On Wednesday, professional women&#8217;s soccer player Rachel Hill, who comes from a military family, posted a lengthy statement to social media explaining why she chose to stand for the playing of the national anthem before the Chicago Red Stars&#8217; most recent game.
The entire Red Stars team wore &#8220;Black Lives Matter&#8221; t-shirts at pre-game; Hill, however, was the lone player to stand during the anthem.
&#8220;When I stood for the national anthem before the Chicago Red Stars’ most recent game, this was a decision that did not come easily or without profound thought,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;Before the game, I was completely torn on what to do. I spoke with friends, family, and teammates — of all races, religions and backgrounds — with the hope of guidance.&#8221;
&#8220;I chose to stand because of what the flag inherently means to my military family members and me, but I 100% support my peers,&#8221; Hill said. &#8220;Symbolically, I tried to show this with the placement of my hand on Casey’s shoulder and bowing my head.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_125308" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-125308" class="wp-image-125308" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/GettyImages-1253550895.jpg" alt="2020 NWSL Challenge Cup - Day 1" width="800" height="457" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/GettyImages-1253550895.jpg 1002w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/GettyImages-1253550895-300x171.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/GettyImages-1253550895-768x438.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images</div>
Hill&#8217;s statement, which can be read in full below, goes on to underscore her support for &#8220;the black lives matter movement,&#8221; noting that as a &#8220;white athlete&#8221; she needs to step up and fight inequality.
&#8220;What the black community goes through on a daily basis in this country is unacceptable. The pain. The hurt. Facing racism, prejudice, and social injustice — it must change,&#8221; the soccer player&#8217;s statement said, adding, &#8220;I support the black lives matter movement wholeheartedly. I also support and will do my part in fighting against the current inequality. As a white athlete, it is way past due for me to be diligently anti-racist. 
As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/entire-rosters-of-two-pro-womens-soccer-teams-kneel-during-national-anthem">The Daily Wire</a> last week, two full rosters of women&#8217;s soccer teams — the Portland Thorns and the North Carolina Courage — took a knee during the playing of our national anthem, as well.
Hill, an open Christian, ended her post by highlighting the call for her to love her neighbors as herself:
<blockquote>I do the best I can each day to show love and respect towards every human being. Through my faith I’ve been taught that love always works, and the command I follow is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14. I pray for recognition of the dignity and worth of all people. In this moment the black community needs us. I am ready to help with meaningful action that leads to everlasting change. Do I have all the answers to this? No. But we must start somewhere, and that’s my intent. </blockquote>
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</a> 
 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCFO-f1JQWY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Unity.</a>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/r_hill3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Rachel Hill</a> (@r_hill3) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-07-01T01:55:20+00:00">Jun 30, 2020 at 6:55pm PDT</time>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
Read the full statement, below:
<blockquote>What the black community goes through on a daily basis in this country is unacceptable. The pain. The hurt. Facing racism, prejudice, and social injustice — it must change.
When I stood for the national anthem before the Chicago Red Stars’ most recent game, this was a decision that did not come easily or without profound thought. Before the game, I was completely torn on what to do. I spoke with friends, family, and teammates &#8211; of all races, religions and backgrounds — with the hope of guidance. I chose to stand because of what the flag inherently means to my military family members and me, but I 100% support my peers. Symbolically, I tried to show this with the placement of my hand on Casey’s shoulder and bowing my head. I struggled, but felt that these actions showed my truth, and in the end I wanted to remain true to myself. If this wasn’t clear, let my words and further actions be. I support the black lives matter movement wholeheartedly. I also support and will do my part in fighting against the current inequality. As a white athlete, it is way past due for me to be diligently anti-racist. 
Both before and after the game, I’ve had genuine conversations with many of my teammates, Casey, Julie, and Sarah specifically, who have voices I believe need to be amplified, as well as friends and family. Opinions have been shared, knowledge gained, tears shed, and support shown. I will continue to learn and grow through each of these valuable conversations, with the hope of creating change to someday reach equality. 
I do the best I can each day to show love and respect towards every human being. Through my faith I’ve been taught that love always works, and the command I follow is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14. I pray for recognition of the dignity and worth of all people. In this moment the black community needs us. I am ready to help with meaningful action that leads to everlasting change. Do I have all the answers to this? No. But we must start somewhere, and that’s my intent. 
With love,</blockquote>
<blockquote>Rachel</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/entire-rosters-of-two-pro-womens-soccer-teams-kneel-during-national-anthem">Entire Rosters Of Two Pro Women’s Soccer Teams Kneel During National Anthem</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Rachel Hill

Lone Women’s Soccer Player Who Refused To Kneel For Anthem Releases Statement On Why She Stood

Black Lives Matter

Patriotism

Soccer

Sports

This past weekend, the entire roster of two National Women&#8217;s Soccer League teams kneeled for the National Anthem. Only one, Rachel Hill, stood for the &#8220;Star-Spangled Banner&#8221; while embracing the teammates at her side.
In a statement on Tuesday, Rachel Hill, player for the Chicago Red Stars, explained that her decision to stand for the National Anthem stemmed from her solidarity with her military family, while asserting that she supports the cause for racial justice.
&#8220;What the black community goes through on a daily basis in this country is unacceptable. The pain. The hurt. Facing racism, prejudice, and social injustice. It must change,&#8221; she began in her statement posted to Twitter. &#8220;When I stood for the national anthem before the Chicago Red Stars most recent game, this was a decision that did not come easily or without profound thought. Before the game, I was completely torn on what to do. I spoke with friends, family, and teammates of all races, religions, and backgrounds with the hope of guidance.&#8221;
“I chose to stand because of what the flag inherently means to my military family members and me, but I 100% percent support my peers,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;Symbolically, I tried to show this with the placement of my hand on Casey’s shoulder and bowing my head. I struggled, but felt that these actions showed my truth, and in the end I wanted to remain true to myself. If this wasn’t clear, let my words and further actions be. I support the Black Lives Matter movement wholeheartedly. I also support and will do my part in fighting against the current inequality. As a white athlete, it is way past due for me to be diligently anti-racist.&#8221;
Hill said that she has since been having deep conversations with people of all races and religions to better understand the situation.
&#8220;Both before and after the game, I&#8217;ve had genuine conversations with many of my teammates, Kassy, Julia, and Sarah specifically, who are voices I believe need to be amplified, as well as friends and family,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Opinions have been shared, knowledge gained, tears shed, and support shown. I will continue to learn and grow through each of these valuable conversations, with the hope of creating change to someday reach equality.&#8221;
Hill finished with a quote from Galatians 5:14, and a call for people to see the dignity in all human beings.
&#8220;I do the best I can each day to show love and respect towards every human being. Through my faith I&#8217;ve been taught that love always works, and the command I follow is to &#8216;love your neighbor as yourself.&#8217; Galatians 5:14,&#8221; she concluded. &#8220;I pray for the recognition of the dignity and worth of all people. In this moment the black community needs us. I am ready to help with meaningful action that leads to everlasting change. Do I have all the answers to this? No. But we must start somewhere, and that&#8217;s my intent.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Unity. <a href="https://t.co/URvSvc2YVa">pic.twitter.com/URvSvc2YVa</a>
&mdash; Rachel Hill (@r_hill3) <a href="https://twitter.com/r_hill3/status/1278145465406627841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In a statement also released on Twitter, Rachel Hill&#8217;s teammates Casey Short and Julie Ertz expressed appreciation for her willingness to have conversations.
“I, Casey, can only speak for myself, but the conversations I have had with players, specifically Rachel, have been unapologetically authentic. I have to ask where my hope lies. It lies in my faith and those types of conversations that have been long overdue. The types of conversations that are raw and uncomfortable, that can lead to real impactful change,” Short said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Our narrative ♥️ <a href="https://t.co/VRJOpITuW9">pic.twitter.com/VRJOpITuW9</a>
&mdash; Casey Short (@CaseyShort3) <a href="https://twitter.com/CaseyShort3/status/1278025374325080064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

2020 NWSL Challenge Cup &#8211; Day 1

Lone Women’s Soccer Player Who Stood For National Anthem Responds To Critics

national anthem

Women's soccer

The U.S. Women’s soccer team won’t be able to immediately appeal a judge’s decision to throw out their pay discrimination claims. The team had wanted the immediate appeal to avoid potentially two trials relating to their gender discrimination claims, one of which was upheld by the same judge now denying their ability to quickly appeal.
U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner ruled in May that the women’s team had not proven their pay discrimination claims, finding that they actually turned down the very equal pay structure they now demand, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-womens-soccer-team-wants-to-appeal-pay-discrimination-ruling-that-determined-they-rejected-equal-pay">reported</a>.
“The WNT was willing to forgo higher bonuses for benefits, such as greater base compensation and the guarantee of a higher number of contracted players,” Klausner wrote. “Accordingly, plaintiffs cannot now retroactively deem their CBA (collective bargaining agreement) worse than the MNT (men’s national team) CBA by reference to what they would have made had they been paid under the MNT’s pay-to-play terms structure when they themselves rejected such a structure.”
Klausner did, however, uphold the team’s claims that they were treated unfairly by the U.S. Soccer Federation in terms of perks, as less money was spent on their commercial airfare, hotels, medical services, and training than men’s soccer. Klausner also dismissed a claim from the women’s team that they were discriminated against because they played more games on artificial turf.
After Klausner’s ruling, the women’s team asked him to enter a final judgement so they could appeal the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and delay a trial that previously was set for June 16. The Associated Press has now <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/judge-denies-american-womens-soccer-immediate-appeal">reported</a> that Klausner has denied the team’s request that would allow them to immediately appeal his decision. He has now scheduled the trial for their discriminatory working conditions claim for September 15.
“The granting of an immediate appeal will not eliminate the possibility of two trials or the possibility of successive appeals involving interlocking facts,” Klausner wrote Tuesday. “The court has declined the parties&#8217; request to stay trial pending the resolution of any appeal. And should a jury render a verdict unfavorable to plaintiffs on their remaining claims, there is no reason to think plaintiffs will not appeal that decision.”
The women’s team sued in March 2018 claiming they were denied equal pay by the USSF. The USSF later released a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/us-soccer-releases-fact-sheet-showing-womens-team-ashe-schow">fact sheet</a>” explaining that the women’s team lost the federation millions of dollars and yet they still out-earned their male counterparts. The women’s team, while claiming unequal treatment, collectively bargained for their pay structure, just like the men’s team. The women receive a base salary of $100,000 each year and an additional salary of $67,500 to $72,500 for playing in the National Women’s Soccer League. The men’s team does not have this agreement, they only receive bonuses. The women’s team also receives bonuses at a higher percentage of what the men’s team earns, yet because women’s soccer brings in less money, they receive less in bonuses. The women’s team also has benefits like a retirement plan and health insurance. The men’s team does not receive any benefits.
Because the women team rejected a pay structure equal to the men’s team and then claimed discrimination after they agreed to their current pay structure, the pay discrimination claims were dismissed. The team said it plans to appeal no matter how long it takes.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Megan Rapinoe

