Equal Play, Equal Pay - an inquiry blog

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We deserve the cake, the icing and the cherry on top too, just like the boys.

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See my post, https://dcwhite8asu.tumblr.com/post/167042697573/american-soccers-gender-wage-gap-the-daily-show, for a full write up on this interview. 

[dcwhite8asu]

So... What now?

With this stunning victory of increased pay, you’re probably asking yourself, “well, what now? They got what they wanted.”

The battle is far from over, but it may no longer be uphill. With new deals in place for both the US Women’s Hockey team and the US Women’s Soccer team, they have made an immediate positive impact for both teams on many levels -- they will receive better health care, paid maternity leave, and a more fair, livable wage. This change will impact generations to come, as the girls are one step closer to being equal with the boys. The unity and camaraderie shown by all is commendable, and if only the world would take notice and follow in stride. According to the AAUW, a women’s group that focuses on empowerment, women will reach pay equity in 2059, if we continue on the path that we are on. If we slow or falter at all, it will not be until 2119 that equity is reached in the workplace. It is more important now than ever to not ‘settle,’ or give up the fighting spirit that the world of professional sports brought out in you.

There are still battles to fight. According to a recent post from Forbes, the author, David Berri, writes that in the WNBA, the women are receiving about 25% of the league's earnings while the men are receiving closer to 50%, despite the surge in popularity for the WNBA. And again, this is a discrepancy in professional sports. These women dedicate their lives to this one game, and are barely being paid enough to live. We, the general public, still need to be aware and educated about the gaps in pay, even though it seemingly doesn’t affect us. It might not be you that’s affected, but it could be your daughter, your niece, your cousin, your friend. There are thousands of little girls who are affected by the gaps in pay, because these women who are playing their sports now are paving the way for all of them. This issue is so much bigger than just the teams and their families, this will affect generations to come, and the battle is not over yet. Our girls deserve better.

“We've begun to raise daughters more like sons... but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.” - Gloria Steinem

- Berri, David. “Basketball's Growing Gender Wage Gap: The Evidence The WNBA Is Underpaying Players.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 Sept. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/davidberri/2017/09/20/there-is-a-growing-gender-wage-gap-in-professional-basketball/#6a84dc6036e0. 

- Miller, Kevin. “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap.” AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881, AAUW, 28 Sept. 2017, www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/.

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Nevertheless, She Persisted - a new deal is in place!

Just a week after the U.S. Hockey team ended their boycott (see https://dcwhite8asu.tumblr.com/post/167044763363/us-womens-team-strikes-a-deal-with-usa), the USSF announced the ratification of a new five year contract for the USWNT. The negotiation over this contract had been an ongoing debate for the last year, since the USWNT filed a federal complaint with the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) last March. Even though equality between the two teams -- the USMNT and USWNT -- has not been reached, the USSF has made great strides towards the overarching goal. The important details of this new contract reported by Lindsay Gibbs at ThinkProgress are as follows: “A “sizable increase” in base pay for the USWNT players and bigger bonuses, which could lead to some players doubling their incomes and earning $200,000 to $300,000 per year — and even more during World Cup years, improved travel accommodations and working conditions — a category that likely includes field quality, union control over some of the USWNT licensing and marketing rights, greater support the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), with a continued commitment to pay NWSL salaries for allocated USWNT players, additional field and stadium oversight, and greater bonuses for players who don’t have a USWNT contract, per diems that are equal to the ones the men’s national team receives, more support for pregnant players who are pregnant or adopting a child.”

It was an ugly battle, with threats of strikes and game suspensions, but the USWNT approached the issue by adopting their campaign, “Equal Play, Equal Pay.”

This campaign says exactly what it stands for  - these women are out there, putting just as much heart and soul into the game they love as the men are, but the pay is not equal. The only acceptable thing to do in this situation where the women are outshining the men on the field is to address the concerns of the players and find an equal agreement. As the USWNT was celebrating their third World Cup win in 2015, the disgruntled employees decided to file a complaint with the EEOC to change the pace of the negotiations and put some pressure on the USSF. This complaint states that the United States Soccer Federation was violating the Equal Pay Act and Title VII -- in short, the USWNT were being denied equal pay because of their genders. In the world of professional sports, this is something completely new and unheard of because never before were there a situation where the same employer (FIFA) hired men and women to play the same sport under the same work conditions. As a comparison, the NBA and WNBA are two separate organizations therefore have room to work out issues in discrepancies without the glaring differences, versus the USWNT and the USMNT having the same employers, same jobs, same everythings. The USSF responded to the complaint by saying, “any differences in the compensation paid men and women players are driven by factors other than gender.”

