On March 8, 2019, 28 athletes from the United States women’s soccer team filed a law suit, which escalated the fight for gender equality in sports. The long running fight for equal pay has been on-going in the athletics arena for quite some time. After the women’s soccer team won the world championship title at the women’s FIFA World Cup, the team decided that they have had enough. Furthermore, the court decided that the United States Soccer Federation was in violation of the equal pay act and title VII of the civil right act of 1964.
This may be one big win to celebrate, but there is still a whole war ahead. The battle for equal pay did not commence at the World Cup, it has been on-going on a global scale outside of sports. The discrimination in women’s sports not only affects how much women are paid, but also where the athletes play, how they travel, what their training schedule looks like, what their coaching staff looks like and what medical treatments they can or can not receive. Many professional female athletes struggle to maintain their personal lives due to the fact that their underpayment requires them to take on full time jobs outside of athletics.
The U.S. women’s team continues their battle with the U.S. Soccer Federation as they attempt to reach more than just the soccer federation, but all women’s sports in general. The women’s national basketball association, women’s hockey association and other professional women’s teams have been reaching out to U.S. women’s soccer in support and guidance for equality as well.
Also, in collegiate sports, women’s teams are more likely to be treated with less fairness and equality than men due to the lack of audience attention. Men’s games tend to be more aggressive and intense, therefore more captivating to watch in the audience’s eyes. People love to watch the FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl Championship, NBA All Star Game and so on.
However, the game can be changed and women can be more than what the media publicizes. Females that are playing in games, matches and competitions are not typically going to be recognized for their aggressiveness, but maybe they could be recognized for other things like their passion. Women can show the world that they can be recognized for their love, adoration and drive of the sport rather than just aggression.