U.S. Women’s Soccer Denied Immediate Appeal Over Equal Pay Claims That Were Thrown Out In Court

Gender Wage Gap

The coach of the United States men’s soccer team between 1998-2006 and 2016-17 told <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4115166/bruce-arena-sees-no-reason-to-play-us-anthem-in-pro-sports">ESPN</a> that he thinks it’s &#8220;inappropriate&#8221; to play the U.S. national anthem before professional sporting events.
Bruce Arena, who currently coaches the New England Revolution in the Major Soccer League, stated of the penchant for kneeling among some pro athletes:
<blockquote>Well, today I understand why people are kneeling. We saw it with the women. We saw it in the NFL. I think if they’re respectful, it’s appropriate. I would tell you this: I’m the most patriotic person you’re ever going to be around. As the national team coach at times, the national anthem, I was in tears — honored to represent the United States in World Cups and international matches. And I think playing the national anthem is clearly appropriate at those levels.
However, I question why we’re playing the national anthem in professional sporting events in our country. I believe the history of the anthem was that it was brought in after World War II to kind of celebrate the baseball players and the people and our soldiers that participated in World War II. And then it was obviously extended to other sports to where it is today.
I think it puts people in awkward positions. We don&#8217;t use the national anthem in movie theaters, on Broadway, other events in the United States. I don&#8217;t think it is appropriate to have a national anthem before a baseball game, an MLS game. But having said that, I want it understood: I am very patriotic, but I think it is inappropriate. And today it’s becoming too big of an issue.</blockquote>
Arena cited the diversity of Major League Soccer, among whose 722 players 422 are from other countries.
&#8220;Think about it,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;In Major League Soccer, most of the players that are standing on the field during the national anthem are international players. They are not even Americans. So why are we playing the national anthem? With all due respect, I live in the greatest country in the world, but I think it is inappropriate.&#8221;
Arena’s disenchantment with playing the national anthem before professional sorting events would seem to dovetail nicely with the attitude of U.S. women’s national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe, who told <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/megan-rapinoe-is-a-walking-protest-162416461.html">Yahoo Sports</a> in 2019, &#8220;I&#8217;ll probably never put my hand over my heart. I’ll probably never sing the national anthem again.”
Earlier this month, U.S. Soccer’s board of directors repealed a policy requiring players and staff members to “stand respectfully” for the national anthem, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/sports/soccer/us-soccer-anthem-uswnt.html">The New York Times</a> reported. U.S. Soccer <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/06/09/report-us-soccer-could-repeal-ban-players-kneeling-during-national-anthem">stated</a>:
<blockquote>It should be, and will be going forward, up to our players to determine how they can best use their platforms to fight all forms of racism, discrimination, and inequality. We are here for our players and are ready to support them in elevating their efforts to achieve social justice. We cannot change the past, but we can make a difference in the future. We are committed to this change effort, and we will be implementing supporting actions in the near future.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.
&nbsp;

United States Training &amp; Press Conference

Former U.S. Men’s Soccer Team Coach: It’s ‘Inappropriate’ To Play National Anthem Before Pro Sports Events

The U.S. Soccer Federation repealed the league&#8217;s ban on kneeling during the pre-game national anthem on Wednesday following recent protests and riots raging throughout the nation ostensibly over the death of George Floyd, a black male who died last month after a police officer knelt on the 46-year-old’s neck for over eight minutes during an arrest, as shown in viral video footage.
&#8220;The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors voted yesterday afternoon to repeal Policy 604-1, which required our players to stand during the national anthem,&#8221; U.S. Soccer <a href="https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2020/06/us-soccer-board-of-directors-votes-to-repeal-policy-national-anthem-policy">announced</a> Wednesday.
&#8220;The policy was put in place after Megan Rapinoe kneeled in solidarity with the peaceful protest inspired by Colin Kaepernick, who was protesting police brutality, and the systematic oppression of Black people and people of color in America,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;It has become clear that this policy was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter.&#8221;
&#8220;We have not done enough to listen – especially to our players – to understand and acknowledge the very real and meaningful experiences of Black and other minority communities in our country,&#8221; the organization continued. &#8220;We apologize to our players – especially our Black players – staff, fans, and all who support eradicating racism. Sports are a powerful platform for good, and we have not used our platform as effectively as we should have. We can do more on these specific issues and we will.&#8221;
Going forward, U.S. Soccer said, it will be &#8220;up to our players to determine how they can best use their platforms to fight all forms of racism, discrimination, and inequality.&#8221;
&#8220;We are here for our players and are ready to support them in elevating their efforts to achieve social justice. We cannot change the past, but we can make a difference in the future. We are committed to this change effort, and we will be implementing supporting actions in the near future,&#8221; the statement closed.
As previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/47169/us-womens-soccer-co-captain-ill-probably-never-hank-berrien">reported</a> by The Daily Wire, Megan Rapinoe began kneeling during the anthem in 2016. “I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties,” the athlete claimed at the time.
Rapinoe was forced to drop the kneeling act after the U.S. Soccer Federation responded with a policy requiring the national team to “stand respectfully.”
“Our national anthem is an opportunity … to reflect upon the liberties and freedom we all appreciate in this country. As part of the privilege to represent your country, we have an expectation that our players and coaches will stand and honor our flag while the national anthem is played,” a <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnDHalloran/status/776607393098661889">statement</a> from the organization said at the time.
Despite publicly praising the United States and acknowledging that she will “respect” the standing policy, Rapinoe bashed the bylaw in May, telling Yahoo! Sports: “Using this blanketed patriotism as a defense against what the protest actually is was pretty cowardly. I think the NFL does it. I felt like the statement from U.S. Soccer, and then the rule they made without ever talking to me, that was the same as what the NFL was doing — just to not have the conversation, to try to just stop me from doing what I’m doing instead of at least having a conversation, and trying to figure out a [solution] that makes sense for everyone.”
Moreover, Rapinoe notably refused to put her hand over her heart and sing along to the national anthem during World Cup matches last summer &#8212; an act, she later claimed, was an “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/47169/us-womens-soccer-co-captain-ill-probably-never-hank-berrien">F you</a>” to “sexist,” “racist,” and “small-minded” President Donald Trump.
Apparently, the U.S. Soccer Federation is now on board with Rapinoe and other players&#8217; protesting.
Since Floyd&#8217;s death, all four officers involved in the arrest have been fired, investigations from the FBI and state law enforcement have been opened, and the officer at the center of the incident was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder; the three other officers involved have since been <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/george-floyd-officers-charges/index.html">charged</a>, too.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Netherlands v United States

U.S. Soccer Reverses Course On Kneeling During National Anthem; Issues Apology, Support For BLM

George Floyd

Protest

Racism

After a defeat in court earlier this month, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) says it will appeal a decision that pointed out they rejected previously the very equal pay structure they now claim to want.
The women’s team has asked U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner in Los Angeles to “enter a final judgment on his decision to dismiss their pay claim, which would allow them to take the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco,” The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/05/09/us-women-soccer-players-ask-for-equal-pay-appeal-trial-delay/?utm_source=NYPTwitter&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=SocialFlow">reported</a>. The USWNT want to delay a trial set for June 16 over their discriminatory work conditions, which Klausner ruled could move forward even though he dismissed the main claim in their lawsuit: Pay discrimination.
In his ruling, Klausner explained the insidiousness of the women’s pay discrimination claim.
“The WNT was willing to forgo higher bonuses for benefits, such as greater base compensation and the guarantee of a higher number of contracted players,” Klausner wrote. “Accordingly, plaintiffs cannot now retroactively deem their CBA (collective bargaining agreement) worse than the MNT (men’s national team) CBA by reference to what they would have made had they been paid under the MNT’s pay-to-play terms structure when they themselves rejected such a structure.”
That’s right, the USWNT rejected the exact equal pay structure they now claim was denied to them.
“Equal pay means paying women players the same rate for winning a game as men get paid. The argument that women are paid enough if they make close to the same amount as men while winning more than twice as often is not equal pay,” USWNT spokeswoman Molly Levinson said in a statement.
The U.S. Soccer Federation agreed not to oppose the women’s requests to delay the trial.
“If Klausner signs the order, a trial probably would be delayed until 2021 at the earliest. That would allow more time for settlement negotiations under new USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone — a former national team player — and for talks on a labor deal to replace the collective bargaining agreement that expires on Dec. 31, 2021,” the Post reported.
In addition to dismissing the women’s pay discrimination claim, Klausner also dismissed their claim that they suffered discrimination because they had to play more games on artificial turf. Klausner did, however, allow the women’s claim that they were discriminated against by the USSF over use of a charter aircraft and money spent on commercial airfare, hotels, medical services, and training.
The women’s team may have an advantage in the Ninth Circuit, one of the most notoriously liberal courts in the country, though President Donald Trump has appointed several conservative judges to the bench, flipping the makeup of the ideology.
Still, it would be surprising if the pay discrimination claim was overturned based on the fact that the women’s team was offered equal pay but refused.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

women&#8217;s soccer

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Wants To Appeal Pay Discrimination Ruling That Determined They REJECTED Equal Pay

