For the first time, footballers representing the United States men’s and women’s national teams will receive the same pay and prize money, including World Cups, ending years of lawsuits and bitter public disputes under key agreements with the American Football Confederation. Is “equal pay”.
Revised wage structures are part of collective bargaining agreements with each team Solved the gender discrimination case Against US Soccer and the men’s team six months ago Planned to land on the field At the World Cup in Qatar.
Guaranteed uniform checks for men and women players to take part in international competitions, it is believed to be the first time in these deals that teams will consolidate the unequal payments they receive from FIFA, the world football governing body. Physically, to participate in the World Cup. Starting at the 2022 Men’s Tournament and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the money will be shared equally between the two team members.
“No other country has done this,” said Cindy Barlow Cohn, president of the United States Football Association. “I think we should all be proud of what we have achieved here. It is truly historic.
Prize splitting is a significant privilege for American men, having previously received the bulk of the multi-million dollar US Soccer payments from FIFA each time the team plays at the World Cup. The deal to raise money with the women removed the long-awaited agreement between the soldiers and the federation officials, which was the biggest obstacle to the resolution of the equal pay debate. The World Cup prize money is only a fraction of the amount paid to the men’s teams every four years, which represents a major setback for the women’s team.
Under the new contracts, which run until 2028 and cover the next four World Cups, dozens of top men and women players in internal presentations reviewed by the New York Times have stated that they can expect an average annual salary of $ 450,000. Football – The number of successful World Cups has doubled over the years.
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“Growing up, I’m very proud to have women who are going to see what we’ve achieved.
“But my dad always told me,‘ You don’t get rewarded for doing what you have to do, ’he added. “All you have to do is pay men and women equally.”
The difference in compensation between men and women has been one of the most controversial issues in football in recent years, especially after the American women won consecutive World Cups in 2015 and 2019, after the men failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. Over the years, the women’s team, which includes some of the world’s most acclaimed athletes, has intensified court filing, media interviews and its fights. On the tremendous platforms of their game.
Controversy has always been a complex issue Different contractsUnbalanced prize money and other financial anomalies muddle differences in pay between men’s and women’s teams and complicate the ability of national governing bodies such as US Soccer to resolve differences.
Nevertheless, the federation eventually promised a fair organization. To achieve that, US Soccer will pay its top players millions of extra dollars commercially for each team through increased match bonuses, prize money and new revenue sharing deals. Revenue that US Soccer receives each year from sponsors, broadcasters and other partners.
Labor Peace can be costly: US Soccer guarantees $ 18,000 per player for most winning games, and $ 24,000 per game for winning some major matches – confirming the status of American men and women. The two highest paid national teams in the world. The federation will surrender 90 percent of the money it receives from FIFA for competing in the World Cup to the men and women players on those teams; Based on past performances and union predictions, more than $ 20 million in prize money could be shared soon next year.
But despite its cost, the new equal pay policy is of immeasurable value to all involved, as it will end the six-year war that has plagued the Confederacy; Threatened American Soccer relations Important supporters; And millions of dollars in legal fees were charged on each side of the fight.
When the two sides fought in courtrooms and negotiating sessions, the dispute sometimes sparked heated exchanges. Personal privacy, Workplace Equality And Basic justiceAnd received support (and a second guess) from a different chorus President Candidates, Star athlets And Hollywood Celebrities – Not all of them are in favor Women’s campaign for equal pay.
Smoothly settling disputes, rather than on the court, can make it easier for the federation to attract new sponsors and re-establish ties with its most important players. And by giving teams a share of its business revenue, US Soccer has encouraged its biggest stars to act as partners in finding new ways to increase those revenue streams.
“There is no denying that the money we owe our national teams is non-reinvested money in the game,” Cohn said when asked about the implications of the new deals on the broader work of American soccer. “People can take that perspective. But the way I look at it, our job is to figure out how all three groups can grow the bag together so that everyone benefits.
Cohn and representatives of both teams said the deals provide a model for those seeking to restructure the multi-billion dollar sport, in which generational benefits money, exposure and opportunities still flow in proportion to men’s sports and male athletes.
“These deals have always changed the game in the United States,” Cohn said. “They have the potential to change the game around the world.”
It is not yet clear whether resolving the equal pay struggle will have the greatest index and financial value in the United States, and whether the new agreements will be of greater interest than reflected globally.
Since the American women began to press their equal pay struggle in 2016, football federations Norway To do Australia To do Netherlands They have moved to pay more equally to their national teams. But all of those deals sought to equalize match pay rates, which are far below the figures that US Soccer pays to its senior teams. They have all avoided the biggest pay gap in football: the biggest difference between FIFA’s men and women in World Cup bonuses. For example, at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, 24 teams competed for $ 30 million in prize money; The 32 men’s teams competing in Qatar in November will raise $ 450 million.
The only way for equal pay in 2020 after a federal judge was to negotiate a solution Rejected key requests A group of leading female athletes have filed a lawsuit against the Federation for Gender Discrimination. Cohn, a former women’s national team player who was recently promoted to volunteer captain of American football, welcomed the decision with an olive branch at the time, pushing for renewed settlement talks. But when he said US Soccer, he increased the pressure on men’s athletes to help bridge that gap last fall. Both teams did not agree on new contracts It does not equal the World Cup prize money.
Walker Zimmerman, defender of the men’s team and president of its players’ association, said he and his team realized there was “no other way”. He acknowledged that forcing his teammates to accept deals that were eventually reached was “not always smooth”.
“Whatever you believe should happen, whatever is possible, whatever is right – those conversations are tough,” Zimmerman said. “But in the end you have a team of players on both sides, men and women. They came together and did it.”
Despite Wednesday’s encouragement, pay for American men and women will not be the same: injuries, training results and even the number of games each team plays will affect what individual players can earn. But for the first time, both teams and the federation can agree that the minimum wage rate will be equal.
“We still have two separate contracts, but economically they are all the same,” Cohn said.
For the most important American female athletes, the contract could soon provide instant pay by opening a $ 24 million settlement. Mostly for back pay, They approached U.S. Soccer in February to settle a gender discrimination case. US Soccer guarantees a one-time payment in reaching new collective bargaining agreements that regulate equal pay between teams.
With new deals approved, U.S. football can now seek the judge’s approval to begin reducing checks.
