Will America's women champions ever get fair pay?

During the past few years, gender equality has become a very big topic far and wide. Not only has it impacted organizations around the world, but it is also impacting the sporting industry. In fact, women football players argue that they're not getting enough. Now, they're beginning to fight back harder than ever before. While America's male football team continues to disappoint, the women have won back to back World Cups. Is this really justification to give them a pay raise and pay that is equal to their male counterparts?

How Much Are They Losing?

Ultimately, football is a very popular sport around the world. While it is true that women are getting paid less than men, it is also true that both are paid fairly well. Nevertheless, the women aren't having it. According to the NWLC, it is estimated that female football players in the United States are paid almost $200,000 less per year than their male counterparts. However, it should be noted that a clear path for fair pay has already been established. Action just needs to be taken to rectify this problem.

Joe Manchin Urges It

You know it has become bad when politicians are forced to get in on the action. Just this week, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin put a plan into action to help female football players. The bill was introduced on Tuesday. That bill would actually withhold all federal funding for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, which is going to be held in the United States. Remember that this tournament will actually feature male players. The measure would be lifted only when the league agreed to pay men and women equally.

While this seems like a good measure initially, it is vital to understand that Republicans control the Senate. Therefore, there is a really good chance that this bill is going to be shot down there.

The Specifics

It is pretty evident to most fans that the women's team deserves equal pay. Sunday's win marked the fourth World Cup for the women's team since the induction of the tournament in 1991. Unfortunately, the men cannot say that they have ever won a World Cup. In fact, the men didn't even qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia. This is not to say that the men's team isn't good and that they don't play hard because they do, but with four Olympic gold medals it should be clear that the women deserve equal pay.

Governor Cuomo Gets Involved

When New York City held a parade for the women champions, Governor Cuomo honored them in his own way. He did so by signing an equal pay bill. The legislation is designed to close the gender wage gap in New York. He also made it clear that he fully supports the female champions. He called out the United States Soccer Federation directly and urged them to pay the women the same as the men. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul backed up Cuomo. However, it is unknown whether this will have an impact on ladies football in the United States.

The Equal Pay Chant

As millions of Americans stayed glued to their TV sets during the FIFA World Cup Finales the American female soccer team took to the field and claimed another championship. If you were one of those millions that were glued to the TV set you no doubt noticed the equal pay chant after the celebrations were over. This was just one of the many reminders that the record-setting team is still in a battle for fair treatment. It has even been well documented that the women's team earns more revenue than the men's team, so why is the pay scale still off? The women's team clearly deserve equal pay and the fans agree. It looks like avid fans will no longer be holding back their feelings, so this could be a good indication of things to come. Especially, if the fans agree to boycott the games.

2000 Boycott

Women soccer players have always felt that they were being discriminated by FIFA. After a legal battle with FIFA over a contract and pay, a group of female professional soccer players took action. The group, consisting of nine female players, boycotted a tournament that was scheduled to be held in Australia in January of 2000. The boycott was a surprise to many fans because it followed a World Cup win for the U.S. women's players.

In 1995, a group of female soccer players were prohibited from participating in a training camp. Foudy, Scurry, and Hamm were among the group. According to news reports, the ruling to prevent the players from joining the training camp was related to a contract dispute.

The U.S. women's soccer team has disputed with the federation for several years now. Many fans are wondering when they will call a truce. Unfortunately, as long as the players believe they are being discriminated against things will not change.