To hear modern feminists and their media supporters tell it, women across the country are subjected to routine discrimination in the workplace by being paid less than their male counterparts.
So a collective cheer went out when the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) sued the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) for alleged pay discrimination. Finally, America would have a famous example of unequal pay for feminists to rally around. Except, it was obvious from the start that the USWNT didn’t have a leg to stand on.
I first <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/democrats-fundraise-off-alleged-pay-inequality-at-womens-world-cup">wrote</a> about the issue in 2015, a year that held the Women’s World Cup. At the time, the pay discrimination argument would come up every year the USWNT had its World Cup, and every year, serious journalists would have to point out the facts. Mainly, USWNT games bring in fewer viewers and thus lower ad revenue than the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT). World Cup games are different, where the women’s team rivals the men’s team championship in viewers, but as Chris Chase <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/07/womens-world-cup-tv-ratings-united-states-win-japan-highest-ever">wrote</a> at USA Today in 2015, that viewership is likely more dependent on national pride than anything to do with the USWNT. The Olympics, for example, brings in millions of viewers each year, he wrote.
“Does that mean swimming, track, figure skating, hockey and bobsled were growing in the United States? Of course not. It means that we, as a country, like to wrap ourselves in the flag while watching sporting events. It has been this way and it will continue to be this way,” Chase wrote.
Also in 2015, The Washington Post <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/07/06/the-sad-gender-economics-of-the-womens-world-cup/">reported</a> that women’s soccer, which was shown on Fox Sports, only brought in $17 million in ad sponsorship, while men’s soccer, shown on ESPN, brought in $529 million. In addition, the men’s World Cup generated $4.5 billion in direct revenue to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
CBS <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/questions-of-equal-pay-brought-to-light-after-womens-world-cup-win/">reported</a> at the time that the women’s soccer team actually brought in a higher percentage of revenue generated by their World Cup than the men’s team, but because the respective cups brought in vastly different amounts of revenue, the women’s team still made less. The men’s team only took home 9% of the revenue generated by their 2010 World Cup – though that amounted to $348 million. Women, on the other hand, took home 13% of their 2015 World Cup revenue, but that only amounted to $10 million.
The women’s team, just like the men’s team, also negotiated their own collective bargaining agreement with the USSF, meaning they agreed to their payment terms they said were discriminatory in their lawsuit. As The Daily Wire’s Amanda Prestigiacomo <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-womens-soccer-sued-over-alleged-gender-pay-discrimination-judge-nope-rapinoe-responds">reported</a>, that lawsuit’s claim of gender discrimination was just thrown out of court. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner noted in his ruling (Klausner had previously ruled against USSF, which wanted to rely on total compensation, last November) that the women’s team “rejected an offer to be paid under the same pay-to-play structure” as the men’s soccer team, meaning they rejected the equal pay they now claim to want.
“The WNT was willing to forgo higher bonuses for benefits, such as greater base compensation and the guarantee of a higher number of contracted players,” Klausner wrote. “Accordingly, plaintiffs cannot now retroactively deem their CBA (collective bargaining agreement) worse than the MNT (men’s national team) CBA by reference to what they would have made had they been paid under the MNT’s pay-to-play terms structure when they themselves rejected such a structure.”
In a June 2019 court filing the USWNT argued that it was paid less than the men’s team even though they brought in more revenue for USSF than the men’s team. The difference in revenue was slight &#8211; $50.8 million to $49.9 million – but it was enough for the media and feminists to claim victory on the discrimination issue, at least for a little while. The USSF countered the women by releasing a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/us-soccer-releases-fact-sheet-showing-womens-team-ashe-schow">fact sheet</a>” that claimed the women’s team actually lost the USSF money, reminding us all that revenue does not equal profit.
“From 2009 through 2019 — a timeframe that includes two Women’s World Cup championships — the Women’s National Team has earned gross revenue of $101.3 million over 238 games, for an average of $425,446 per game, and the Men’s National Team has earned gross revenue of $185.7 million over 191 games, for an average of $972,147 per game. More specifically, WNT games have generated a net profit (ticket revenues minus event expenses) in only two years (2016 and 2017),” USSF claimed. “Across the entire 11-year period, WNT games generated a net loss of $27.5 million. Nevertheless, U.S. Soccer does not view these as losses, but rather as an important investment in our Women’s National Team and in the long-term growth of women’s soccer.”
As I previously reported, the women’s team has a guaranteed salary thanks to their CBA with USSF, which includes a base salary of $100,000 each year and an additional salary of $67,500 to $72,500 for playing in the National Women’s Soccer League. The men’s team does not have this in their agreement. The women’s team, according to USSF, also receives benefits including health insurance, a 401(k) plan, maternity leave, and injury protection. The men’s team receives no benefits (obviously, they don’t need maternity leave, but they don’t get the other benefits or paternity leave).
In fact, the men’s team only gets paid in bonuses.
Judge Klausner seemed to confirm some of this information in his ruling, citing as undisputed fact that even using the shortened timeframe from 2015 to 2019, the women’s team averaged more per game in total payments that the men’s team. ESPN <a href="averaged%20$220,747%20per%20game%20in%20total%20payments%20(for%20a%20total%20of%20$24.5%20million),%20while%20the%20men's%20national%20team%20averaged%20$212,639%20per%20game%20in%20total%20payments%20(for%20a%20total%20of%20$18.5%20million).">reported</a> that during those four years, the women’s team “averaged $220,747 per game in total payments (for a total of $24.5 million), while the men&#8217;s national team averaged $212,639 per game in total payments (for a total of $18.5 million).”
The ruling shows that once again, there is almost always more to the story than simple pay discrimination. When feminists talk about the gender wage gap, they are distorting what is actually an earnings gap – due to factors that have nothing to do with alleged discrimination. Just as the women’s soccer team chose their pay structure, women in America have the freedom to choose their careers, and those choices tend to involve lower salaries in exchange for more flexibility and time with family.
The media and feminists tried to use the women’s soccer team as an example of American women’s victimhood, and it failed, spectacularly.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Women&#8217;s soccer

SCHOW: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Lawsuit Is Yet Another Blow To Feminist Claims Of Gender Pay Discrimination

On Friday, a judge dismissed the U.S. women&#8217;s national soccer team&#8217;s legal claim that they are paid less than men due to gender discrimination.
&#8220;U.S. District Judge R Gary Klausner said he would not allow the equal pay allegations to go forward because the women&#8217;s national team previously &#8216;rejected an offer to be paid under the same pay-to-play structure&#8217; as the men&#8217;s national team,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-dismisses-us-womens-national-soccer-teams-claim-for-equal-pay/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&amp;linkId=87767491">CBS News</a> reported Friday evening.
The women&#8217;s team was seeking $66 million under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the outlet noted.
&#8220;The WNT was willing to forgo higher bonuses for benefits, such as greater base compensation and the guarantee of a higher number of contracted players,&#8221; Judge Klausner wrote in the decision. &#8220;Accordingly, plaintiffs cannot now retroactively deem their CBA (collective bargaining agreement) worse than the MNT (men&#8217;s national team) CBA by reference to what they would have made had they been paid under the MNT&#8217;s pay-to-play terms structure when they themselves rejected such a structure.&#8221;
The team is allowed to move forward with other allegations of discrimination, the judge said.
<div>
Molly Levinson, a spokesperson for the USWNT, said Friday night via Twitter that the fight for alleged gender pay equality moves forward.
&#8220;We are shocked and disappointed with today&#8217;s decision, but we will not give up our hard work for equal pay,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;We are confident in our case and steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that girls and women will not be valued as lesser just because of their gender.&#8221;
&#8220;We have learned that there are tremendous obstacles to change; we know that it takes bravery and courage and perseverance to stand up to them. We will appeal and press on,&#8221; Levinson added. &#8220;Words cannot express our gratitude to all who support us.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
1/2 We are shocked and disappointed with today&#39;s decision, but we will not give up our hard work for equal pay. We are confident in our case and steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that girls and women will not be valued as lesser just because of their gender.
&mdash; mollylevinson (@mollylevinson) <a href="https://twitter.com/mollylevinson/status/1256368399518703617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
2/2 We have learned that there are tremendous obstacles to change; we know that it takes bravery and courage and perseverance to stand up to them. We will appeal and press on. Words cannot express our gratitude to all who support us.
&mdash; mollylevinson (@mollylevinson) <a href="https://twitter.com/mollylevinson/status/1256368471962726400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Media darling, standout U.S. women&#8217;s forward, and occasional national anthem protester Megan Rapinoe responded Friday night, as well, posting: &#8220;We will never stop fighting for EQUALITY.&#8221;
</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We will never stop fighting for EQUALITY.
&mdash; Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) <a href="https://twitter.com/mPinoe/status/1256373201283809281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As outlined by The Daily Wire&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-why-womens-soccer-team-isnt-paid-much-mens-ashe-schow">Ashe Schow</a> this summer, gender discrimination is not the reason the women&#8217;s soccer team earns less than the men&#8217;s team; instead, it&#8217;s simply due to the women&#8217;s team earning less money than the men&#8217;s team.
&#8220;The main reason women soccer players aren’t paid as much as men is due to the fact that there is simply less interest from viewers,&#8221; Schow explained. &#8220;The lower interest results in less money brought in from advertisers and revenue to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).&#8221;
&#8220;When women’s soccer came to Fox Sports, it averaged about <a href="http://equalizersoccer.com/2013/07/18/fox-soccer-makes-encouraging-nwsl-debut-nwsl-neilsen-ratings/">63,000 viewers</a>, while the men’s team regularly brings in 240,000 viewers per game at ESPN,&#8221; she highlighted. &#8220;This changes when the women’s team is in the World Cup. Views at that time rival that of the men’s team — but just for that short period.&#8221;
&#8220;The lower viewership leads to lower revenue,&#8221; wrote Schow. &#8220;The Washington Post <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/07/06/the-sad-gender-economics-of-the-womens-world-cup/">reported</a> in 2015 (while trying to blame sexism) that women’s soccer only brought in $17 million in ad sponsorship for Fox Sports, while the men’s final in 2014 brought ESPN $529 million in ad revenue. Further, the men’s World Cup generated $4.5 billion in direct revenue to FIFA.&#8221;
In fact, the women’s team &#8220;gets a higher percentage of revenue than the men’s team,&#8221; added Schow, &#8220;yet they neglect to include this fact when complaining about how little they got in bonuses. CBS <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/questions-of-equal-pay-brought-to-light-after-womens-world-cup-win/">reported</a> four years ago that the men’s team received 9% of the revenue generated by the 2010 World Cup — which amounted to $348 million. The women’s team received 13% of the 2015 World Cup revenue, but because the women’s team brought in less revenue, they only received $10 million.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

2020 SheBelieves Cup: United States v Spain

U.S. Women’s Soccer Sued Over Alleged Gender Pay Discrimination; Judge: Nope. Rapinoe Responds.

