By Ken Reed
For years, the primary argument against treating professional female athletes equitably is that they don’t pull in the same revenue as male athletes.
Well, that argument is dead in the water in the case of the U.S. national women’s soccer team vs. the U.S. men’s national soccer team.
In a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, in the three years following the American women winning the 2015 World Cup, U.S. women’s soccer games generated more total revenue than U.S. men’s games, according to audited financial reports from the United States Soccer Federation.
Nevertheless, the women’s team continues to receive unequal treatment, most notably in the areas of playing, training and travel conditions, as well as pay. If the men and women competed in 20 matches and each won all 20 games, the female players would earn a maximum of $99,000, while male players would earn an average of $263,320.
Here’s my latest syndicated column for Troy Media on the American women’s soccer squad and the battles they have fought — and are still fighting — when it comes to equitable treatment.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
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