The US Women's National soccer team should not be paid equal to men; They should be paid more
Along with earning gold, building national pride and further expanding the game of soccer in the United States, this teams also broke multiple World Cup records both as a team and individually.
Their triumph through this tournament is to be commended. It also needs to be a nice pay day for the work they put in and the results.
According to a report from CNBC, the national team does stand to make a nice payday from its run through the World Cup, earning around $200,000.
From the viewpoint of the average American, that is not too bad when the median income is roughly $60,000 per year, according to the most recent date from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2017.
Compared to U.S. Men's National team though, the women are being treated as paupers.
If the men's team had the same accomplishment in its World Cup the women did, the men would earn $1.1 million each.
Why the pay difference?
The big argument has seemingly always been viewership and ad revenue. In a cruder sense, more people care, and place higher value, on the men than the women.
But looking at data again from CNBC, the women's team has generated more interest over the last three years, and has higher selling jersey numbers than the men's team.
The only way that argument holds water is if you look at it from worldwide lens. Seeing as how my worldwide soccer traveling knowledge is limited, I can't say authoritatively how the world feels about women's soccer.
My guess is it is not held in as high regard as the men's game, considering there are many countries where women are still fighting for equal rights.
But here in the states, I believe the women have far surpassed the men in support, and have long surpassed accomplishments on the field.
Since 1991, the women have won four World Cup championships, four Olympic gold medals and have qualified for both every iteration 1991 and 1996, respectively.
The men's team does not have nearly a sterling record. Of the 20 World Cup tournaments since 1930 has qualified in nine, and have never gotten past the Round of 16. The most recent World Cup in 2018, the US team did not qualify.
They will have a chance to for 2022, and if not that one, the 2026 tournament, which they are co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.
They have fared slightly better in the Olympics, reaching the podium in 1904 and reaching the semifinals in 2000. Outside of that, the team has failed to get out of group play since 1972, and did not qualify in 2004, 2012 or 2016.
Taking all of that into account, U.S. Soccer needs to pay the women's team what they are worth. Another "incentive" has been if the women don't win, they don't get paid. Contrary to the men who get paid regardless, but are paid more if they win.
Fortunately, that change may be coming, with the Women's team currently in a legal battle with U.S. Soccer over equal pay and overall equal treatment.
Maybe U.S. Soccer is on to something with the women. Maybe, just maybe, that incentive of only getting paid when they win is a practice they should apply to the men's team.
Or, just pay the women what they are worth, which is a lot more than what they are making now.
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