1991. 1999. 2015. Three World Cup championships in 25 years.
1930. Third place finish in the World Cup in 86 years.
Looking at their respective histories, it is clear who has had the most success, yet that team has earned significantly less income. In the last 86 years, the United States men’s national team (USMNT) earned one third place finish in 1930. In 25 years since the first women’s World Cup in 1991, the United States women’s national team (USWNT) has been crowned world champions on three separate occasions.
According to U.S. Soccer Federation budget, in the 2018 World Cup, if the USMNT were to match their 1930 performance, they would earn an estimated $1.25 million, just under what the USWNT would earn if they were to finish first ($1.8 million). If the men were to win, they would earn a staggering $9.3 million, $7.5 million more than a USWNT victory.
In her “Foundations of Physical Education” class, Professor Tena Krause’s course objective is “to introduce physical education majors to the discipline, its various tracks, history, and its ethical, social, and legal dilemmas.” She has recently touched on an act that changed the sporting world forever: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Title IX act states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” In short, the purpose was to give “equal” opportunity to all – regardless of gender. The inclusion of Title IX in educational institutions eventually led to professional opportunities, but as Krause says, “Women are still discriminated against across the board when it comes to pay. Look at the salary differences in WNBA and NBA players.”
Members of the USWNT have recently began an “equal play, equal pay” movement motivated by conditions, as well as money.
Before a match on their 2015 World Cup Victory Tour, USWNT star midfielder Megan Rapinoe tore her ACL during a training session in Hawaii, rekindling a long standing controversy over poor field conditions: women being forced to play on artificial turf while men play on grass fields.
An argument as to why pay is not equal is the amount of attention the sport gets and the attendance at games. Men’s sports draw in more people than women’s in many cases, but the 2015 World Cup final between the USWNT and Japan was the most-watched soccer game in United States history – men’s or women’s. This proves that women can provide entertainment; the problem is that many don’t even know of some professional leagues because they aren’t given the opportunity.
In the National Women’s Soccer League, players of the Western New York Flash and Seattle Reign were forced to play on a narrower field when the regular playing field was instead used to host a concert. Making their frustrations known on social media, national team member Ali Krieger responded, “This is shocking, disrespectful & such a shame that we as professional players, are expected to play on this surface.”
Blackburn women’s basketball team member Lauryn Jackson is tired of hearing the usual stereotypes in women’s sports. She said, “The atmosphere is completely different because since we’re women, we shouldn’t be able to play, we shouldn’t be able to be athletic. It’s like we get looked down upon because we’re women and we’re athletic.”