By Houston Mitchell
Los Angeles Times
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Procter and Gamble is stepping up big time to help close the pay gap that currently exists within U.S. Soccer.
Los Angeles Times
Procter & Gamble, which supports U.S. Soccer through its Secret deodorant brand, says it will donate $529,000 — $23,000 for each of the 23 players on the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup — to help close the pay gap between the women’s and men’s teams.
The sponsor took out a full-page ad in the New York Times on Sunday urging the U.S. Soccer Federation to “be on the right side of history.”
The ad begins, “23 is the number of players on one champion team: women’s or men’s.”
“23 pairs of chromosomes make up one winning athlete: female or male.”
“23 is a prime, whole number. It can never be divided. 23 is the number of strength.”
It goes on to say, “But after all the toasts, cheers, parades and awards subside, the issue remains. Inequality is about more than pay and players, it’s about values. Let’s take this moment of celebration to propel women’s sports forward. We urge the U.S. Soccer Federation to be a beacon of strength and end gender pay inequality once and for all.”
In March, 28 members of the U.S. women’s national team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. The suit claims the USSF pays the women less than members of the men’s national team.
According to the lawsuit, “The pay for advancement through the rounds of the World Cup was so skewed that, in 2014, the USSF provided the MNT with performance bonuses totaling $5,375,000 for losing in the Round of 16, while, in 2015, the USSF provided the WNT with only $1,725,000 for winning the entire tournament. The WNT earned more than three times less than the MNT while performing demonstrably better.”
Members of the U.S. women’s national team are set to earn roughly $250,000 each for winning the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
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