While the national anthem was being played before the SheBelieves Women’s Soccer tournament final between the U.S. women’s soccer team and Japan, the women on the U.S. team protested against U.S. Soccer by turning their warm-up tops inside out, hiding the U.S. Soccer crest, as a show of “solidarity.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The USWNT has taken the field with their warm up jerseys inside out, hiding the US Soccer crest. 
This is in response to the latest legal filings by the US Soccer Federation in the gender discrimination lawsuit filed by 28 US players. (<a href="https://twitter.com/espnW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espnW</a>) <a href="https://t.co/BTZgYeeNMD">pic.twitter.com/BTZgYeeNMD</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1237894501848346624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/megan-rapinoe-rips-us-soccer-for-blatant-misogyny-and-sexism-after-teammates-stage-anthem-protest">Fox News</a> noted that a court filing from the U.S. Soccer Federation described female players as less skilled than men, arguing that the claim was “indisputable science” rather than “a sexist stereotype.”
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8104021/Megan-Rapinoe-Womens-team-mates-protest-equal-pay-battle-wearing-warm-tops-inside-out.html">The Daily Mail</a> reported that the filing triggered U.S. Women’s Soccer Team star Megan Rapinoe to blast U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro, saying that the filing caused “irreparable” damage, adding:
<blockquote>Is that truly how they feel about 50 per cent of the population that they are supposed to be stewarding into the game of soccer? I think that says a lot about how they feel about us … It&#8217;s undertones and undercurrents, sometimes blatantly, that we&#8217;ve experienced before which is why we&#8217;ve filed the gender discrimination lawsuit.
But for them to go that low and take it there in this lawsuit is not just disappointing for us, but more so for what it says to every other person in the country, every kid growing up, not only girls but boys as well. You&#8217;re not lesser because you&#8217;re a girl and you&#8217;re not better because you&#8217;re a boy as well.</blockquote>
Fox News reported that Rapinoe asserted:
<blockquote>We&#8217;ve sort of felt that those are some of the undercurrent feelings that they&#8217;ve had for a long time. But to see that as the argument, as sort of blatant misogyny and sexism as the argument against us, is really disappointing. But I just want to say, it&#8217;s all false. To every girl out there, to every boy out there, who watches this team, who wants to be on this team, or just wants to live their dream out, you are not lesser just because you&#8217;re a girl.
You are not better just because you&#8217;re a boy. We are all created equal and should all have the equal opportunity to go out and pursue our dreams, and for us that means playing on the soccer field. So, everything that was in that deposition, what they said in the argument is just not true. Don&#8217;t ever believe that.</blockquote>
Cordeiro issued a statement saying, “On behalf of U.S. Soccer, I sincerely apologize for the offense and pain caused by language in this week&#8217;s court filing, which did not reflect the values of our Federation or our tremendous admiration of the Women&#8217;s National Team … Our WNT players are incredibly talented and work tirelessly, as they have demonstrated time and again from their Olympic gold medals to their World Cup titles.&#8221;
Rapinoe responded dismissively, “That wasn&#8217;t for us. That was for fans, for the media, for sponsors, because that all sounded pretty similar to what we&#8217;ve heard before. You want to talk about hostility? Every negotiation we&#8217;ve had those undertones are in there that we&#8217;re lesser, every mediation that we had, every time we meet with them and obviously the reason we filed this lawsuit. So for him to put that out saying sorry, presumably to us, we don&#8217;t buy it.&#8221;
Last month, the women on the the U.S. women’s national team asked a judge to skip a trail and simply rule in their favor in their $66 million wage discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, which has countered by asking the judge to dismiss the case.
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/uswnt-us-soccer-equal-pay-lawsuit-motions-filed-035910029.html">Yahoo Sports</a> reported, “The USWNT’s lawyers filed a motion for summary judgment, which means the judge would find the players had been discriminated against without the need to go to trial. As part of that, they filed a lengthy analysis determining the women were due up to $67 million in retroactive pay.&#8221;
U.S. Soccer stated, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/u-s-women-s-soccer-players-seek-more-66-million-n1140211">NBC News</a> reported:
<blockquote>Women’s national team players are paid differently because they specifically asked for and negotiated a completely different contract than the men’s national team, despite being offered, and rejecting, a similar pay-to-play agreement during the past negotiations. Their preference was a contract that provides significant additional benefits that the men’s national team does not have, including guaranteed annual salaries, medical and dental insurance, paid child-care assistance, paid pregnancy and parental leave, severance benefits, salary continuation during periods of injury, access to a retirement plan, multiple bonuses and more.</blockquote>

2019 SheBelieves Cup &#8211; United States v Brazil

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Makes Statement During National Anthem: Hides U.S. Soccer Crest

On Thursday, women on the the U.S. women’s national team asked a judge to skip a trail and simply rule in their favor in their $66 million wage discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, which has countered by asking the judge to dismiss the case.
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/uswnt-us-soccer-equal-pay-lawsuit-motions-filed-035910029.html">Yahoo Sports</a> reported, “The USWNT’s lawyers filed a motion for summary judgment, which means the judge would find the players had been discriminated against without the need to go to trial. As part of that, they filed a lengthy analysis determining the women were due up to $67 million in retroactive pay.
U.S. Soccer stated, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/u-s-women-s-soccer-players-seek-more-66-million-n1140211">NBC News</a> reported:
<blockquote>Women’s national team players are paid differently because they specifically asked for and negotiated a completely different contract than the men’s national team, despite being offered, and rejecting, a similar pay-to-play agreement during the past negotiations. Their preference was a contract that provides significant additional benefits that the men’s national team does not have, including guaranteed annual salaries, medical and dental insurance, paid child-care assistance, paid pregnancy and parental leave, severance benefits, salary continuation during periods of injury, access to a retirement plan, multiple bonuses and more.</blockquote>
Molly Levinson. spokeswoman for the women, countered:
<blockquote>In the most recent CBA negotiation, USSF repeatedly said that equal pay was not an option regardless of pay structure. USSF proposed a “pay to play structure” with less pay across the board. In every instance for a friendly or competitive match, the women players were offered less pay that their male counterparts. This is the very definition of gender discrimination, and of course the players rejected it.</blockquote>
As Matt Walsh wrote in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walsh-womens-soccer-players-say-they-deserve-equal-matt-walsh">The Daily Wire</a> last July, “… historically U.S. men&#8217;s soccer has generated more revenue than U.S. women&#8217;s soccer. That gap has <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/us-womens-soccer-games-now-generate-more-revenue-than-mens.html">closed in recent years</a>, and now the women generate slightly more than the men — though this only takes into account ticket sales, not TV deals and merchandise. But the pay gap in U.S. soccer is not nearly as large as advertised. The highest-paid female soccer players in this country are paid almost the same as the highest-paid male soccer players. The pay gap in U.S. soccer only widens among the lower-tier players.&#8221;
Walsh quoted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/sports/soccer/usmnt-uswnt-soccer-equal-pay.html">The New York Times:</a>
<blockquote>According to figures provided by U.S. Soccer, since 2008 it has paid 12 players at least $1 million. Six of those players were men, and six were women. And the women hold their own near the top of the pay scale; the best-paid woman made about $1.2 million from 2008 to 2015, while the top man made $1.4 million in the same period. Some women in the top 10 even made more than their male counterparts over those years.</blockquote>
Walsh continued, “The really significant pay gap, and the one that gets most of the press, is in the World Cup payouts. FIFA, the international soccer organization, will give about $400 million to male players in the World Cup, while female players will make around $30 million. When you hear that male players make 10 times what female players make, this is the figure that justifies the claim.”

Canada v United States: Final &#8211; 2020 CONCACAF Women&#8217;s Olympic Qualifying

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Asks Judge To Skip Trial, Give Them The Money

United States women&#8217;s soccer star, Megan Rapinoe, perhaps best known for taking a knee during the American national anthem at National Women&#8217;s Soccer League matches (and skipping out on the national anthem altogether during the World Cup), is firing back at the International Olympic Committee Monday after the IOC banned political protests by athletes competing at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Rapinoe took to Instagram and Twitter to declare that she and others &#8220;will not be silenced,&#8221; despite the IOC&#8217;s pleas for athletes to keep their political opinions off the field of play or risk ruining the &#8220;uniting&#8221; and &#8220;neutral&#8221; stance of the global Olympic games.
“So much for being done about the protests,” the women&#8217;s soccer star wrote on social media, above a graphic showing fists raised in the air. “So little being done about what we are protesting about. We will not be silenced.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Megan Rapinoe responds to the IOC banning protests at the Olympics: “We will not be silenced” <a href="https://t.co/69PljKC8u5">pic.twitter.com/69PljKC8u5</a>
&mdash; Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1215747806406815744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The International Olympic Committee said Friday that protesting on the field of play, or in awards ceremonies or official activities is prohibited, and that such  “divisive disruption&#8221; could meet with disciplinary action.
“We believe that the example we set by competing with the world’s best while living in harmony in the Olympic Village is a uniquely positive message to send to an increasingly divided world,” the IOC said in a statement released to global media on Friday, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2020-olympics-international-olympic-committee-bans-political-protests-athletes-tokyo-games/">per CBS News.</a> “This is why it is important, on both a personal and a global level, that we keep the venues, the Olympic Village and the podium.&#8221;
“They are not and must never be a platform to advance political or any other divisive ends,” IOC President Thomas Bach added in his own statement. “Our political neutrality is undermined whenever organizations or individuals attempt to use the Olympic Games as a stage for their own agendas, as legitimate as they may be.”
Athletes are still allowed to express their personal opinion, &#8220;during press interviews outside the Village, in meetings and on traditional and social media,&#8221; when they are on their own time, the outlet says.
That will definitely throw some cold water on Rapinoe&#8217;s protests, which she began in solidarity with now-former 49ers second string quarterback, Colin Kaepernick.
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“I haven’t experienced over-policing, racial profiling, police brutality or the sight of a family member’s body lying dead in the street. But I cannot stand idly by while there are people in this country who have had to deal with that kind of heartache,” Rapinoe wrote in <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/megan-rapinoe-why-i-am-kneeling">an essay for The Players Tribune</a> back in 2016, when Kaepernick was actively protesting.  “There is no perfect way to protest&#8230;I know that nothing I do will take away the pain of those families. But I feel in my heart it is right to continue to kneel during the national anthem, and I will do whatever I can to be part of the solution.”
Women&#8217;s soccer doesn&#8217;t have a wide audience, so few noticed Rapinoe&#8217;s protests until the U.S. women&#8217;s national soccer team began dominating the global competition in the women&#8217;s World Cup. At that point, Rapinoe&#8217;s protests put her front and center. She had planned to continue her proud tradition of kneeling or absenting herself during the national anthem if the team won a medal in Tokyo, and pledged, on social media, not to be deterred.
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US Soccer Star Megan Rapinoe Declares War As Olympics Ban Political Protests: ‘We Will Not Be Silenced’