Try as they might, the USSF has no more excuses, as we (the USWNT and supporters) have had a small step in the right direction that made leaps and bounds but still allows more room for growth. Though their battle with the CBA (see https://dcwhite8asu.tumblr.com/post/166973066998/what-exactly-is-this-pay-difference-that-everyone) is over, the team has decided not to withdraw their EEOC complaint, as it is in the late stages of investigation according to Gibbs. To end this post, here is the joint statement released by the USWNT and USSF, stating that, “We are proud of the hard work and commitment to thoughtful dialogue reflected through this process, and look forward to strengthening our partnership moving forward.” Let’s go girls.

- Gibbs, L. (2017, April 5). They persisted: U.S. women's soccer secures new deal after lengthy 'Equal Play, Equal Pay' campaign. Retrieved November 1, 2017, from https://thinkprogress.org/womens-soccer-secures-new-deal-ffe06dc4b9e1/

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U.S. Women’s Team Strikes a Deal With U.S.A. Hockey

The team had threatened to boycott the world championship, which begins this week, in pursuit of increased wages and support from the national governing body.

The Fight for All: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

The USWNT isn’t the only professional team with a pay discrepancy that’s nearly unlivable. The U.S. Women’s Professional Hockey team staged a boycott on March 15th, 2017, threatening to back out of the world championship if U.S.A. Hockey did not increase their wages and support of the team. The players were in a similar situation as the USWNT, where if injury occurred, they would not have enough of a financial cushion to cover basic needs. U.S.A. Hockey explained that they had a desire to grow the game, but made little effort to develop better programs for youth girls and to support the current team. According to someone with close financial ties to the team, “the deal provides the female players with travel and insurance provisions that equal what the men’s national team receive.” At a professional level and as women who might want or have a family, insurance for these athletes is crucial for them to feel secure and validated. The players will also receive a training stipend of two thousand dollars a month, year round, which is much more feasible on top of the money they will receive from a split pool and larger bonuses for winning medals. 

Six days after the announcement of this boycott, the team got a phone call from none other than Billie Jean King, a famous tennis player who is known for supporting equal pay and women’s rights in sports. BJK has also announced her support of the USWNT (see https://dcwhite8asu.tumblr.com/post/167042697573/american-soccers-gender-wage-gap-the-daily-show), and the hockey team rallied support from N.H.L., the N.B.A., the W.N.B.A., the N.F.L., Major League Baseball, the USWNT, and twenty U.S. Senators. As the participation of the women’s hockey team in the world championship seemed doubtful, U.S.A. Hockey began recruiting college players, players from pro leagues, junior players, and recreation players to take their place. 

The team did not crumble, they stayed firm in their choice, and on March 28th, the hockey team will receive all that was mentioned with increased pay, and now maternity leave. These women have won medals in every Olympics since women’s hockey became an event in 1998. Since 1990, they have finished either first or second in every world championship. This will be a historic day for not just hockey, but women athlete everywhere. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, a forward for the hockey team, can be quoted by the NY Times saying, “There’s now a feeling, women can chase their dreams, have a family and do both without having a financial burden,” as they have the right to do.

- Berkman, S. (2017, March 28). U.S. Women’s Team Strikes a Deal With U.S.A. Hockey. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/sports/hockey/usa-hockey-uswnt-boycott.html

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American Soccer's Gender Wage Gap: The Daily Show

Becky Sauerbrunn, Ali Krieger and Hope Solo help Hasan Minhaj understand why the World Cup-winning U.S. women's soccer team should be paid the same as their ...

