US Female Football Players Files Wage Discrimination Complaints

5 famous female football players filed complaints in order to achieve pay equity as male players earn much more
money but they do not necessarily play as well as they do. They filed complaints on Wednesday March 30 against the
US Soccer company that is the national sports governing body.

Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe are willing to fight this battle in the
name of their team.

In their complaint, the five players cited recent U.S. Soccer financial reports as proof that they have become the
federation’s main economic engine even as, they said, they often earned only half as much — or less — than their
male counterparts.

At the same time, the players said, they exceeded revenue projections by as much as $16 million in 2015, when
their World Cup triumph set television viewership records and a nine-game victory tour in packed stadiums produced
record gate receipts and attendance figures.

“They have to prove equality of work and market conditions, and it’s such a rigid legal requirement,” said Michael
LeRoy, who teaches collective bargaining and sports at the University of Illinois.

Furthermore, U.S. Soccer noted, a major source of revenue and contention — World Cup prize money — is determined by FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, not the federation. But the women’s complaint seems to take aim at a bigger share of domestic revenue, like sponsorships and television contracts, and U.S. Soccer financial reports hint at a richer future involving the team: The federation’s budget projections for 2016 include $2.3 million for a 10-game victory tour after this summer’s Olympics.