The US Women’s National Soccer Team who are World Cup champions are now the Athlete of the Year as announced by Time Magazine on Wednesday. The Magazine has honoured the United State's women's soccer team which earned a record fourth title in tournament history. Their back-to-back championships, being paid more than the men’s team, absolutely dominant women footballers, have pledged for gender equity in the workplace, backed by co-captain Megan Rapinoe that’s how the team has changed the era of transcended sports.
“We’re in a movement, not a moment.”: Rapinoe
The US women had scored goals after goals at the World Cup. “‘They shouldn't be doing this,’ and what makes our team what it is nobody cares,” forward Christen Press told the magazine. Megan Rapinoe, the prestigious Ballon d’Or Prize winner, and Alex Morgan ended the tournament with six goals apiece.
The American, Rapinoe has had a fabulous year in which she helped the USA win the Women’s World Cup for the second time in her career. She won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the tournament.
Key Takeaways:
- The US Women’s National Soccer Team — the World Cup champions — has won the Athlete of the Year title on Wednesday as announced by Time Magazine.
- Megan Rapinoe, star of the United States Women’s National Team, was recently awarded the women’s Ballon d’Or prize at an awards ceremony in Paris.
- She became the first United States women’s national team (USWNT) player to win the prestigious award.
- Rapinoe helped lead the USWNT to its fourth World Cup title last summer in France, scoring six goals and recording as the tournament’s top player.
- READ:How Rajlakshmi Retesh Found Her Second Calling By Training Jawan Wives
Women’s team paid more than men
The US Women’s National Soccer Team was reportedly paid more than the men’s team, according to US Soccer. A letter describing the significance of equal pay was released last month and they confirmed that the federation paid out $34.1 million in salary and game bonuses to the women between 2010 and 2018 wherein $26.4 million was paid to the men. The total does not include the value of benefits received only by the women, like health care.
The Megan Rapinoe team which is fighting over wage gap and using their Women’s World Cup performance to campaign for equal pay
Fighting for gender equality
The team which is fighting over wage gap and using their Women’s World Cup performance to campaign for equal pay, moved toward mediating a federal lawsuit in which players for the women’s team accused U.S. Soccer of “institutionalised gender discrimination” that includes inequitable compensation when compared to players on the men’s team.
Rapinoe, who is known for her strong opinions, has led the way in the women’s national team’s lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, accusing the federation of gender discrimination.
The federation is facing raging public pressure over the pay structure. “In the weeks ahead, we’ll focus on preparing for mediation and resolving this matter in the best interests of the WNT and U.S. Soccer. I want you to know that U.S. Soccer is committed to doing right by our players, and I’ve been encouraged by the public comments from players expressing their desire for a cooperative approach. I remain optimistic that we can find common ground,” Carlos Cordeiro, U.S. Soccer President wrote. “Together, I believe we can get this done,” Time.com reported.
The year ends with the team heading to another stellar year winning gender focused campaigns on and off the field, trailblazing fight for equality.
READ: Look Beyond Cricket, Our Sportswomen Are Winning Golds!
Feature Image Credit: The Guardian
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