A Review of the Daily Show

On May 5th, 2016, The Daily Show, ran by Comedy Central, posted a video interviewing some of the USWNT members asking them more questions about why they feel they deserve to be paid more. The satirical talk and news program had their uncanny reporter, Hasan Minhaj, question three members from the USWNT in an ironic sort of way. Initially, he is posing questions with a comedic ignorance, which if not watched carefully, the viewer could miss the humor within it. Minhaj begins his segment with a voice over saying, “I sat down with three members from the U.S. Soccer team to find out why they are being so greedy.” I have to admit, that put me off to begin the show, but as it continues, the plot unfolds and it is revealed that by using ignorance, Minhaj allows the girls, Becky Sauerbrunn, Hope Solo, and Ali Krieger, to fact check him and explain where they’re coming from in this ongoing debate. They then move onto the numbers of things, (see https://dcwhite8asu.tumblr.com/post/166973066998/what-exactly-is-this-pay-difference-that-everyone for more information) and they dicuss the possibility of having a second job on top of being a professional, world-class athelete -- which is just not possible.

In an attempt to explain the other side of things, Gavin McInnes, notoriously known for his right-wing talk show, comes onto the show and talks to us about why the USWNT has no room to complain. McInnes states in his interview, “You're playing a man's game by man's rules, this is the way it is in our world. You gotta earn it.”

After further research, he was set up in this video to look like an extremist, but he is still a meninist to no end. McInnes is a very well educated man, with valid points, he just has an old-worldly point of view on things that people like myself and Billie Jean King don’t agree on. The queen of sports equality was interviewed following the disaster with McInnes and she had a lot to say. BJK fought hard to earn equality in pay for tennis players in 1973 in a “Battle of the Sexes” against Bobby Riggs, which she won and made progress for women athletes everywhere. One of my favorite things that she said in this interview with Minhaj is, “we’re supposed to be so grateful if we get just one crumb, ‘oh thank you.’ No, we deserve the cake, the icing, the cherry on top just like the boys.” BJK was a pioneer, and she is rallying around the girls of the USWNT to help gain acknowledgment and support from the same people who supported her and many others. 

After the interview with BJK concludes, the USWNT members are featured in a mock up promotional commercial, comparing the men versus the women in a tragicomical fashion. As Sauerbrunn, Krieger, and Solo are showing off their talent on the field, there is a voice over playing, setting the tone by saying, “You can be great… You can make history… You can aspire to be less than… You can be just as good as any other person, as long as that person doesn’t have a penis.” With this ‘commercial,’ they wrap the video up by making a play on Nike’s slogan with, “You can treat us equally, you can give us grass to play on, you can pay us what we deserve, just f@#%ing do it.”

This video offered fact checking with a twist of ironic humor that stuck out in the viewer's mind. Yes, there was some bias about Gavin McInnes, but then again, that is up to the viewer about where they stand and what that means to them. This platform for the USWNT has impacted a multitude of people, as 568,000 people have watched this video and the team has since made great strides in their equality fight. It was a very clever way for the team to make themselves even more known.  

- Parang, Z. (Writer). (2016, May 5). American Soccer's Gender Wage Gap: The Daily Show [Television series episode]. In The Daily Show. Comedy Central.

[dcwhite8asu]

Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them.

Mia Hamm, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, 2x Women’s World Cup Champion

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NWSL Commercial 

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Another major company taking notice of our girls! GO Dish!

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U.S. Soccer WNT: Relatable. #HappyHalloween from the #USWNT! 🎃👻

[dcwhite8asu]

Happy Halloween, everyone!

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Another Point of View - the male collegiate athlete

I reached out to a hometown friend who has been actively involved in soccer since he was a young boy. He will be going by JP during this interview. I will be going as DW.

DW : So JP, what is your history with soccer?

JP : I was first exposed to soccer at three years old, and have been involved competitively since I was eight. I currently play for a pre-academy club team and a college team.

DW : Wow, you must be very busy!

JP : Yeah, I have practice three days a week, with two of those days being double days. I have games the other four days, usually. It's a hard balance, between that, school, and the part time job I have, but it is worth it for the sport.

DW : Sounds like you are very passionate about soccer. So drawing from your life experience, why would you say that sports, as a collective whole, are still predominantly advertised to men?

