The U.S. Women’s National Team, World Cup Champions

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- The team celebrated its victory over the Netherlands with a ticker tape parade in New York City, festivities that also focused attention on the players’ campaign for equal pay: Four months before the World Cup, all 28 players had sued the U.S. Soccer Federation, alleging that it was paying them less than the men’s team even though they had the same job responsibilities, played more games in a season, and had won four World Cups to the men’s zero. “I don’t think that’s an unrealistic or unreasonable ask, to have equality,” co-captain Megan Rapinoe said on the Today show.

U.S. Soccer argues in response that the women’s team has historically generated less revenue than the men, though since 2016 it has actually generated more. In August the women ended mediation talks with the federation. A trial date is set for May 2020. Even if the team prevails in court, its players will still be underpaid: FIFA, the Swiss nonprofit that governs the World Cup, offered $30 million in prize money for the women’s tournament, compared with about $440 million for the men’s in 2022.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bret Begun at bbegun@bloomberg.net, Jeremy Keehn

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