US Soccer's Astonishing Stupidity

[guru]

Not clear in that article if USSF will continue to financially prop up the NWSL. Hopefully not. If the national team women want equal financial footing with the men then give it them, and lets see how long the NWSL stays afloat..

[Atticus]

The US women actually deserve more than the US men, but I'll leave well enough alone.
This will be a very tough sell in many footie-mad countries.

[TN1965]

U.S. Soccer Agrees to New CBA with Top Men's, Women's Players Guaranteeing Equal Pay | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights

U.S. Soccer will provide equal pay to members of its men's and women's national teams after an agreement on new collective bargaining agreements was reached Wednesday.

[guru]

US Soccer says it has offered men, women identical contracts (yahoo.com)

The U.S. Soccer Federation said it had offered identical contract proposals Tuesday to the players' associations for the men's and women's national teams, and the governing body said it would refuse to agree to a deal in which World Cup prize money is not equalized.

It's worth noting(again) that USSF actually spent more on the women, when considering the funding it provides to the NWSL(including paying the salaries of national team members), while providing none to the men's MLS. It will be interesting to see if that continues going forward as USSF has already begun pulling back from the NWSL(USSF stopped managing the NWSL earlier this year). It could actually save money if it discontinues propping up the women's professional league while equalizing funding of the national teams.

[Conor Dary]

US Soccer says it has offered men, women identical contracts (yahoo.com)

The U.S. Soccer Federation said it had offered identical contract proposals Tuesday to the players' associations for the men's and women's national teams, and the governing body said it would refuse to agree to a deal in which World Cup prize money is not equalized.

I'm sure FIFA is quaking in their boots at that threat.

[Conor Dary]

Comparing the revenue between the 2 national teams is problematic. The women can play anywhere in the biggest stadiums and know that almost all the fans will be US supporters.

The men meanwhile have to play in out of the way small stadiums to make sure they get a friendly crowd. If they played Mexico in Soldier Field 75% of the fans would be cheering their opponents.

And even then the revenues are identical...

Specifically, from 2016-18, the women’s team brought in $50.8 million in revenue, while the men’s team brought in $49.9 million. That’s a difference of less than 2% in the women’s favor.

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.

[18.99s]

That's an unsupportable statement without giving context to the sources of income. This article highlights how murky the whole issue is.

https://www.politifact.com/article/2...-revenue-get-/

The article agrees that the women brought in slightly more revenue than the men, at least when comparing sources that can be attributed to one gender or the other.

The murky part is who got paid more as players.

If the revenue difference were more obvious, like 60% women to 40% men, the women would not want to split the money equally.

[Atticus]

However, now that the US women have been bringing in more revenue than the men in recent years, the women might not want that.

That's an unsupportable statement without giving context to the sources of income. This article highlights how murky the whole issue is.

https://www.politifact.com/article/2...-revenue-get-/

Which is why equalizing pay should be such an easy and right thing to do.

[18.99s]

The right thing....always defined by the US....

Never going to happen..... women's soccer isn't even a thing in a large majority of countries that have men teams...

Another American centered idea...that isn't going anywhere.

The US soccer federation can take the FIFA money and divide it equally among the US men's and US women's teams without cooperation from other countries.

However, now that the US women have been bringing in more revenue than the men in recent years, the women might not want that.

[Atticus]

Another American-centered idea...that isn't going anywhere.

Wow! Just . . . wow . . .

[Conor Dary]

Sometimes it takes an out-there decision to do the right thing. Although the pots of money are nowhere near the same, throwing it all into one pot before divvying it up sends a powerful message that even latent sexism is unacceptable.

The right thing....always defined by the US....

Never going to happen..... women's soccer isn't even a thing in a large majority of countries that have men teams...

Another American centered idea...that isn't going anywhere.

[Atticus]

That is nuts.

Sometimes it takes an out-there decision to do the right thing. Although the pots of money are nowhere near the same, throwing it all into one pot before divvying it up sends a powerful message that even latent sexism is unacceptable.

[Conor Dary]

That is nuts.

[TN1965]

US Soccer says it has offered men, women identical contracts (yahoo.com)

The U.S. Soccer Federation said it had offered identical contract proposals Tuesday to the players' associations for the men's and women's national teams, and the governing body said it would refuse to agree to a deal in which World Cup prize money is not equalized.

[Atticus]

US Soccer president asks men, women to equalize FIFA money

I can't see how the USMNT will defend against this set play . . .