Friday, March 29, 2019

Nonprofits Behaving Badly: U.S. Soccer Federation

This past week, the U.S. women’s soccer team (USWNT) filed a gender discrimination class action lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to “helping develop world-class players, coaches, and National Teams that inspire a nation.”

The USSF is the governing body for American soccer. Its home page motto is “one nation, one team.” But there are actually two national teams, and they are not created equally. They play the same game, on the same size field, under the same rules. The men’s team (USMT) didn’t even qualify for the most recent World Cup and has never won a championship. Yet the men got performance bonuses of $5,350,000 for losing in the 2014 Cup Round of 16. The USWNT got paid $1,725,000 for winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup. 

The lawsuit outlines violations of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, both of which prohibit employers from discrimination based on gender. Grievances include pay, bonus money distribution, field conditions, travel conditions, and overall treatment in comparison to the men. According to player Megan Raphinhoe, “we feel a responsibility not only to stand up for what we know we deserve as athletes, but also what we know is right – on behalf of our teammates, future teammates, fellow women athletes and women all around the world.”

One week after the suit was filed, the Federation issued a statement saying it was “surprised” at the legal action, claiming they have done everything they can to invest in women’s soccer. And yet the USSF has admitted to paying its female players less than the male players, claiming they do not deserve to be paid equally. The women receive far less than men for games played, wins, wins against internationally ranked teams, and making the country’s World Cup Roster. They play more games annually. They are frequently forced to play on substandard fields. This despite the fact that the USWNT has been ranked #1 in the world for the last eleven years, winning three World Cup tournaments and four Olympic gold medals. The men are ranked #25, and have never won an international tournament.

Full disclosure: I am an obsessed soccer fan. And I have been playing in a regular Sunday morning pick-up game for over 25 years (we call it the Church of Soccer). I stumbled onto the game when my kids were playing youth soccer. I had wanted to play when I was in high school, but it wasn’t allowed – girls were forced to play field hockey, which I hated. So as an adult, over many Sundays, I learned the game, making lots of mistakes, but loving every minute of it. My kids played (actually out-played) with me, until they left home.

The game is a virtual melting pot, with players from Germany, Mexico, Palestine, France, El Salvador, England, and Peru. But I am usually the only female on the field. Often, young families walk by, and I can see the moms pointing me out to their daughters. It makes me proud to know that in some small way, I am a role model to these girls, just as the incredible women on the USWNT are. They deserve better. And the USSF, as a nonprofit organization, should be forced to fulfill its mission in an equitable and fair manner.

By the way, the 2019 Women’s World Cup starts on May 12. I hope you’ll join me in rooting for the team, both in winning the lawsuit and the World Cup.

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