issue not routinely dealt with by our sports heroes.
Maybe that’s because these heroes are not men.
They are women. And for that reason it has not escaped their notice that they do not get paid anywhere near what their male counterparts make. You know, the ones who were just eliminated in another soccer competition.
And so add one more social justice cause these “Golden Girls” are about to kick down.
On Sunday the U.S. Women shut out the Netherlands, 2-0, in the title match of the in Lyon, France. It’s their second consecutive World Cup title, and their fourth in total. They won all seven of their matches, scoring 26 goals in the process, while surrendering just three.
And they have not done so quietly.
They have reveled in their roles as favorites – even to the point of rubbing some folks the wrong way. They initially took some heat for running up the score in an opening match against an outclassed Thailand squad. They have celebrated.
It turns out men are not the only pro athletes capable of elaborate celebrations after scoring. These women take a back seat to no one in showing their enthusiasm – even to the extent of offending some opponents.
More importantly, they have proved not only proven combatants on the pitch, but equally effective social justice warriors as well.
With a lesbian coach and several openly “out” players, they have embraced diversity and have proved a beacon of LGBTQ inclusion.
They have even drawn the attention of President Donald Trump. Team captain and MVP Megan Rapinoe jousted with the president after noting she would not visit the White House if invited by the president.
There are many examples of star athletes taking high-profile stands on social issues. Colin Kaepernick, the former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers who ignited a social media maelstrom by kneeling during the National Anthem to protest what he saw as inequalities in our justice system, some to mind. Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight boxing crown and saw his career put on hold while refusing induction into military service.
But not many athletes – or teams for that matter – have made a stand while they were playing the most important games of their lives.
Maybe that’s because this team already had struck a blow for equality and justice, specifically in terms of shedding lights on persistent pay inequality issues.
The bottom line is that the best women’s soccer team on the planet does not make anywhere near what their male counterparts make.
There are those who will argue that it’s apples and oranges, that you can’t compare the two different skill levels, that the men’s games are more athletic, more exciting.
None of which explains why this U.S. women’s team attracts higher TV ratings and generate more revenue than their male counterparts.
Their lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation, the ruling body of the game in the U.S., is in mediation.
According to their suit, if similar teams of men and women won 20 exhibition games, the women would earn a maximum of $99,000, while their male counterparts would bank up to $263,000.
The Women’s World cup will award $30 million in prize money. Last year the men received about $400 million.
It no doubt will spill over into other areas of business, where women too often lag behind men in terms of salary and the ability to advance. Women teachers, police officers, lawyers and every other field saw a bit of their plight in seeking equal pay for equal work gain a whole new foothold.
They are living embodiment of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that mandated equal sporting opportunities for both men and women. The law opened up new sports opportunities for women, perhaps best embodied by a soccer team that now rivals any dynasty in sports.
But make no doubt, these women are bigger than sports.
Just ask Matilda Young, spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ rights organization in the U.S. She sees the ripple effects from this squad having deep, lasting effects on sports and society.
“Young LGBTQ athletes, who all too frequently are made to feel unwelcome, have seen themselves reflected in these historymaking champions,” Young said. “Having Americans from every corner of our country embrace these women who are unabashedly proud of their country and of who they are sends a powerful message not only to LGBTQ people, but to sports fans around the world that we are here, we are queer, and we just won the World Cup, again.”
Today the U.S. women will be feted in that most traditional – and American – fashion. They will enjoy a ticker-tape parade down Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes.
They are in fact are latest national heroes.
Now they should be paid like it.