Should Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams Receive Equal Pay?

What’s the story?

• Days after the U.S. women’s soccer team won the World Cup, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has introduced legislation that would require equal pay for the women’s and men’s teams.
• The bill would prevent the use of federal funding for the 2026 men's World Cup until the U.S. Soccer Federation agrees to provide equal pay for the women's and men's teams.
• After the U.S. beat the Netherlands on Sunday to clinch their fourth title, the crowd in Lyon, France, erupted into chants of "equal pay!" 
• “We – all players, every player at this World Cup – put on the most incredible show that you could ever ask for,” team co-captain Megan Rapinoe after the victory. “We can’t do anything more, to impress more, to be better ambassadors, to take on more, to play better, to do anything. It’s time to move that conversation forward to the next step.”

What are people saying about that next step?

• Manchin said he was motivated to act after receiving a letter from Nikki Izzo-Brown, the head coach of West Virginia University's women's soccer team, "highlighting her worries that women” on the college team “could one day make the U.S. women’s team and not get paid the same as the men’s team."

"The clear unequitable pay between the U.S. men’s and women’s soccer teams is unacceptable and I’m glad the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team latest victory is causing public outcry. They are the best in the world and deserve to be paid accordingly."

• On Sunday, shortly after their victory, a team spokeswoman released a statement reading: “At this moment of tremendous pride for America, the sad equation remains all too clear, and Americans won’t stand for it anymore. These athletes generate more revenue and garner higher TV ratings but get paid less simply because they are women.”

“It is time for the Federation to correct this disparity once and for all.”

• But Anders Hagstrom, writing in the right-leaning Daily Caller, argued that when it comes to soccer, “[s]alaries and bonuses are based first and foremost on the revenue the sport brings in, and in this case, men’s soccer far outclasses women’s soccer on both a global and domestic scale.”

“In fact, given how much more money the men’s World Cup brings in, the women’s team is paid proportionately more than the men.”

What do you think?

Do you support equal pay for the U.S. women’s soccer team? Take action above and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman