With the growing furor over the alleged wage disparity between its men’s and women’s teams, the U.S. Soccer Federation has employed the expertise of two Washington lobbying firms to sway legislators away from requiring the body to pay its athletes equally.
With an outstanding 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the Women’s World Cup in July, the U.S. women’s soccer team rallied their way to the hearts of the American public.
The monumental win marked only the fourth time that the women’s team has taken home the World Cup crown in the span of three decades. Germany remains the only other team to win multiple Women’s World Cups.
On their way to their World Cup triumph, the US Women’s team won 13 straight matches and have established themselves as the best women’s soccer team in the world without question.
In the midst of its World Cup campaign, the women’s national soccer team was simultaneously waging a legal battle with the U.S. Soccer Federation over the discriminating pay gap. In March, the players filed a lawsuit that claims the Federation compensates its women athletes only around 38 percent of what the men’s team players were making annually in their previous contract.
CBS News
The disparity has been cited by Democratic legislators Rep. Doris Matsui and Sen. Dianne Feinstein in introducing measures that will compel the U.S. Soccer Federation to equally pay its men and women athletes.
The Federation has enlisted lobbying firms FBB Federal Relations and Van Ness Feldman to lead the crusade to prove the women’s team’s allegations are misleading.
U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Neil Buethe explained that in hiring lobbyists they aim, not to antagonise the women’s soccer team, but to provide lawmakers with the correct statistics and factual data to better inform their decision making. Buethe also underscored the decades of invaluable support U.S. Soccer has given the women’s football arena as a whole.
Lobbyists have reportedly begun circulating materials that stresses benefits enjoyed solely by women’s team players, among them paid maternity leaves, a nanny subsidy, injury protection and health benefits, retirement perks and a guaranteed salary.
The presentation alleges that, taking into account the sum of benefits applicable only to women players and not the men’s team, U.S. Soccer’s lady teams are earning on average $275,478 per player, while the men’s team only raked in $57,283 each.
The spokeswoman of the lady athletes Molly Levinson has expressed disappointment in the U.S. Soccer Federation’s efforts to undermine the women’s team and their campaign against the prejudiced pay gap.
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