JP : The sports industry is one of the biggest money-making businesses in the world. Having predominantly male athletes and sports, males are advertised to because they will be the most cost effective to work with. Haven't you heard the story about Miller Lite beer? They tried to advertise it to women as a diet beer, but it didn't work, so they threw a bunch of NFL players in a commercial, and now Miller Lite is a staple for Sunday afternoon football, drunk mostly by men. They just haven't found a niche for women yet.

DW : You brought up some interesting points about the value that money making holds in the sports industry. Let me ask you first - who do you think is better, the USWNT or the USMNT?

JP : I don't think you can compare the skill level of the two teams because they don't have the same opponents nor do they have the same physical features. Because of the physical differences, they play the game differently. Everyone is grouped more similarly in women's soccer, the average height of the team is 5'7", which is reasonable, two or three inches taller or shorter isn't that big of a deal. Versus in men's soccer, there's a more obvious height and weight difference from each player. Like myself, I am 6'5" and 170 lbs, and my teammate is 5'8" and 200 lbs. In women's soccer, you just don't see that difference. Everyone there is pretty average and toned, where men's soccer, everyone is a different height and at completely different stages in their training and muscle mass.

DW : Oh wow, I hadn't even thought of that point! Great observation. Now, going back to your point about money, are you aware of the pay discrepancy between the USMNT and the USWNT?

JP : Yeah, I know about it. I think that based solely on the success of both teams, the pay is not fair. The gap should be inverted, it should be the other way where women are being paid more than men just based on their success, leaving out views and ratings.

DW : I concur. A thought to consider - maybe if the pay was raised, it would leave more time for training and promote the game globally. Last one, do you think overt discrimination is causing the wage gap, or is it because women aren't biologically set to perform as well as men?

JP : I don't know if you can say they're not biologically set up because they're competing with each other. You can't say they're not performing, because they are, and well. I think it's because men's soccer is more watched then women's soccer, generally speaking, on a club and national level, across the world not just in the US. The USSF probably just wants to cash in on that male market. They want to promote their men's team in order to be able to compete at the highest level where all the money is being made.

DW : JP, I really enjoyed our conversation today. You brought up some great points, about the economics behind it, and it's nice to know that there is that support from the male college soccer players of the Women's National Team. Good luck with your seasons, I look forward to talking to you soon.

JP : Thank you!

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What exactly is this pay difference that everyone keeps talking about?

So… Why does it matter that the men’s team is paid more?

*Just as a disclaimer, this is a topic I am quite passionate about. My goal is to inspire and enlighten, not to shame and put down. This post is created with the idea of equity in mind.*

“Equality is giving everyone a shoe. Equity is giving everyone a shoe that fits.” - N. Dosani

Let us begin with the basic facts - for as long as the USMNT has been around, they just haven’t been successful. And the definition of successful would be qualifying for the World Cup, collecting Olympic medals, or even winning friendly matches. After never getting past third place in the World Cup (in 1930!), and seeing their last Olympic medal in 1904, we still are seeing more favoritism from the USSF towards the men then our very successful, much more qualified women’s team. Despite being created a century later, the USWNT is considerably better on paper, when comparing world rankings, championships won, and medals earned.

Looking at simple numbers, comparing the USWNT from the years 2013-2017 and USMNT from 2015-2018, Grant Wahl, a sports reporter from Sports Illustrated, documents an obvious discrepancy. If the USWNT wins in a friendly match against a team that is not ranked in FIFA’s Top 25, they will walk away with $1,350/player. If they lose, that miniscule amount drops to $0. On the contrary, the USMNT plays a team ranked at the same level, even if they lose, they walk away with more money than the women do if they win. They earn $9,375/player for a win, $6,250/player for a tie, $5,000/player for a loss, still making 6.9 times more than the women do for a win. If the teams play a friendly against a team ranked 11th-25th in the world, the women walk away with the same amount - for a win, $1,350/player and for a loss or tie, $0/player. When the men play one of these teams, their earnings go up - $12,500/player for a win, $6,250/player for a tie, and $5,000/player for a loss. Now, this is the kicker, our USWNT is ranked #1 in the world and our USMNT is ranked #27. If these teams each play a team ranked 1st-10th, the women’s earnings do not increase, despite them being the leader in this category. However, their male counterparts will earn $17,625/player for a win, $8,125/player for a tie, and $5,000/player for a loss. This means that if the USMNT beats a ranked team, which they haven’t even played a friendly against a 1st-10th team since their game against Germany on June 10th, 2015 (they lost), they will earn 13 times more money than the women do for the same outcome. Even if they lose (which is likely), they will still earn $5,000 more than the women, who in the past three years, have had only two losses and one tie out of twenty one games against one of these 2nd-10th teams, seeing as they are #1.