Olympics

At the same time that two professional football players <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/retirements-of-rob-gronkowski-and-andrew-luck-and-ezekiel-elliotts-holdout-show-new-normal-in-nfl-210820023.html">leave</a> the sport in the prime of their careers because their bodies can&#8217;t handle the abuse anymore, a woman is planning her grand entrance. U.S. women&#8217;s national soccer team star Carli Lloyd — a 140-pound, 38-year-old female — says she is considering allegedly serious offers from various NFL teams. These offers were supposedly prompted by a viral video of Lloyd successfully completing a 55-yard field goal at a Philadelphia Eagles practice. With one good field goal under her belt, she feels ready to jump into a sport where the average player outweighs her by 100 pounds and stands about five inches taller. Despite that significant disadvantage, Lloyd says she &#8220;<a href="https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/08/27/uswnt-star-carli-lloyd-reportedly-received-offer-to-kick-for-nfl-team-during-preseason-game/">definitely could</a>&#8221; compete in the league.
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Leftist media have predictably gushed over this news. ThinkProgress <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/carli-lloyd-is-not-a-stunt-679ada2fd6ba/">proclaimed</a> that a female field goal kicker &#8220;would be representing women everywhere who are trying to break through barriers.&#8221; The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/08/28/carli-lloyd-not-afraid-kick-nfl-will-she-get-chance/">hailed</a> Lloyd&#8217;s &#8220;brawny confidence.&#8221; The Guardian excitedly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/aug/26/carli-lloyd-nfl-female-kicker">wondered</a> whether the soccer player might finally break the &#8220;glass ceiling&#8221; that has heretofore prevented women from suiting up on game day. To that point, Lloyd would certainly break something on an NFL field — but it won&#8217;t be any ceiling.
Of course, we should stipulate that converting a field goal on a practice field doesn&#8217;t make you NFL material any more than a hole-in-one in mini-golf makes you a candidate for the PGA Tour. You have to do it with shoulder pads and a helmet, a game clock winding down, 70,000 fans watching, and — most importantly — 11 absurdly fast and extravagantly muscled defenders rushing toward you at a literal breakneck speed.
Speaking of breaking necks, that would be the most likely fate of the first female NFL player. It seems sadly inevitable that the league will eventually cave to P.C. pressure (as it has a tendency to do) and force some poor team to put a woman on its active roster. In our enlightened area, we just cannot allow professional football to remain the exclusive province of men. But I hope for Lloyd&#8217;s sake that — despite her wishes — she is not the lamb sacrificed on this particular altar of wokeness.
Kickers might not absorb as much contact as running backs and linebackers, but they wear pads for a reason. Kickers can get flattened during blocked kicks and while trying to tackle someone who recovers a blocked kick. Kickers can get dog-piled on a fumbled snap. Kickers can get pancaked by hard blocks during kick returns. In all of these cases, the people delivering the abuse are big, strong, nasty men who hit other big, strong, nasty men for a living. All the girl power in the world can&#8217;t compensate for the fact that a woman&#8217;s body simply isn&#8217;t built to withstand these collisions. Men&#8217;s bodies are hardly built for it, either, which is why NFL players often end up hobbled and brain-damaged. But they can at least survive it. For a time, anyway. Carli Lloyd cannot.
Am I saying that Lloyd is weaker, slower, and more fragile just because she&#8217;s a woman? Yes, that&#8217;s precisely what I&#8217;m saying. And one full speed encounter with a 275-pound blocker on a kick return would be enough to prove the point convincingly — and maybe fatally. God help the woman who must suffer that fate just to demonstrate the flaws in modern feminist doctrine.

Women&#8217;s Soccer

WALSH: A Female Soccer Player Says She ‘Definitely’ Could Play In The NFL. No, She Definitely Couldn’t.

Feminism

Political Correctness

Earlier this week, after a video of U.S. National Soccer team star Carli Lloyd kicking a 55-yard field goal went viral, her trainer James Galanis <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/carli-lloyd-nfl-kicker-preseason-offer-field-goal-roster-team-082619">told FOX Sports</a> that one NFL team had expressed interest in hiring her. Galanis told Fox reporter Martin Rogers, &#8220;Today, she got another call from another NFL team. The one that called today, I don’t want to say who it is, was willing to put her on the roster for their next (game). They were willing to put her on the roster … She was told (she could) play on Thursday, the NFL game, but she is playing Thursday with the national team, so that was the conflict.&#8221;
Galanis continued, &#8220;Knowing Carli, I don’t think she would just hop on and do it. She would need a couple of weeks training just to get comfortable and acclimatized. But things have escalated and it is real. I think Carli is perfectly made out for a job like that. She loves the pressure. She’s got one of the hardest kicks in the world when it comes to women. She is great at long range balls, she displayed that by scoring a goal from just past the halfway line in a World cup final, and she is definitely in tune with the mechanics. She would be an ideal candidate … We are thinking about what it would do to the sport itself, every sport at every level. She would be the first female that’s really playing with males, and what would it do to the whole equality (issue).&#8221;
Now Lloyd is saying she is considering the idea. She spoke with Jeff Skversky of ABC6 Philadelphia on Wednesday, and he asked, &#8220;This has been coming up a lot. How much do you continue to think about pursuing an NFL job?&#8221;
Lloyd answered:
<blockquote>Yeah, it’s been something that’s turned into a casual day out at the Eagles practice just hitting some field goals. I’m competitive by nature, started at 25 yards and just kept moving back. That nailed my 55-yard in one try. The next thing I know, I’ve gotten in the car and it’s gone completely viral and it’s gone completely crazy in these last couple weeks. It’s good news. I think it’s started the conversation. At first I was kind of laughing about it, but after speaking with my husband and close family and friends at home, I think that anything’s possible and I think I’d be foolish to maybe not entertain the idea of potentially doing it.
I know that there’s some challenges and there’s some big men on the line; I get that; I’m not naïve to that, but I’m not trying to be a quarterback or a running back. It’s kicking field goals. I think with the right technique, the right practice, getting that two-step down, I think I can do it and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me saying that I can do it.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Carli Lloyd is still thinking about the NFL kicking offers as she gets set to play at the Linc &#8211; home of the Eagles
Lloyd says if she were to ever play vs the Eagles &#8211; her favorite team &#8211; Lloyd’s competitive nature would kick in to beat the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eagles?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Eagles</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/6abc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@6abc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USWNT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USWNT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CarliLloyd?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CarliLloyd</a> <a href="https://t.co/UiknpjmI6p">pic.twitter.com/UiknpjmI6p</a>
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffSkversky/status/1166813999817797632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
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She also told Skversky, “It&#8217;s honestly gotten me thinking a little bit, you now, I think, from a kicking perspective, that’s what I do for a living. I don’t see why not. Women can kick, I think with the right technique and the right practice … I think that it’s possible. I&#8217;m kind of considering, considering the offers and we&#8217;ll see what happens.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Carli Lloyd tells <a href="https://twitter.com/6abc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@6abc</a> she is considering NFL Kicking Offers
&#8220;it&#8217;s honestly gotten me thinking a little bit&#8230; I think that it&#8217;s possible. I&#8217;m considering the offers and we&#8217;ll see what happens&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/6abc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@6abc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CarliLloyd?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CarliLloyd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/a58xTIeBUh">pic.twitter.com/a58xTIeBUh</a>
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffSkversky/status/1166764991715926016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Lloyd may say, “I’m not trying to be a quarterback or a running back,” but kickers in football sometimes have to do more than kick — sometimes they have to make a tackle, and sometimes even when they’re kicking things get pretty rough. Here are a few pieces of evidence she might want to consider before getting out on the field in the NFL:
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H/T <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/08/28/carli-lloyd-nfl-offers-considering-soccer/">Daily Caller</a>

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Star: I Think I Can Be A Kicker In The NFL

Mediation over a dispute in pay between the U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. National Women’s Team dissolved Wednesday with no resolution in sight.
Yahoo News <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/mediation-talks-break-down-between-uswnt-players-us-soccer-231545134.html">reported</a> Wednesday night that players from the women’s team ended the negotiations, blaming the USSF.
“We entered this week’s mediation with representatives of [U.S. Soccer] full of hope,” said Molly Levinson, spokeswoman for women’s team in their lawsuit. “Today we must conclude these meetings sorely disappointed in the Federation’s determination to perpetuate fundamentally discriminatory workplace conditions and behavior.”
Neil Buethe, spokesman for USSF, countered Levinson’s statement and blamed the women’s team for being obstinate.
“We have said numerous times that our goal is to find a resolution, and during mediation we had hoped we would be able to address the issues in a respectful manner and reach an agreement,” Buethe said in a statement to Yahoo. “Unfortunately, instead of allowing mediation to proceed in a considerate manner, plaintiffs’ counsel took an aggressive and ultimately unproductive approach that follows months of presenting misleading information to the public in an effort to perpetuate confusion.”
The women’s team filed a lawsuit against USSF in March, claiming they received lower bonuses than the men’s team and suffered from “systemic gender-based pay discrimination.” They also said they received less generous travel accommodations and facilities compared to the men’s team.
In June, the women’s team released a statement claiming that the suggestion that the men’s team brings in more revenue and is therefore paid more was false. The women’s team claimed that they actually brought in slightly more revenue than the men’s team &#8211; $50.8 million to $49.9 million. The team looked at the past three years. Looking at more seasons, it became clear that the women’s team only out-earned the men’s team in one year, and the gap was close in the other two years.
At the end of July, USSF produced a “fact sheet” that included an expanded time frame, showing that the women’s team has only recently caught up to the men’s team in revenue. Further, the USSF claimed the women’s team had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/50053/us-soccer-releases-fact-sheet-showing-womens-team-ashe-schow">actually lost millions of dollars</a> over the past 10 years. USSF also pointed out that the women’s team receives a guaranteed base salary for the season and an additional guaranteed base salary for playing in the National Women’s Soccer League. They also receive game bonuses, health insurance, a retirement plan, injury protection and maternity leave. The men’s team only receives game bonuses, which are higher than what the women’s team receives because that’s their only compensation.
Also, each team negotiates their own pay and benefits as part of a collective-bargaining agreement, meaning any disputes are the fault of those who negotiated and accepted the deal. The women’s collective-bargaining agreement is due for review in 2021, and since women’s soccer has become more popular in recent years, they will likely have more ground to stand on revenue-wise.
Following the breakdown in mediation, the dispute will now go to trial, according to Yahoo.
“We want all of our fans, sponsors, peers around the world, and women everywhere to know we are undaunted and will eagerly look forward to a jury trial,” the team’s attorney, Molly Levinson told the outlet.
USSF spokesman Neil Buethe also said USSF was “undaunted in our efforts to continue discussions in good faith.”
A trial would allow the American people to find out who is telling the truth when it comes to compensation.

