United States Soccer Pay Discrepancies

Edelman, Marc. “Legal Wrinkle Complicates U.S. Women's Soccer Team's Quest For Equal
Pay.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 7 Apr. 2016,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2016/04/07/legal-wrinkle-complicates-u-s-womens-s
occer-teams-quest-for-equal-pay/#357eea6e77e0.

By: Claire Quick

November 19 , 2019
Statement of Topic: The topic I have decided to research is the pay discrepancies in both the

United States Mens and Womens National soccer teams as well as the domestic leagues of the

United States. The pay gap between men and women, in nearly any profession, is no new

concept, however in women’s soccer the fight for equal pay is at an all time high. On July 7,

2019, after the United States enormous 2-0 win over the Netherlands, clenching their 4th world

cup title, the nearly 60,000 fans that packed Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium in Lyon erupted

into a chant of ‘equal pay’. Parc Olympique Lyonnais is not the first and surely won’t be the last

to hear this chant, as the United States women continue to fight for equal pay, not only for

themselves but for generations to come.

Purpose: My purpose in writing about this topic is to bring to light the issue of wage

discrimination in womens sports, specifically United States soccer. As both a female soccer

player and a women’s soccer fan I find it heartbreaking to see these hardworking and talented

athletes being paid and valued far less than they deserve, simply because of their gender. By

educating my readers on the reality of wage discrimination in womens soccer, and bringing more

exposure to the issue, I can play a small role in enacting change. My hope is that by uncovering

the facts behind the issue, and sharing them with my readers, I will be able to spark discussion

that can lead to real change within the world of women’s soccer.

Scope: In this essay I will explore the similarities and differences between the wage

discrepancies of the United States Mens and Womens National teams, as well as the National

Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and Major League Soccer (MLS). I will briefly mention other

discrepancies in mens and womens soccer, but the focus of this piece will remain on the

disparities in compensation. I will not give a detailed account of the history of the mens and
womens national teams nor the NWSL or MLS, but will use these teams history on occasion to

support other main points. This essay will only investigate the discrepancies in United States

Soccer and will not examine the issue at a worldwide level.

Research Section:

Viewpoint 1:

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), is the third and currently sole women's

domestic league in the United States, starting after the folding of both WPS (Women’s

Professional Soccer) and WUSA (Women’s United Soccer Association). The NWSL showcases

some of the biggest international stars like Australia's Sam Kerr, Canada’s Christine Sinclair, and

Brazilian superstar Marta. The NWSL also provides a home to the stars of the United States

Women’s national team, including recent FIFA Player of the Year and Ballon D’or winner,

Megan Rapinoe. It’s no question that the league is full of world class athletes, and proves year

after year to be one of the most competitive women's soccer leagues in the world. Likewise,

Major League Soccer (MLS), the men's domestic league in the United States, is home to its own

share of big names like Zlatin Ibrahimovic, the sweedish superstar who has been nominated for

the Ballon D’or a record eleven times, and David Villa who is considered one of the best spanish

strikers of all time. Though these are both exceptional leagues, in comparison, the MLS is

drastically more successful, bringing in dramatically more revenue due to higher ticket sales and

considerably larger sponsorship deals. Because of the stability and success of the MLS, teams are

able to pay athletes drastically more than the top women’s players of the NWSL.

The highest paid player in the MLS is LA Galaxy’s Swedish striker, Zlatin Ibrahimovic

who makes a staggering 7.2 million per year (Yoesting). This type of salary is unthinkable to a
NWSL athlete as the maximum salary mark in the NWSL is a mere $50,000 (Levine). Australian

superstar and Chicago Red Stars forward, Sam Kerr, who has won the NWSL’s golden boot

award the past 3 seasons, was named NWSL MVP in both 2017 and 2019, and was nominated

for FIFA’s World Player of the Year award, makes just $46,200 (Yoesting). This means that

Zlatan makes over 155 times more than Kerr, who is considered one of the best women’s soccer

players in the world, annually. Furthermore, the NWSL team salary cap is $650,000, meaning

Zlatan makes just over 11 times more than the combined salaries of an entire NWSL team.

At first glance these numbers are absolutely shocking, and seem entirely unequal.

However if you look deeper into ticket sales, season lengths, and tv ratings, it becomes clear that

though these salary discrepancies may not be equal they are equitable. While equal implies that

something is the same, equitable means fair or partial. Equal pay between MLS and NWSL

athletes is simply not plausible. If the Chicago Red Stars paid Sam Kerr the same 7.2 million that

Zlatan makes, the club would not be profitable (Yoesting). Although world class players like

Sam Kerr deserve to be paid more for their talents, due to the instability of the league, low ticket

sales, and a relatively small fanbase this is not realistic.