All of these numbers are just for friendly matches, which is similar to league play. This isn’t including World Cup pay, Olympic pay, and tournament play. For making the World Cup roster, the women earn a bonus of $15,000/player, which seems like a substantial amount, until you look at what the men make. Just for being selected for the World Cup roster, the men will earn a bonus of $68,750/player, and they haven’t even had to qualify to be apart of the World Cup yet. For the next dollar figures, please take a look at the image from Wahl’s SI post, because I am baffled. Seeing that the men can actually qualify for the World Cup, which they didn't this year, they are making more money for participating in the tournament then the women do for winning it.

Figure 1: The left column is for the USWNT, the right column is for the USMNT - Sports Illustrated

Because of all of the evidence shown, in 2016, five players of the USWNT took it upon themselves to file a lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, fighting for their equal pay. Their argument was, “that the U.S. Soccer Federation pays the men's team significantly more than it pays the women for the same work, even though the women are vastly more successful than the men.” (Lester Munson, Adrienne Lawrence, ESPN)

Andrew Das from the NY Times explains that this lawsuit came to be because the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) that the women agreed upon in 2013 was set for renewal this year, and the Equal Pay Act of 1963 states that an employer (the USSF) cannot use a CBA as a justification for unequal pay. For the USWNT, then, the complaint isn’t just about the money, it is also about the message. For a long time coming now, the women have deserved more acknowledgment for all of their hard work and success then they are receiving from the USSF. 

There is more to this story, stay tuned for the next blog post to see how our brave USWNT launched their “Equal Play, Equal Pay” campaign and started another wave of change for the world of women’s sports.

- Wahl, Grant. “USWNT Stars Accuse USSF of Wage Discrimination.” SI.com, Henry Luce, 30 Mar. 2016, www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/03/31/uswnt-eeoc-wage-discrimination-equal-pay.

- Munson, Lester and Lawrence, Adrienne. “Unwrapping the USWNT's Equal Pay Lawsuit and What It Means.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 6 Apr. 2016, www.espn.com/espnw/voices/article/15138438/unwrapping-uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit-means.

- Das, Andrew. “U.S. Women's Soccer Players Renew Their Fight for Equal Pay.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 July 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/sports/soccer/us-womens-soccer-players-renew-their-fight-for-equal-pay.html.

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Christie Pearce-Rampone ~ A USWNT Legend

Christie Pearce-Rampone, at the age of 42, is the last of the 99’ squad to leave the USWNT this year, with Five World Cup visits, four Olympic appearances, three gold medals, 311 caps (games completed), and a career lasting 20 years, she is the epitome of a team player and a pioneer for women's soccer.

Growing up in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Pearce-Rampone was a four sport athlete in high school, playing soccer, basketball, track, and field hockey. She was the first female athlete in New Jersey to lead her conference in all of her sports. After being highly recruited during her senior year, Pearce-Rampone attended Monmouth University in New Jersey. There, she played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, proving that she was just an overall gifted athlete. Pearce-Rampone’s now USWNT teammates are quoted in an interview with Four Four Two saying, “when it came to fitness, it was hard to top her.” (Scott French, FourFourTwo.com)

During her senior year at Monmouth, Pearce-Rampone gave up her basketball season to travel with the USWNT after being recruited by head coach, Tony DiCicco. Pearce-Rampone played her first game in the U.S. kit on February 28th, 1997 against Australia, and scored her first goal on May 2nd, 1997 against South Korea. Pearce-Rampone became an essential part of the team, starting in sixteen of eighteen games her first season, and ending her career with 311 caps, the second most of any international player. Pearce-Rampone represented the U.S. in the 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and became the oldest woman to play in the WWC at forty years and eleven days in the final game against Korea. She also played in the 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympics, collecting one silver medal and three gold medals.