Pay Negotiations Break Down Between U.S. Soccer Federation, Women’s Team

After the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) on Monday released a statement and “fact sheet” detailing the different pay structures of the men’s and women’s teams, the U.S. Men’s National Team released their own statement critical of the federation’s claims.
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://t.co/4zd2cXMNw1?amp=1">published</a> the statement, in which members of the men’s team point out deficiencies in the federation’s statistics. At the end of their statement, they point out that their collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of 2018 and have not been contacted by USSF President Carlos Cordeiro, who released the statement on Monday.
The men’s team start their statement by saying they stand with the women’s team “in their pursuit of fair compensation for their work as professional soccer players” and said they “were not impressed” with Cordeiro’s letter.
“The Federation downplays contributions to the sport when it suits them,” the men’s team wrote. “This is more of the same from a Federation that is constantly in disputes and litigation and focuses on increasing revenue and profits without any idea how to use that money to grow the sport. One way to increase profit unfairly is to refuse to pay national team players a fair share of the revenue they generate.”
The men’s team also criticized USSF for claiming the women’s team <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/50053/us-soccer-releases-fact-sheet-showing-womens-team-ashe-schow">lost $27 million over the past decade</a>. The men’s team claimed this figure is based “on false accounting” since the USSF acknowledged that it “does not count any of the sponsorship, television, or marketing money” the federation generates from the teams.
“What US sports team makes money if they don’t count television, sponsorship, and marketing revenue?”
In the USSF letter, the federation said it “traditionally” does not attribute such revenue “directly to either the women’s or men’s team alone.” Instead, USSF looked at how much each team made per game in “ticket revenues minus event expenses.” Using that figure, the men’s team generated more than twice what the women’s team generated per game. Adding in sponsorship may alter those figures.
The men’s team also said Cordeiro’s “only solution” was for “fans to buy more tickets and watch more games on television.” That is why the men’s team may take home more money than the women’s team, since more people pay attention to men’s soccer.
But, the men’s team said, Cordeiro and the USSF “conceals the fact that the money will not go to” to the women’s team.
“We are also surprised Mr. Cordeiro is writing about labor issues since he has yet to contact the [U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association] since taking office,” the men’s team concluded. “As you may know, our [collective bargaining agreement] expired at the end of 2018 and we are currently waiting on a response from U.S. Soccer to our proposal that would pay the men a fair share of all the revenue they generate and would provide equal pay” to the men’s and women’s players.
Both the men’s and women’s teams negotiated their own pay structures. The women’s team receives a base salary and benefits as well as bonuses. The men’s team only receives the bonuses, which are thus higher than the bonuses received by the women’s team. If what the USSF said is true, even with these different pay structures, the women’s team was paid more than the men’s team.

Men’s Team Dispute’s U.S. Soccer’s ‘Fair And Equitable’ Pay Claims

The President of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) released a “<a href="https://www.ussoccer.com/governance/board-of-directors/us-soccer-president-carlos-cordeiro/open-letter-july-29-2019-finding-common-ground">fact sheet</a>” Monday night alleging that, contrary to claims made as part of a lawsuit, the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) actually lost the federation millions of dollars. Despite this, the president claimed, women soccer players still out-earned their male counterparts.
Every four years, when the Women’s soccer World Cup is in the news, we are told that the women’s team is paid less than the men’s team. The claim is used as a rallying cry in the demand for equal pay, even though athletes and other entertainers have vastly different pay structures than average Americans.
Still, we are told the women’s team is discriminated against because of their gender because they are paid less than the men’s team. Earlier this year, the women’s team filed a lawsuit against the USSF alleging pay discrimination. In June, the women’s team released information alleging they brought in more revenue for USSF than the men’s team. The difference was slight — $50.8 million to $49.9 million — but it was enough to cast doubt on those saying the women’s team doesn’t bring in as much revenue as the men’s team.
Now USSF President Carlos Cordeiro is pushing back. He wrote an open letter explaining that he directed U.S. Soccer staff to conduct “an extensive analysis of the pa st 10 years of U.S. Soccer’s financials.” He said the analysis was “reviewed by an independent accounting firm.” The analysis showed that the women’s team was paid more than the men’s team.
The fact sheet includes bulleted information about the different pay structures for the men’s and women’s teams. USSF claimed that it paid “women $34.1 million in salaries and game bonuses and we paid our men $26.4 million — not counting the significant additional value of various benefits that our women’s players receive but which our men do not.”
For example, the women’s team has a guaranteed salary thanks to their collective bargaining agreement with USSF. They receive a base salary of $100,000 each year and an additional salary of $67,500 to $72,500 for playing in the National Women’s Soccer League. Male soccer players do not have such an agreement.
That agreement means women soccer players earn a guaranteed salary of $167,500 to $172,500 each year. On top of that, they are paid bonuses. The men’s team only earns bonuses. Yes, those bonuses can be larger, but that’s because they don’t have the guaranteed base salary. The women’s team, according to USSF, also receives benefits including a 401(k) plan and health insurance, as well as maternity leave and injury protection. The men’s team does not receive any benefits.
Finally, USSF points out that the “hypothetical per game comparison” making the media rounds isn’t even plausible. Neither the men’s nor the women’s teams have ever played 20 friendly matches in a year, yet this is what the hypothetical scenario is based on.
“That said, if the men and women ever did play in and win 20 friendlies in a year and were paid the average bonus amount, a women’s player would earn more­ from U.S. Soccer than the men’s player — the women’s player would earn at least $307,500 (WNT and NWSL salaries, plus game bonuses) and the men’s player would earn $263,333 (game bonuses only),” USSF claimed.
A shocking claim included in the USSF fact sheet are statistics showing the women’s team has actually lost USSF money:
<blockquote>From 2009 through 2019 — a timeframe that includes two Women’s World Cup championships — the Women’s National Team has earned gross revenue of $101.3 million over 238 games, for an average of $425,446 per game, and the Men’s National Team has earned gross revenue of $185.7 million over 191 games, for an average of $972,147 per game. More specifically, WNT games have generated a net profit (ticket revenues minus event expenses) in only two years (2016 and 2017).Across the entire 11-year period, WNT games generated a net loss of $27.5 million. Nevertheless, U.S. Soccer does not view these as losses, but rather as an important investment in our Women’s National Team and in the long-term growth of women’s soccer.</blockquote>
A spokeswoman for the women’s team called the fact sheet a “ruse” and a “sad attempt” to halt the lawsuit.
“The USSF fact sheet is not a ‘clarification.’ It is a ruse,” said team spokeswoman Molly Levinson, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/us-womens-national-team-ruse-pay-fact-sheet">according to Fox News</a>. “Here is what they cannot deny. For every game a man plays on the MNT he makes a higher base salary payment than a woman on the WNT. For every comparable win or tie, his bonus is higher. That is the very definition of gender discrimination.”
Levinson did not address the fact that the men’s team does not actually have a base salary.

U.S. Soccer Releases ‘Fact Sheet’ Showing Women’s Team Actually LOST Millions Yet Was Still Paid More Than Men’s Team

For the first time in my life, I did not root for an American team. Whatever the sport, I have always rooted American. But if those who called into my radio show were representative of my audience, many millions of Americans made the same sad choice.
It takes a lot for people like me not to root for an American team. But Megan Rapinoe, the foul-mouthed star of the team, and her fellow players made it possible.
The U.S. women&#8217;s team disgraced itself. Either its members were cowed into submission by Rapinoe or they agreed (or, at least, never disagreed) with her attacks on the president, her reference to the White House as the &#8220;f—-ing White House,&#8221; her refusal since 2016 to participate in the national anthem and her repeatedly shouting during the team&#8217;s parade in New York City, &#8220;New York, you&#8217;re the motherf—-ing best!&#8221;
For example, Rapinoe said, &#8220;Every member of the team that I have talked to would not go&#8221; to the White House.
Rapinoe is a great soccer player. Other than that, she is unimpressive. She comes across as arrogant, a fool and a lowlife.
Why a fool? Because she thinks she has something important to say to the American people and that we need to hear it because she is a great soccer player. She is not alone in this conceit. Tom Steyer and other billionaires think the same thing about themselves: that because they are better at making money than almost everybody, they must be wiser than almost everybody.
People who excel in one thing are tempted to think they are smart about everything, but that is almost never the case. There is no reason at all to assume that people who excel in anything (other than wisdom) are wiser than anybody else. And here&#8217;s the kicker (no pun intended): People who think they are wise because they excel at something unrelated to wisdom are fools.
And why is Rapinoe a lowlife? What would you label any adult who constantly used the F-word in public (especially during events when children are expected to be present or watching)? Or does being a star — like the foul-mouthed Robert De Niro — make you less of a lowlife?
The American women&#8217;s soccer team is unified in protesting on behalf of &#8220;equal pay for equal work.&#8221; They regard their team as a perfect example because its members receive less money than members of the U.S. men&#8217;s soccer team — despite the fact that the women have a much better record.
But there is a reason the male players earn more. Among other things — such as the women&#8217;s team&#8217;s vote for financial security in the form of guaranteed salaries rather than revenue share — men&#8217;s soccer generates far more money than women&#8217;s soccer.
According to the Los Angeles Times: FIFA&#8217;s &#8220;2018 financial report said it earned revenue of $5.357 billion from the men&#8217;s tournament in Russia. &#8230; Forbes estimated the Women&#8217;s World Cup will generate about $131 million for the four-year cycle ending in 2022.&#8221;
So, unless people should be paid according to gender (which they now are in Norway) rather than according to revenue and profits, male soccer players will earn more money than female soccer players.
There are only two ways to equitably ensure male and female players earn the same amount of money. One is to pool all the money earned by both teams and then distribute an equal amount to all the players, men and women. The other is to end sex-based teams: Men and women compete to play on one team (composed of both men and women), and any woman who makes the team is guaranteed the same income as any man on the team.
Until then, the women&#8217;s soccer team and the left want to have their cake and eat it, too. (Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, for example, tweeted this non sequitur: &#8220;Here&#8217;s an idea: If you win 13-0 — the most goals for a single game in World Cup history — you should be paid at least equally to the men&#8217;s team.&#8221;) They want women to have their own soccer teams — because biology has made it impossible for almost any woman to successfully compete with men in sports — yet earn the same amount as men do. But the reality is more people will watch men play soccer, just as more people watch major league baseball than minor league baseball — which is why major league baseball players earn more money than minor league players. But if we applied the equal-pay-for-equal-work principle to baseball, minor league and major league players would be paid the same amount.
With their politicization of their victory, their expletive-filled speech and their publicly expressed contempt for half their fellow citizens, the women of the U.S. women&#8217;s soccer team succeeded in endearing themselves to America&#8217;s left. But they earned the rest of the country&#8217;s disdain, which is sad. We really wanted to love the team.
What we have here is yet another example of perhaps the most important fact in the contemporary world: Everything the left touches, it ruins.
Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. His latest book, published by Regnery in April 2018, is &#8220;The Rational Bible,&#8221; a commentary on the book of Exodus. He is the founder of Prager University and may be contacted at dennisprager.com.

