Last week, five members of the United States Women’s National Team launched a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer for wage discrimination.
As an ex-female athlete, I say good for them.
These five women, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, are not only standing up to fight their own inequalities. They are standing up for all the young female athletes yet to follow in their footsteps.
These women are just the start of a fight for equal rights between men and women. This fight will not only help them in their future endeavors, but will assist female athletes for years to come. All female athletes should be paid for their athletic ability the same as a man would be paid for his athletic ability.
For years, I have followed and supported the USWNT’s run in various Olympic and World Cup appearances. Although the men’s team has had some success, the women’s team has by far excelled and brought continuous success back to the United States.
Although men’s soccer is viewed more often worldwide than women’s, no one can deny the success the U.S. women’s team has had over the past few years. For instance, the USWNT won the
World Cup title this past summer. Not only did they just win, but they quite easily beat Japan 5-2.
After winning the World Cup, they continued their success into their very own Victory Tour, going across the nation playing various international teams. To top these incredible accomplishments, the USWNT is undefeated in international play for the entirety of 2016.
As they prepare for their run at the Rio Olympics this summer, ranked number one in the world, I wholeheartedly agree with their decision to fight for equal wages. These women have put their lives on hold to pursue an athletic career. They have had tremendous success, and deserve the fair wages their male counterparts receive. I will support these women on their endeavor for equal wages, and I believe everyone else should, too.
