Why The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Earns Less Than The Men's -- And How It Will Change

I coached both my daughter and son’s soccer teams for years. It wasn't because I had a burning passion for the sport. My motivation to coach was due to the parents—particularly the dads—who always tried to rig the teams, so that their children would be surrounded by the best players and have greater chances of winning. The coaches would then place their kids and the other children they favored in coveted positions, offering more playing time and treating them better than the rest. Noticing this trend, I stepped in to coach and thwart this blatant discriminatory behavior.  

There is a similar uncomfortable feeling about the FIFA World Cup, as it relates to the U.S. women’s and men’s national teams. We see a lopsided compensation structure, in which the men are paid considerably more than the women. This seems especially heinous, since the women’s team has a far-superior winning record.

In the midst of all the frustration over the financial remuneration, some basic facts are left out of the discussion. The sponsorships, television rights, merchandise and other monies, which are generated for the prize money, is much greater for the men's team compared to the women's team.The prize money for the women’s 2019 World Cup was about $30 million, of which the winner takes home about $4 million. The prize money for the men’s 2018 World Cup was roughly $400 million and the champions took home $38 million.The men’s World Cup tournament generated over $6 billion in revenue for 2018. The women are estimated to have brought in $131 million in 2019. 

The system is not set up that the men and women have access to the same pot of money and the men are given a larger helping. The prize pools are taken from the total revenue from the respective leagues. The bottom line is that there is more money generated in the men’s league. Since there is more money in the men’s soccer globally, the teams and players get a larger payout. Even though the U.S. team is not terribly competitive compared to their peers, they have the advantage of playing in a lucrative league.

Although the U.S. women's team has a more superior winning record, they are playing in a league that has a smaller pool of prize money to offer the winners. Unfortunately, the reality is that although the women win more than the men, it is irrelevant to the equal-pay argument, as they play in a different league. This is also why a major league hockey all star will earn a small fraction of what an NBA basketball player takes home. The money, due to sponsors, television rights and merchandise is far greater in basketball than hockey.

The real question to be asked is why one group is favored over another. Is there an underlying reason why more people tend to follow men’s leagues? Do we inculcate a certain bias in our children at an early age to favor men’s sports, as opposed to women’s?

Is it possible that the electricity, charisma and winning of the U.S. women's team could be the catalyst for change? I would imagine that sponsors are lining up to support the U.S. women's soccer team. It's a smart business decision for them to align themselves with a winning team that is highly visible, outspoken and likable. When this happens, you’ll see more money pouring into women’s soccer and the prize money will grow exponentially. If this trend continues, we may see rapid changes in the pay of professional women athletes.

Source: Forbes.com

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