PRAGER: We All Wanted To Love The Women’s Soccer Team

Donald Trump

Trump Administration

Deodorant brand Secret announced Sunday that it will donate $529,000 to help close the alleged gender pay gap for the U.S. women’s soccer team.
Fox Business <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/secret-deodorant-donates-529g-us-womens-soccer-team-gender-pay-gap.amp">reported</a> that the donation makes Secret, a subsidiary of Procter &amp; Gamble, the first U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) sponsor to publicly endorse the players’ claims that they are paid less than men and deserve more. Secret made its announcement in a full-page ad in The New York Times’ Sunday edition.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Full page ad from <a href="https://twitter.com/SecretDeodorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecretDeodorant</a> in today’s NY Times (main section) announcing their donation and support of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EqualPay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EqualPay</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USWNT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USWNT</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/USWNTPlayers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USWNTPlayers</a>. <a href="https://t.co/pF6hW2Gh36">pic.twitter.com/pF6hW2Gh36</a>
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) <a href="https://twitter.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1150373033300938752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The ad starts by explaining that since there are 23 women on the team, it will donate a total of $23,000 to each player (for a total of $529,000). It then goes on to use certain buzzwords — like “right side of history” — to emphasize its agenda.
“As a partner, we know the U.S. Soccer Federation is an organization of considerable strength,” the ad says (emphasis original.) “It has the strength to be on the right side of history.”
“But after all the toasts, cheers, parades and awards subside, the issue remains. Inequality is about more than pay and players; it’s about values,” the ad continues (emphasis original.) “Let’s take this moment of celebration to propel women’s sports forward. We urge the U.S. Soccer Federation to be a beacon of strength and end gender pay inequality once and for all, for all players.”
The women’s team filed a lawsuit against the Federation earlier this year alleging gender discrimination because they weren’t paid as much as male players. As The Daily Wire <a>wrote</a> last month, much of the discrepancy comes from the differences in revenue the teams bring in and the pay structures outlined in their collective bargaining agreements. When it comes to FIFA, the men’s World Cup brings in far more than the women’s World Cup — at least it did previously. The men’s 2014 World Cup generated $4.5 billion in direct revenue for FIFA, while the women’s cup brought in a fraction of that — in the millions.
But shortly after that article was published, the women’s team released information showing they brought in more revenue for the U.S. Soccer Federation (separate from FIFA) than the men’s team. The women said they brought in $50.8 million in revenue compared to the men’s $49.9 million in revenue. It’s a small difference, but enough to cast doubt on the revenue claims.
The Tampa Bay Times, however, noted the pay issue is <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/nation-world/politifact-does-the-us-womens-soccer-team-bring-in-more-revenue-but-get-paid-less-than-the-men-20190712/">much more complex</a>. The women’s team only out-earned the men’s team in one year — 2016. Every other year the men’s team earned more slightly more. But the women’s team only started even coming close to bringing in as much revenue as the men’s team in the past three years, the Times reported:
<blockquote>Looking year by year, 2016 was actually the only year in which the women’s team generated more revenue from games — $24.11 million, compared to $22.24 million for the men. In 2017, both teams brought in about the same revenue at $14.61 million, and in 2018, the men’s team brought in $13 million compared to the women’s $12.03 million.
This pattern marked a reversal from prior years: In 2014 and 2015, the men’s team earned $8.31 million and $11.71 million more than the women’s team, respectively.</blockquote>
Much of the remaining dispute is more difficult to quantify, the Times reported. The women’s team is starting to bring in more viewership, which has led to increased revenue. The teams also have different collective bargaining agreements. The women earn a base salary and bonuses on top of that, while the men’s team only get bonuses.
The women’s team has been doing better in recent years. A new collective bargaining agreement seems to be what it needs to solve its current pay issues.

Secret Deodorant Becomes First Sponsor To Support US Women’s Claims Of Pay Discrimination, Donates $529K

Left-wing late-night host Jimmy Kimmel apparently is not just committed to going political as much as he personally can on his show, he&#8217;s determined to make his guests go there, too. In an interview with U.S. Women&#8217;s Soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan Thursday, Kimmel repeatedly steers the conversation toward the progressive agenda, or — as Rapinoe puts it when he first veers into politics — he deliberately &#8220;stirs the pot,&#8221; again and again.
After inviting on Rapinoe and Morgan — who have both been openly critical of President Trump, particularly the former — Kimmel asks a few introductory questions about their seemingly non-stop celebration since winning the World Cup on Sunday and Rapinoe&#8217;s decision to dye her hair pink/purple. But it doesn&#8217;t take long for Kimmel to start hammering &#8220;equal pay,&#8221; driving a wedge between the U.S. women&#8217;s and men&#8217;s teams, and encouraging the stars to start a boycott.
&#8220;Can you answer this question, because I was thinking about this: Why is the American team, your team, so dominant? Why are you guys so much better than everyone else?&#8221; Kimmel asks, a question that has a predetermined direction, as he quickly reveals (video below).
Rapinoe points to Morgan, then lifts an eyebrow and gestures to her whole body, amid claps from the audience. &#8220;Look at her,&#8221; she says. Morgan doesn&#8217;t have much more of a response saying, simply, &#8220;It&#8217;s a good question, um&#8230;&#8221;
But Kimmel cuts Morgan off before she can finish the thought, and instantly takes a jab at the men&#8217;s team in the process. &#8220;It&#8217;s an interesting question, isn&#8217;t it? It&#8217;s not like that with the men&#8217;s team,&#8221; says Kimmel.
Rapinoe responds with a chiding head tilt and a &#8220;stirring the pot&#8221; motion. &#8220;Jimmy!&#8221; Morgan says, wagging her finger.
Then Kimmel calls for a particular clip of the parade in which the president of U.S. Soccer tells the crowd that they invest more money in women&#8217;s soccer than any country in the world, a statement met with chants of &#8220;Equal Pay! Equal Pay!&#8221; from the crowd.
&#8220;So that&#8217;s the president of U.S. Soccer and this has become a big topic of conversation,&#8221; says Kimmel. &#8220;You want equal pay, and by the way, I think it&#8217;s a mistake. Shouldn&#8217;t you be paid more because you [win more often]?&#8221;
That line draws loud applause and cheers from Kimmel&#8217;s audience.
Kimmel goes on to urge the stars to boycott the next World Cup if they don&#8217;t get equal pay, advice Morgan appears reluctant to fully embrace.
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Kimmel&#8217;s argument for equal pay does not appear to factor in one key detail: the actual money made by men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s soccer. The pay disparity is a result of the dramatic difference in revenues from men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s leagues. When the actual revenues are factored in, U.S. women are actually paid at a higher percentage than men, notes The Daily Wire&#8217;s <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/49244/walsh-womens-soccer-players-say-they-deserve-equal-matt-walsh">Matt Walsh</a>. Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2019/03/07/world-cup-soccer-pay-disparity-between-men-and-women-is-justified/#66cec83e6da4">provided</a> a breakdown of the massive revenue differences between recent World Cups:
<blockquote>As Dwight Jaynes pointed out four years ago after the U.S. women beat Japan to capture the World Cup in Vancouver, there is a big difference in the revenue available to pay the teams. The Women&#8217;s World Cup brought in almost $73 million, of which the players got 13%. The 2010 men&#8217;s World Cup in South Africa made almost $4 billion, of which 9% went to the players.
The men still pull the World Cup money wagon. The men&#8217;s World Cup in Russia generated over $6 billion in revenue, with the participating teams sharing $400 million, less than 7% of revenue. Meanwhile, the Women&#8217;s World Cup is expected to earn $131 million for the full four-year cycle 2019-22 and dole out $30 million to the participating teams.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49244/walsh-womens-soccer-players-say-they-deserve-equal-matt-walsh">WALSH: Women&#8217;s Soccer Players Say They Deserve ‘Equal Pay.’ But The Stats Show That They Are Actually Overpaid.</a>

WATCH: Kimmel Repeatedly Tries To Stir Controversy With Rapinoe, Morgan Interview

