Will female athletes get their due?

One small step for women, one giant leap for equal rights in sports. 

Recently the U.S. Soccer federation and the women’s soccer players agreed to settle the ongoing equal pay lawsuit. 

While this is a good thing, it’s not the sweet victory it seems like. The women’s team will only get the equal pay they deserve if the men’s team agrees to give the women some of the millions more that they have. Basically, the deal they struck is contingent on the men’s team agreeing to split the difference.

This is in addition to the couple million dollar pay-out for the years the athletes were playing with unfair wages and opportunities. The pay-out will make up for the years that they played without the publicity opportunities and payment that the men’s team had. 

Now to fix the issue for the future, the men’s team has to agree to the terms. The men’s team lawyers haven’t made any comments and no one knows what they will decide. We can only hope that they have respect for the women’s teams and the time and effort they put into their work, and decide to help them get the payment they deserve. If they don’t, who knows what will happen for the women’s soccer team or any other women’s team. 

Athletics are constantly in debate, whether it’s payment or different rules, there is always something to be said. Women’s pay in athletics has been debated a long time, and I’m glad some positive change is happening. 

People have argued that it’s OK that women are paid less because men’s sports are watched by more people than the women’s teams. I wonder how many commercials or advertising women’s teams have given compared to men’s teams? Or how much easier is it for men’s sports to be televised than women’s sports. 

Most women’s sports are just ignored in the U.S. It doesn’t matter if they win more often or put in just as many hours of work. Women’s sports are continually being treated like they don’t matter. It wasn’t long ago that women weren’t allowed to play sports or were expected not to play sports. 

It seems that outdated mentality is still alive and well in professional sports. Women are expected to at most play at the college level and then give up their sports, while men are allowed to continue trying to make it to bigger leagues and are allowed to dream of getting recognition for their hard work. 

That way of thinking is a little too reminiscent of the era of frilly dresses, heels and curlers, for me. Back when women were expected to drop everything and get married it fit to not worry about women’s sports. But women aren’t objects and never were so that way of thinking was eventually phased out. Or at least partially phased out. It’s still plenty prevalent in sports. Women should be allowed to chase their dreams just as much as men do. 

That includes sports. 

Hopefully, the men’s soccer teams will take a step in the right direction and a ripple effect will start to give women equal pay and equal opportunities in sports. No matter what they decide, change can start anywhere. So support the female athletes in your life. Their dreams are just as important and should be as celebrated as anyone else’s.