One reason that the pay discrepancy between the NWSL and MLS is equitable is ticket

sales. MLS in 2018 had an average game attendance of about 21,873, with some teams such as

Atlanta United FC bringing in as much as 52,002 fans per game. In the same year the NWSL had

an average game attendance of 5,835, with some teams such as Sky Blue FC sitting as low as

2,390 (Lauletta). Not only do these low ticket sales a factor in the revenue differences, but also

ticket prices. Respected economist, Bill Conerly, explains this in his article Earnings Parity in

Women's Soccer A Long Kick Away, saying, “Many of those fans are paying $15 to $30 for a
seat. With only 12 home games in a season, player salaries eat up most of the revenue

(Conerly).” Comparatively, the average ticket price in the MLS is $48, with a seat at the MLS

Cup Final valued at about $300 (MLS Playoff). The combination of insufficient ticket sales at

low prices has resulted in the NWSL generating drastically less revenue than Major League

Soccer.

Another difference between the NWSL and MLS which factors into the pay discrepancy

is the differing lengths of seasons between the two leagues. In Major League Soccer, each team

is set to play a 34 game regular season, with 17 of those matches being played at home. After the

regular season, the top 14 teams are selected and advance to the MLS Cup Playoffs. The playoffs

consist of four rounds of competition, each single elimination, before finally crowning one team

champion of the league (December). Comparatively, the National Women’s Soccer League plays

a shorter, 24 game season, including only 12 home games. In addition, the NWSL playoffs are

just two single elimination rounds, with only the top four teams in the league competing (Balf).

The most obvious reason for this difference in season, and playoff lengths, is the number of

teams in the league. The MLS is home to 26 teams, 23 in the United States and 3 in Canada,

while the NWSL supports only 9 teams(MLSsoccer; Balf). Because the MLS plays ten more

games than the NWSL, as well as having a considerably longer postseason tournament, the

league gives itself an opportunity to gain much more revenue, specifically through ticket sales of

the additional games.

In order for a league of any sport to be successful they need to have fans. Measuring a

fanbase is no easy task. However, TV ratings are one tool that can give us a rough estimate.

According to Christopher Harris of World Soccer Talk, in the 2019 MLS season “viewership
over the 62 televised broadcasts averaged 268,081 viewers” (Harris). This indicates a nearly 20%

decrease from 2018’s average of 332,435 (Harris). In contrast, the National Women’s Soccer

Leagues television ratings have been going nowhere but up, riding what sports analysts refer to

as the World Cup bump. The World Cup bump is a reference to the boost of interest in the league

due to increased exposure and excitement generated by the success of the Women's World Cup

(Goff). At the close of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 58 players from 11 different

countries returned to their designated NWSL teams to close out the 2019 season (Purdy). With

the return of these players, “ESPN’s coverage of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)

Championship game on 27th October drew an average 166,000 viewers, the competition's

highest ratings for a single match in three years” (Impey). The 2019 NWSL season brought in an

average of about 81,000 viewers on each of its 30 matches broadcast by ESPN network, this

boasts a 7% increase from last year (Impey; Vejar). Even with the staggering decrease in MLS

viewership, and the steady increase for the NWSL, the National Women’s Soccer League still

brings in, on average, over three times less viewers than the MLS.

Although fans may argue that the wage discrepancies between NWSL and MLS athletes

is unfair, ticket sales, season lengths, and TV viewership, all prove the discrepancies to be

equitable.

Viewpoint 2:

Heading into the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, all eyes were on the United States

Women’s National Team, not only because they were the heavy favorites to repeat as World Cup

Champions, but also because of the lawsuit they had just filed against the United States Soccer

Federation on the basis of gender discrimination (Das). Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and 26
other members of the USWNT all signed as part of the lawsuit which claimed that the United

States Soccer Federation had violated the Equal Pay Act as well as Title VII of The Civil Rights

Act of 1964. The lawsuit is focused on the discrepancies, especially in compensation, between

the USWNT and their male counterparts of the USMNT. It goes on to explain how these

discrepancies are not only unequitable but also unlawful (Redford).

Section 58 of the lawsuit filed by the USWNT against USSF gives valuable insight into

the reality of the wage discrepancies between the USWNT and their male counterparts

(Redford). It states, “A comparison of the WNT and MNT pay shows that if each team played 20

friendlies in a year and each team won all twenty friendlies, female WNT players would earn a

maximum of $99,000 or $4,950 per game, while similarly situated male MNT players would

earn an average of $263,320 or $13,166 per game against the various levels of competition they

would face (Redford).” This means that, in the case of a 20-game winning season, a WNT player

would earn 62% less compensation than

a MNT player in the exact same

situation. Another example of the wage

discrepancy can be found in the skewed

World Cup performance bonuses

awarded by the US Soccer Federation.