Jimmy Kimmel

Team USA

On Thursday, Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro invited feminist writer Lauren Duca onto his radio program to debate comments the conservative made about women&#8217;s soccer star player Megan Rapinoe.
Shapiro argued that the U.S. women&#8217;s team should not make as much money as the men&#8217;s team in the World Cup due to a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2019/03/07/world-cup-soccer-pay-disparity-between-men-and-women-is-justified/#4b7a9c626da4">massive disparity</a> in revenue generated by each team. He also said Ms. Rapinoe racks up sponsorship deals and contracts due to both her far-above average athletic ability and her political activism, such as her widely-covered national anthem protest allegedly for LGBT rights. &#8220;She’s sort of Colin Kaepernick, but with actual talent at her sport,&#8221; Shapiro said.
Duca, apparently attempting to challenge him, told Shapiro in a tweet: &#8220;Lol f*** off, Ben Shapiro. If Megan Rapinoe is getting contracts for any reason other than her talent, it’s because she just provided an entire generation of baby dykes with their awakening moment.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Lol fuck off, Ben Shapiro. If Megan Rapinoe is getting contracts for any reason other than her talent, it’s because she just provided an entire generation of baby dykes with their awakening moment. <a href="https://t.co/js4SEXs3SA">https://t.co/js4SEXs3SA</a>
— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) <a href="https://twitter.com/laurenduca/status/1149337935369711616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Shapiro noted that Ms. Duca’s comment was in basic agreement with his commentary regarding Rapinoe, but told her that if she wanted to come on his show, he’d be &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1149385363477057537">happy</a>&#8221; to discuss the topic. Duca, apparently in disagreement, said her opinion, in part, was for Shapiro to &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/laurenduca?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">STFU</a>&#8221; (shut the f*** up) and agreed to come on his show.
After Shapiro reiterated that it seemed both he and Duca agreed that Rapinoe is getting sponsorships in part for her political LGBT activism, Duca said she was still &#8220;confused&#8221; concerning any agreement.
&#8220;I think it’s very valuable, right, that Megan Rapinoe offers this level of visibility, as a queer woman myself,&#8221; said Duca. &#8220;My heart is just bursting out of my chest. This is just something we don’t really see and it’s brought me to tears multiple times, and I’m so excited about it. I have some criticisms of &#8216;rainbow capitalism,&#8217; but I love to see this level of acceptance around the LGBTQ community and I am really excited about the fact that corporations think that an LGBTQ identity as visible as Megan’s is valuable. So, that’s what I was saying, and it seems to me that you were saying she wasn’t deserving of her success because —.&#8221;
&#8220;Well, that was not my point at all,&#8221; Shapiro interjected. &#8220;What I actually said was that what was making me upset was that Megan Rapinoe’s claim to fame right now, was not merely her sexuality, her sexual orientation — which we’ve seen before, by the way, Abby Wambach famously kissed her partner in 2016 after winning the World Cup.&#8221;
&#8220;I remember that, Ben,&#8221; Duca jumped in. &#8220;That was so hot!&#8221;
&#8220;In any case, the fact that she is a lesbian is part of the story; part of the story is that she’s spent a lot of time complaining about the White House, the United States, talking about how the United States is bigoted and homophobic,&#8221; Shapiro said. &#8220;The point that I was making is you are the beneficiary of an extraordinarily accepting system where corporations are indeed sponsoring you to make ads, where people are indeed celebrating you, where people are paying you inordinate amounts of money to do advertising contracts, in a sport that, ya know, once every four years makes attention but generally does not over the course of American sporting life. And, so, what are you (Rapinoe) complaining about?&#8221;
&#8220;That is not me complaining that a corporation is sponsoring her,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I may have complaints that I think corporations are engaging in exactly what you would call &#8216;rainbow capitalism,&#8217; but that wasn’t actually my complaint. So I’m confused what you’re yelling at me about.&#8221;
Duca responded: &#8220;I think that the confusing comes from there being two very different hierarchical structures at play here. So the United States government is actively eroding LGBTQ rights right now, and there is a pay gap issue that has leveled the advocacy that the U.S. Women’s Soccer team is offering. At the same time, it seems as if these corporations see the LGBTQ identity, which Megan Rapinoe so proudly displays, as valuable. And those are two different things.&#8221;
Duca said Shapiro was &#8220;saying [Rapinoe] is profiting off of victimhood. I saw her with a campaign bottle and trophy. I think that the thing that is happening here is she’s celebrating the LGBTQ identity; corporations also want to do the same, and this is happening concurrently … with the attacks on LGBTQ rights.&#8221;
&#8220;Well, she is not just doing that,&#8221; challenged Shapiro. &#8220;She’s kneeling for the national anthem, obviously; she’s claiming that America is a widespread bigoted country; she’s claiming that America is deeply sexist, and this is resulting in the female pay gap in regard to soccer, which is evidence-free. I mean, this has been fact-checked by everybody from The Washington Post to Snopes. There is not solid evidence that the women are being discriminated against in pay. If you want women’s equity on the women’s World Cup stage you’re going to have to explain how it is that the men’s World Cup earned $6 billion in 2018, and the women’s Would Cup earned $130 million in 2019 and the women and men are supposed to have the same prize money. … In order to receive the same as men, [women] would have to actually earn three times what the entire Would Cup earned for the players themselves, which is just untenable, obviously.&#8221;
Duca answered: &#8220;I hear a lot of numbers, and I do hear what you’re saying and that they are numbers, but I feel like at the crux of this is the question of: Is the United States, overall, a sexist country; is there a problem of LGBTQ representation? I think we can also say that her being so visible in the context of a complete lack of visibility is valuable.&#8221;
&#8220;So you say something in the clip about we’re being made to assume this is delightful, right, and you seem to find it obnoxious,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;But the whole thing is that she has built this level of public-figuredom and absolutely it includes a political element, right? And that it is being deemed valuable, and that perhaps, it does, in fact, it definitely has to do with her identity as an outspoken gay woman; in fact, Ben, I think that’s where we agree.&#8221;
&#8220;So we do agree,&#8221; Shapiro interjected.
Duca went on to suggest the disparity in viewership and general attention between men and women’s soccer is due to sexism. &#8220;Aren’t you saying that men’s soccer is able to create a larger profit margin? What role does the white male identity play in that? It seems to me that where we differ, you think that it’s okay to profit off of identity, it’s just a problem who gets to take home the money, and I’m saying lesbians, too, then, lesbians, too.&#8221;
Shapiro reiterated that the issue is Rapinoe feigning victimhood as an LGBT woman (i.e. kneeling for the anthem) while simultaneously being rewarded for her identity by an overwhelmingly accepting society. He then asked Duca: &#8220;Are you really suggesting that people are watching women’s soccer less because of sexism? Isn’t it just possible that people are watching women’s soccer less because it is not played as high a skill level as men’s soccer? It’s the reason people don’t watch the WNBA the same as they watch the NBA; nobody can dunk in the WNBA.&#8221;
&#8220;Ben, this is so incredibly tired,&#8221; Duca said. &#8220;You’re making a biological difference about skill level on a playing field. I don’t really feel the need to entertain that …&#8221;
&#8220;I know you don’t want to entertain it, but why not?&#8221; Shapiro asked.
&#8220;I’m talking about publicity and acclaim and the level of a public profile that is achieved in accordance with whatever identity the player has,&#8221; she replied. &#8220;And we do tend to celebrate, right, we tend to celebrate men in athletic faces way more than women and that’s why this is so refreshing, right —.&#8221;
&#8220;Serena Williams is pretty well celebrated,&#8221; Shapiro said, noting that Williams is the &#8220;greatest female tennis player of all time.&#8221;
Duca was displeased, saying Williams is the &#8220;greatest athlete&#8221; of all time, male or female.
&#8220;She is not the greatest athlete of all time,&#8221; Shapiro answered. &#8220;She would lose to a good college men’s player; but she is the greatest women’s player of all time.&#8221;
&#8220;Ben, I feel like, I don’t, I, what’s that, is that based on facts or feelings, Ben?&#8221; Duca said.
&#8220;No, that is based absolutely on the United States tennis rankings; they actually have a way of creating a metric —.&#8221;
&#8220;That’s based on the Constitution, that Serena Williams would lose a tennis match to —,&#8221; Duca snarked.
&#8220;No, that’s based on Serena Williams actually losing to two men, one of whom was actually smoking at the time, several years ago at the Australian Open,&#8221; said Shapiro. &#8220;I mean, Serena Williams has admitted this.&#8221;
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Soccer

Lone Women’s Soccer Player Who Refused To Kneel For Anthem Releases Statement On Why She Stood

Lone Women’s Soccer Player Who Stood For National Anthem Responds To Critics

U.S. Women’s Soccer Denied Immediate Appeal Over Equal Pay Claims That Were Thrown Out In Court

Former U.S. Men’s Soccer Team Coach: It’s ‘Inappropriate’ To Play National Anthem Before Pro Sports Events

U.S. Soccer Reverses Course On Kneeling During National Anthem; Issues Apology, Support For BLM

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Wants To Appeal Pay Discrimination Ruling That Determined They REJECTED Equal Pay

SCHOW: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Lawsuit Is Yet Another Blow To Feminist Claims Of Gender Pay Discrimination

U.S. Women’s Soccer Sued Over Alleged Gender Pay Discrimination; Judge: Nope. Rapinoe Responds.

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Makes Statement During National Anthem: Hides U.S. Soccer Crest

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Asks Judge To Skip Trial, Give Them The Money

US Soccer Star Megan Rapinoe Declares War As Olympics Ban Political Protests: ‘We Will Not Be Silenced’

WALSH: A Female Soccer Player Says She ‘Definitely’ Could Play In The NFL. No, She Definitely Couldn’t.

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Star: I Think I Can Be A Kicker In The NFL

Pay Negotiations Break Down Between U.S. Soccer Federation, Women’s Team

Men’s Team Dispute’s U.S. Soccer’s ‘Fair And Equitable’ Pay Claims

U.S. Soccer Releases ‘Fact Sheet’ Showing Women’s Team Actually LOST Millions Yet Was Still Paid More Than Men’s Team

PRAGER: We All Wanted To Love The Women’s Soccer Team

Secret Deodorant Becomes First Sponsor To Support US Women’s Claims Of Pay Discrimination, Donates $529K

WATCH: Kimmel Repeatedly Tries To Stir Controversy With Rapinoe, Morgan Interview

LISTEN: Ben Shapiro Debates Feminist Lauren Duca Over Megan Rapinoe Comments

Menu

Soccer

Lone Women’s Soccer Player Who Refused To Kneel For Anthem Releases Statement On Why She Stood

Lone Women’s Soccer Player Who Stood For National Anthem Responds To Critics

U.S. Women’s Soccer Denied Immediate Appeal Over Equal Pay Claims That Were Thrown Out In Court

Former U.S. Men’s Soccer Team Coach: It’s ‘Inappropriate’ To Play National Anthem Before Pro Sports Events

U.S. Soccer Reverses Course On Kneeling During National Anthem; Issues Apology, Support For BLM

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Wants To Appeal Pay Discrimination Ruling That Determined They REJECTED Equal Pay

SCHOW: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Lawsuit Is Yet Another Blow To Feminist Claims Of Gender Pay Discrimination

U.S. Women’s Soccer Sued Over Alleged Gender Pay Discrimination; Judge: Nope. Rapinoe Responds.

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Makes Statement During National Anthem: Hides U.S. Soccer Crest

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Asks Judge To Skip Trial, Give Them The Money

US Soccer Star Megan Rapinoe Declares War As Olympics Ban Political Protests: ‘We Will Not Be Silenced’

WALSH: A Female Soccer Player Says She ‘Definitely’ Could Play In The NFL. No, She Definitely Couldn’t.

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Star: I Think I Can Be A Kicker In The NFL

Pay Negotiations Break Down Between U.S. Soccer Federation, Women’s Team

Men’s Team Dispute’s U.S. Soccer’s ‘Fair And Equitable’ Pay Claims

U.S. Soccer Releases ‘Fact Sheet’ Showing Women’s Team Actually LOST Millions Yet Was Still Paid More Than Men’s Team

PRAGER: We All Wanted To Love The Women’s Soccer Team

Secret Deodorant Becomes First Sponsor To Support US Women’s Claims Of Pay Discrimination, Donates $529K

WATCH: Kimmel Repeatedly Tries To Stir Controversy With Rapinoe, Morgan Interview

LISTEN: Ben Shapiro Debates Feminist Lauren Duca Over Megan Rapinoe Comments

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