via Getty
HARRISION, NJ – AUGUST 18: Megan Rapinoe #15 of Seattle Reign FC with pink hair smiles while in sunglasses gives a serious look from the sidelines at the start of the National Women’s Soccer League match between Sky Blue F.C. and Seattle Reign F.C.. The match was held at Red Bull Arena on August 18, 2019 in Harrison, NJ, USA. The match ended with a score of 1 to 1. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
via Getty
HARRISION, NJ – AUGUST 18: Megan Rapinoe #15 of Seattle Reign FC with pink hair smiles while in sunglasses gives a serious look from the sidelines at the start of the National Women’s Soccer League match between Sky Blue F.C. and Seattle Reign F.C.. The match was held at Red Bull Arena on August 18, 2019 in Harrison, NJ, USA. The match ended with a score of 1 to 1. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
Megan Rapinoe is one of the most well-known soccer stars in the world. She’s a world-class athlete with an impressive record of accomplishments on and off the field. But what sets her apart is her dedication to fighting for social justice, both in and out of sports.
Rapinoe has always been a spokesperson for the causes that matter. As one of the biggest voices advocating for equal pay in the U.S. Soccer Federation, she has long been at the forefront of the fight for gender equality in sports.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In the month of February, her efforts finally paid off. The U.S. Soccer Federation reached a historic collective bargaining agreement that gave the U.S. Women’s National Team the same pay and benefits as the men’s team.
Megan Rapinoe discusses FIFA World Cup’s prize money
For everyone else, the equal pay agreement was a historic win. But for Megan Rapinoe, who was at the forefront of this battle, this victory was not all that exciting. It was made clear when the US soccer star shared her thoughts in an interview with Jay Williams.
Women deserve equal pay, and change starts from the top with our leaders. @Citi helped to create the Advancing Equality Calculator to help calculate an organization’s raw gender pay gap and the benefits we all gain from eradicating it: https://t.co/AAdjfol6RD pic.twitter.com/FUaVKTNKI0
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) April 29, 2021
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
While talking about the prize money of the FIFA World Cup she said: “It is a little bit of a complicated issue and it is a little bit more nuance than you know at times we would even express it so I will concede on that. But it is also like ok, why is the men’s 400 million and why is the women’s 400 million?”
She added, ” It’s so frustrating because the investment peace is just like astronomically different and so until that is equal like I don’t wanna talk about you know whether it’s TV rights or sponsorship dollars or anything like that. And I actually think the Women’s National team is a really amazing example of this. Like considering that we haven’t been paid as much and as much attention and effort haven’t been put towards, you know, from our own federation or sponsors or TVship rights and we are still successful”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
From all these statements, it’s clear that Rapinoe believes that paying both men’s and women’s soccer teams the same is not fair. According to her, the women’s soccer team should be paid more as they have achieved a lot more in comparison to the men’s team.
Watch This Story: From Steve Jobs To Megan Rapinoe: Stars Who Will Revive The Nation’s Highest Civilian Honor Alongside Simone Biles
