Chris Peterson Column: It's simple, USWNT is elite and deserved to be paid like it

There are a lot of debates going on in this country right now and while you can argue about whether or not that’s a good thing, one discussion that needs to continue is equal pay for women.

The fact women aren’t paid as well as men isn’t new. It’s been a sad fact in the United States of America for a long time and there is no better example than the United States Women’s National Soccer Team.

This summer, the USWNT reminded us again of their greatness.

They also reminded us how women athletes are underappreciated and underpaid.

Simply put, Alex Morgan is one of the best soccer players in the world, man or woman and Megan Rapinoe is right there with her.

When you are talking about tacticians, the United States Men’s Soccer Team only wishes it could find a coach like Jill Ellis, who unfortunately for American soccer fans, decided to step down after leading the Americans to a second consecutive World Cup title.

These are giants of the game and stars of their sport and the fact that they are paid less simply because of their gender is wrong.

It’s also against everything America is supposed to be about. We aren’t supposed to care about who you are, but rather what you can do. Only when it comes to American soccer, that clearly isn’t the case.

Some people refer to Missouri as the show-me state. Well, America should be called the show-me country because it’s all about showing what you can do and these women have shown they are world-class athletes.

For that, they deserve better compensation and even now, the U.S. Soccer Federation continues to argue it pays both genders fairly, which re-ignited the conversation this week as the two sides prepare for a legal battle which will hopefully settle things once and for all.

But it certainly ruffled feathers when Carlos Cordeiro, the president of U.S. Soccer reiterated in a letter he released on his Twitter account that men weren’t paid more than women and even referenced a number that since 2010, the USWNT made $34.1 million dollars compared to $26.4 million by the men.

While this number might be true, it perpetuates a myth that women and men are paid the same when they aren’t — not even close. Part of it may not be the fault of the U.S. Soccer Federation because the largest disparity comes in the form of bonuses paid out for tournament performances.

That’s where the difference is truly staggering. According to FIFA, the world’s governing body for soccer, the United States Men’s Soccer Team earned $41 million from 2010 to 2018, despite missing the World Cup once and not even winning a single match in the knockout stage, while the women’s team, which won the tournament twice, in 2015 and 2019, earned only $39 million.

That means that the best women’s soccer team in the world, with the best players in the world, are paid less than the USMNT, which is ranked No. 22 globally and is light years away from contending for a world title. Heck, it can’t even lay claim to being the best team on this continent.

So why the disparity?

The simplest answer I can give is that people still don’t appreciate female athletes as much as they should and that’s a shame, but until that changes, the lack of pay won’t.

And when I say that, I am not just talking about the United States Women’s National Soccer Team. I am talking about the world. Women’s soccer has grown tremendously and if you don’t think their game is as entertaining as the men’s game, maybe you haven’t watched it enough.

I’d make the same argument when it comes to basketball, softball, volleyball and other women’s sports that don’t get enough attention. Take the time to watch and you never know, you might just get hooked.

In Havre, we certainly all know how talented female athletes can be — the Blue Pony girls basketball team, with back-to-back state titles, has shown us that and they aren’t the only ones in the area as the Box Elder girls are also two-time Class C champions.

Those teams are some of the best I have covered in all my years at the Havre Daily, writing about high school sports and I can honestly say I have always enjoyed girls basketball as much as boys. The game is different, yes, but those differences are shrinking and it’s time for people to take notice.

The popularity of women’s sports will only continue to grow. But if we really want the women of the United States soccer team to get equal pay, then we need to put our money where our mouth is. If we want to see girls grow up and earn millions in the WNBA, then it’s time we tune in because if there are fans, the money will follow.

I don’t mean that everyone has a moral obligation to watch women’s sports, that would be ridiculous. But it’s also ridiculous to act like we have no way of enacting change. So if you agree that women athletes should be paid more, because of their talent and not just their gender, the best way to make that happen is to watch and if we all do, the rest will take care of itself.