Pearce-Rampone married her husband, Chris Rampone, on November 1st, 2000 and they divorced in spring of 2017. She took the 2005 season off to have their first child, Riley, and returned one hundred and twelve days later to the 2006 season for China’s Four Nations Tournament. In March of 2010, she had her second child, a daughter named Reece, and was coming back to play in September, training hard for the 2011 World Cup. Both of her daughters frequently traveled with her, until they became of school age, and her husband, Chris, stayed home to look after them. After a battle with Lyme Disease in 2012, Pearce-Rampone went on an amazing streak until her retirement this July after a nearly two decade career playing for her country.

Pearce-Rampone was a trailblazer in the sport of women’s soccer, breaking records and opening doors for women across the world. Balancing being a professional athlete in a sport that is not always acknowledged, along with being a mother and credentialed special education teacher, was not an easy task, but Pearce-Rampone handled it with elegance and poise. She has done so much as a captain of an incredible team, and her constant display of hard work and humility are things that little girls can idolize as they dream of growing up to be just like number 3, Christie Rampone.

“Yes, I am 39 going on 40. Yes, I am the mother of two kids. Yes, I’ve torn my ACL and come back from it. I have also won 3 gold medals and been to 5 World Cups.” - Pearce-Rampone

- French, Scott. “Christie Pearce, One-on-One: On USWNT, Retirement and Life after Divorce.”FourFourTwo, Haymarket, 13 July 2017, www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/christie-pearce-one-one-uswnt-retirement-and-life-after-divorce.

- “Christie Pearce.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Oct. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christie_Pearce.

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Kelley O'Hara embraces leadership role on U.S. national team

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Yes!

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U.S. Soccer WNT on Twitter

“Grab some 🍿 and get to your 📺! #USAvKOR coverage is now on ESPN. https://t.co/jwoPmC7MmG”

It’s game day! Our USWNT takes on #16 Korea Republic. The USA is 7-0-2 against the KR, which played their first match in 1990, being relatively new to the soccer world. We will see 30 year-old McCall Zerboni, from the NC Courage, suit up for her debut for her country today, while Tobin Heath, Mal Pugh, and Taylor Smith are still out with injury. Today, Korea will be wearing an all red kit, while our USA will be in all white. Let’s go girls!! #SHEBELIEVES 

[dcwhite8asu]

Every time you fall down, it gives you an opportunity to question yourself, question your integrity. It's not about the actual failure itself - it's how you respond to it.

Abby Wambach, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion, 6x U.S. Soccer Player of the Year, 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year, record holder for Most International Goals Scored (for both men and women)

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U.S. Soccer WNT on Twitter

“Unapologetically awesome. Join us, the @NWSL, @LifetimeTV and a few familiar faces to #PassTheBall. https://t.co/ieo45HbA7y”

*opinion piece* 

The USWNT has been a force of nature since their inaugural game in 1985, creating opportunities for women all over the world. They have broken down barriers and started conversations, because of the doors opened for them with the passing of Title 9 in 1972. The #PassTheBall movement is one started by the National Women’s Soccer League (the professional women's league in the United States) to “bring more visibility to the game by highlighting players, encouraging girls to dream big, inspiring change, and standing up for women's rights.” They (Lifetime TV and the NWSL) had great intentions, however there is some criticism about this movement. Though it was all about the NWSL, where are the players? Yes, there are powerful women and influential celebrities featured in the video, however, with the video featured being released only a week before NWSL playoffs, to not mention it at all makes it odd. The NWSL always needs more attention, not many people I know were aware of the playoffs or even championships that at the time were days away, so why not mention them when you have Ellen DeGeneres and David Beckham on camera? Bad marketing, NWSL. On a positive note, the actions made to bring attention the success of these female athletes were in the right place. With this video release and the faces of the movement, there’s nowhere for these outstanding athletes to go but up.

- “Watch NWSL: Pass the Ball PSA Clip - National Women's Soccer League.” Lifetime, A&E Networks, 27 Sept. 2017, www.mylifetime.com/shows/national-womens-soccer-league/videos/nwsl-pass-the-ball-psa.