The 2014 World Cup saw the USMNT fall in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in extra time of their round

of 16 match vs a strong Belgium side (FIFA). Even with this early exit from the tournament, the

USMNT still pocketed a performance bonus of $5,375,000 courtesy of USSF. In comparison, the

2015 Women’s World Cup saw the USWNT raise the trophy for a record third time, this time
 after their convincing 5-2 victory of Japan, showcasing a hat trick

from fan favorite striker, and United States captain, Carli Lloyd.

The USWNT returned home champions of the world, and USSF

rewarded them with a performance bonus of just $1,725,000

(Redford). Despite the USMNT’s early loss in the round of 16,

they were still rewarded with a performance bonus more than

triple what USSF awarded the USWNT after winning the entire

tournament.

The United States Women’s National Team has been the

number one ranked women’s soccer team in the world for 10 of

the last 11 years (Goodman). On July 7, 2019, the USWNT

asserted their dominance once again by defeating the Netherlands

with goals courtesy of Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle. This

2-0 win secured the teams fourth World Cup title, and crowned

them back-to-back World Champions (Peterson). Along with the team’s four World Cup titles,

they also have four Olympic gold medals, eight CONCACAF Gold Cup titles, and have been

named Algarve Cup Champions ten times (Sherman;US). The team has been incredibly

successful in terms of major tournaments, but also any time they step on the pitch. For example,

the team went undefeated in all 21 of their matches in the 2018 season (Press). Comparatively,

the United States Men’s National Team’s most recent World Cup campaign ended before it could

begin. Trinidad and Tobago shocked the world when they defeated the men of the United States

in a thrilling 2-1 match. This loss would crush the nation’s hopes by preventing the USMNT
from qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (Dowley). Even without the disappointment of

2018 qualifiers, the MNT’s World Cup history is relatively unimpressive, with the team’s best

finish a semifinal loss coming 90 years ago in FIFA’s inaugural 1930 World Cup (Rosenblatt).

Despite the men’s disappointing World Cup history, they do have six CONCACAF Gold Cup

titles, a silver medal from the 1904 Olympic games, and two Copa America fourth place finishes

(US; Solomon).Though these accomplishments are undeniably impressive, they are outdated and

often dampened by the WNT’s unmatched success.

The United States Women’s National team, recently awarded the Best Team Award at the

ESPYS, is no stranger to big crowds (Kgo). The World Cup final between the United States

Women’s National Team and the Netherlands sold out with 57,900 fans turning up to watch the

two teams compete at Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium (Women's). The USWNT rarely draw

this large of crowds outside of major tournaments like the World Cup, only totaling an average

attendance of 25,122 between the 15 matches played on home soil in 2019 (Dockery).

Philpidelpia set a new all-time attendance record for a USWNT friendly, when 49,504 fans

packed Lincoln Financial Field to cheer on the United States in their crushing 4-0 victory over

Portugal (Victory). In contrast, since 2015 the USMNT attendance has plummeted, with this

year's attendance average falling 43% from 2015. The team’s 10 home matches brought in an

average attendance of just 19,530, with one game, vs Panama, bring in as low as 9,040 fans

(Quillen). This shows that the 2019 season saw the USWNT, on average, bringing in 5,592 more

fans per game.

The success of United States Women’s National Team as well as significant ticket sales

have resulted in the team generating substantial revenue for their employer, the United States
Soccer Federation. According to the audited financial reports from USSF, ever since the

USWNT’s thrilling 5-2 World Cup win in 2015, the United States women have generated more

revenue than the men. (Bachman). An article by sports writer Abigail Hess reveals that, “In

2016, women’s games generated $1.9 million more in revenue than men’s games. From 2016 to

2018, women’s games generated approximately $50.8 million in revenue, compared with $49.9

million for men’s games (Hess).” Due to the successful history of the USWNT, as well as their

popularity among fans, they are very valuable, bringing in considerable revenue to USSF.

The members of the USWNT and USMNT, are both employed by the United States

Soccer Federation, and as such perform the same jobs. The USWNT’s has had much greater

success, generated more revenue for USSF, and consistently have higher game attendance yet

continue to be compensated far less than their male counterparts of the USMNT.

