The Pay Gap: The Women's National Soccer Team

The Pay Gap Virtually every sport imaginable has the coveted “professional level” team. The team consists of the best of the best in whatever sport it may be, basketball, soccer, even tennis. What a great deal of people do not consider is the player’s pay wage, especially from sport to sport. In national level professional soccer, the men and the women are far from equal in that category. The pay gap between the men’s and the women’s soccer team has recently come to light as five United States women soccer players have stepped forward to bring the issue to the official soccer association, FIFA. Although national level women soccer players are paid dramatically less than their male counterparts, they should be paid equal to or more than the

The United States’ soccer organization keeps records of consecutive streaks of winning or losing, largest margins of victory and of loss, goals scored, goals allowed, etc. The women outrank the men in all of those categories and countless more. In some of these categories, there is an immense margin between the men and the women. For instance, when looking at consecutive losing streaks, the women have only lost three games, twice, and both in less than a year's time (U.S. Soccer). The men’s consecutive losing streak is considerably worse at 12 games in approximately a year and a half (U.S. Soccer). The trend of the women out-doing their male counterparts continues into the category of most consecutive games unbeaten. The women have played 21 games without being beaten, that is not a painless task in any sport, nonetheless at the professional level. The men are substantially behind with a mere three games, three times, to add to that, the last time the men have had a winning streak was seven years ago in 2009 (U.S. Soccer). The women may be producing more when it comes to the game of soccer and the wellbeing of the national level club, but their pay is not corresponding with these

For each of the games there is a price that is paid to each player, these prices come from two different unions, or the groups that negotiate the pay with the national federation (Keith, Wahl). For men their pay for a win can range anywhere from $9,000 to $18,000, for the women, $1,350 (Keith, Wahl). The problem is not just how much the women are getting paid, but on what system as well. The pay for the women is on a base salary of $72,000 dollars a year that is supplemented with bonuses and prize money from friendlies, World Cups, and other tournaments throughout the year (Gaines). While the women earn the base salary, the men are paid a guaranteed $5,000 dollars for every game played, plus any bonuses they make from the game (Gaines). When these games are international, it surfaces an entire new array of complications. Along with the pay that athletes make per game, the players also receive money for personal use when traveling internationally. There is just one problem with that money; the men are receiving 25% more of it per trip (Gaines). While the men are acquiring $75 dollars each international game, on average, the women are collecting nearly $15 dollars less each trip (Gaines). When it comes to straight pay for the United States Women’s soccer team, a person could say that it is unfair, but when the issue arises that