by Connor Brady ‘17 and Noah Rosendorf ‘17

The U.S. womens’ soccer team has finished in the top three in the World Cup several times, and won many tournaments in the past 20 years. The players’ paychecks, however, do not reflect the team’s success, as the women’s earnings are significantly lower than their counterparts on the U.S. men’s team.

As a result, the women filed a wage discrimination lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the U.S. Soccer Federation for not giving them the pay that they deserve. In response, the federation is suing the women’s national team union over the disagreement of whether the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is valid. The timing of this turmoil is unfortunate with the Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, rapidly approaching.

“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,” said U.S. soccer star Hope Solo on NBC’s “Today.”

The EEOC filing states that each woman would earn $99,000 if they won 20 friendlies. In comparison, the men would earn approximately $263,320 for the same record. The men would still earn $100,000 if they lost all 20 games. If the women play more than the 20 games, they get no additional compensation. The men get paid between $5,000 and $17,625 for every game they play after the 20 games. The U.S. women were awarded $2 million for winning the World Cup in 2014. In contrast, the German men received $35 million for their 2015 World Cup win.

U.S. labor laws demand that employees receive equal pay for equal work. In addition to the lower salaries, the women earn less money for appearance fees and bonuses. This is a direct violation of the labor laws; because of this, the women players want to terminate their contracts.

There is a reason that the women’s U.S. national team players are unhappy. They bring in more revenue than the men yet still earn less money. They consistently outperform the men but they are not equally compensated. “We just want to get some respect and the support that we deserve, because it wasn’t easy becoming World Cup champions and Olympic champions” said U.S. player Carli Lloyd. The players recognize the constant appreciation they receive from their fans and are now demanding the same appreciation from the federation.