Personal Perspective:

For as long as I can remember soccer has been my everything, if you don’t believe me

just as my parents who can barely keep me off the field long enough to stay caught up in school,

or take a look at my bedroom wall which is plastered with posters and signed action shots from

my favorite NWSL team, Utah Royals FC. Growing up I basically worshiped the USWNT, my

favorite movie was Dare to Dream, a documentary on their 1999 World Cup win, my favorite

book was US star Carli Lloyd's biography, and if you would have asked, I’d tell you all about the

day I finally saw them play in person and how it was the best day of my whole life. I remember

watching the 2015 World Cup my eyes glued on the United States goalkeeper, Hope Solo, staring

so intently as if even blinking would cause me to miss another one of her world class saves. I
was convinced that one day I was gonna be just like Hope Solo, or with a little luck, maybe even

better.

It wasn’t until I was older that I learned that the athletes I had thought ruled the world

were being paid fractions of what the men earned. I remember reading what I now consider to be

my favorite book, Under the Lights and in the Dark: Untold Stories of Women’s Soccer, a book

that opened my eyes to the side of professional women's soccer that’s not quite as pretty as what

I’d seen on TV. In this book the author Gwedolyn Oxenham writes, “In 2016, the starting salary

for a US professional player was $7,200 for a six-month season. That’s $300 a week. If you

convert that figure into a 40-hour work week, that’s $7.50 an hour - right around minimum

wage.” My brain started spinning, “That couldn’t be true, could it?”, but a few minutes of

research solidified that Oxenham, unfortunately, was right. I really was earning more stocking

shelves at Target than some of my favorite professional athletes were making on the pitch, and

the Sky Blue FC center back who I had watched week after week on the pitch, had another job

working Starbucks so she could afford to pay rent. For a girl dreaming of being a professional

soccer player herself one day, this news felt like a knife to the heart.

The pay discrepancy between men and women in both professional and international

soccer is real. Though I am aware that wage discrimination, in some cases, for example the

NWSL and MLS, is the result of a less successful league and is therefore just, I can’t help but to

feel absolutly heartbroken for the hard working athletes who have dedicated there whole life to

the game of soccer, just to be payed less because they are female. Even more heartbreaking is the

discriminatory behavior exercised by governing organizations such as the United States Soccer
Federation, who continue to pay the athletes of the USWNT considerably less than the men, even

after they have generated more profit for the federation.

Proposal of Action:

In order to generate more exposure for the National Women’s Soccer League as well as

the United States Women’s National team, and in turn help close the wage gap, I propose a new

advertisement plan, specifically a new TV commercial. Previously, the NWSL has focussed its

advertising efforts almost solely to social media (Allison). By using social media the NWSL is

targeting an age rage of about 18-29, as that age group tends to be the most likely to use social

media (Smith). My goal is that by creating a television commercial I will be able to tap into a

different audience group, creating an opportunity to draw in a new group of women’s soccer

fans, previously unaware of the league.

In order to create a TV commercial with the players best intrust in mind, I will reach out

to former Chicago Red Stars defender, and current National Women’s Soccer League Players

Association president, Brooke Elby as well as the USWNT player association’s executive

director, Becca Roux (U.S. Women's;WHO). I will open up discussion about what they would

like to see in this commercial while sharing my own ideas regarding trying to incorporate the

stories of players to make them more relatable, therefore giving even non soccer fans a reason to

come watch.

In order to gain funding for the production of this commercial, I will reach out to the

various partners of both the USWNT players association and the NWSL players association,

including LUNA Bar, Bipad, and US Youth Soccer (PARTNERS). The money these partners

provide will be combined with the money that has been donated to the NWSL players
association. Once we have collected all the money necessary we will begin production of the

new commercial at Providence Park, a well known women’s soccer stadium in Portland, Oregon.

After the production is complete and the commercial has been finalized we will begin

airing it in March in anticipation of the 2020 NWSL season. The commercial will be aired over

ESPN networks as ESPN is the broadcast partner of the NWSL as well as HULU as they are a

partner of the NWSL players association (PARTNERS). It will air through the 2020 season and

aim to generate more exposure for the NWSL and the USWNT.

Conclusion:

In both the United States domestic leagues as well as the US national teams there is a

considerable wage gap between men and women. In the case of the National Women’s Soccer

League and the MLS, this discrepancy in pay is equitable due to the NWSL’s insufficient ticket

sales, low TV ratings, and a considerably shorter regular and postseason in comparison to the

MLS. Conversely, the discrepancy in pay between the United States Women's National Team and

their male counterparts of the United States Men’s National team is unjust. Though the USWNT

consistently brings in a higher average game attendance, generates more revenue for the

federation, and is drastically more successful than the men.

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