By: Nicholas Wang
Athletes, especially female athletes, from the United States are paid more than their counterparts around the world Why is this?
For over a year, The Canadian women’s soccer team has been demanding its soccer federation pay them the same as the men’s and women’s soccer team.
In England and Nigeria, a similar thing is happening. The English athletes are frustrated with their federation because they are not receiving performance-related bonuses. The Nigerian team is upset that the women’s’ team isn’t being paid enough. They are even discussing boycotting the opening game of the World Cup in protest of their unfair salaries.
This battle for pay equity and equal treatment has impacted women’s soccer in recent years with the U.S. Women’s Team leading the battle. Before this year’s World Cup, soccer leaders have done things to address athletes’ concerns over compensation. But, it’s still not enough.
FIFA, the global governing body of soccer that’s responsible for organizing World Cup increased the tournament’s prize money to $110 million, up from just $30 million at the last Women’s World Cup. This increase comes from the larger sponsorships and new broadcast rights for the women’s tournament. However, this is still less than the prize money for men’s soccer, which is $440 million.
Luckily, The US Team will not rely on FIFA to determine their share of World Cup prize money and will instead follow the guidelines set out in their recent labor contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The set US Prize Money is significantly higher than the minimums set by FIFA, roughly $300,000 for each player. The reason behind this is most likely that the United States has a larger budget than most other countries.
In the United States, the Men’s and Women’s soccer teams split the money equally. At the end of the season, both teams combine the collective money made and then halve it. This is better because it removes biases. Due to new laws and agreements, athletes in the US, especially women, have a much higher salary due to other countries.
Source:
This article was based on Why U.S. Players Will Get the Most Prize Money, Even if They Lose