U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Seeks $66M in Damages in Gender Discrimination Lawsuit
PAY TO PLAY
Benoit Tessier/Reuters
Players on the U.S. women’s soccer team have asked for more than $66 million in damages in their gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. Documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday night included previously-unseen collective bargaining agreements for the men’s and women’s teams. They show a disparity in bonuses and highlight different pay structures for both teams, the Associated Press reports. In a statement to the AP, U.S. Soccer said the women’s team “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.” However, a spokeswoman for the plaintiffs said that equal pay was never an option in the proposed pay-to-play contracts. The female players have sued the federation alleging institutionalized gender discrimination, including inequitable compensation. Megan Rapinoe, the current FIFA Player of the Year, is among those who will give testimony when the trial starts on May 5.