The U.S. women’s soccer team led crowds through “Equal Pay!” chants during their parade, and we stan
The U.S. women’s soccer team is made up of some of the best athletes in the world, and in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the team literally broke records. But the members of the team are still not paid the same as their male counterparts—something that they have sued the United States Soccer Federation over. So when they celebrated their World Cup victory with a ticker tape parade in New York City, these badass athletes took the opportunity to raise the issue of equal pay.
According to CNN, N.Y.C. Mayor Bill de Blasio honored the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team with a ticker tape parade today, July 10th, celebrating their 2-0 World Cup win against the Netherlands on July 7th. The parade began at 9:30 a.m. ET and included a speech from the team’s co-captain and World Cup top scorer, Megan Rapinoe. Amid the festivities, the gender pay gap was front and center.
The New York Times reports that team members including Crystal Dunn and Tobin Heath chanted “equal pay” from one of the players’ floats, with Governor Andrew Cuomo joining in with them. The Times even notes that a poster on the float declared “Parades are cool; equal pay is cooler.”
The crowd chants “equal pay” as the US women’s soccer team celebrates their World Cup victory at the ticker tape #USWNTParade in New York City pic.twitter.com/Lf1jzHSIb0
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 10, 2019
Spectators also advocated for equal pay for the women’s soccer team.
One of my favorite signs from the #USWNTParade this morning. The poster’s background: The players’ lawsuit against US Soccer. #EqualPay pic.twitter.com/mwSCL1JFvG
— Ella Brockway (@ellabrockway) July 10, 2019
Equal Pay signs plastered on the windows here on Broadway & Park Row. #USWNTParade pic.twitter.com/5PUgwzVt7n
— Heather Khalifa (@khalifaheather) July 10, 2019
“Equal pay, that’s the tea” pic.twitter.com/lNiBzEQCVs
— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) July 10, 2019
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio leads chant of "USA! Equal pay!" in speech honoring U.S. women's national soccer team's World Cup win. https://t.co/j1h0yXktcK #USWNTParade pic.twitter.com/00nKYd33iq
— ABC News (@ABC) July 10, 2019
ABC News reports that before the parade began, Cuomo signed legislation to make sure that all employees are paid the same amount for the same jobs, regardless of gender.
"It's not just the right thing to do," Cuomo said. "It's not just the moral thing to do, it is also the law in the State of New York."
De Blasio, meanwhile, declared that if elected, he would require all women’s and men’s national sports teams under the jurisdiction of the Amateur Sports Act to be paid equally. This move would mean that the USSF would have to provide equal pay to the women’s and men’s soccer teams.
As New York celebrated the U.S. women's soccer team's historic 4th win at the World Cup — for which they earned a fraction of the prize money awarded to men — the governor signed a law guaranteeing equal pay across the state. #USWNTParade pic.twitter.com/PAZQ5yYXhJ
— AJ+ (@ajplus) July 10, 2019
In her speech, Rapinoe didn’t mention the pay disparity directly, but she implored the audience to work toward the public good.
"We have to be better," she said. "We have to love more, hate less, listen more, talk less. We got to know this is everybody's responsibility," she said. "Its our responsibility to make this world a better place."
"This is my charge to everyone: We have to be better. We have to love more. Hate less. We got to listen more and talk less," Megan Rapinoe says. "It's our responsibility to make the world a better place." https://t.co/7LJHPDVRm9 pic.twitter.com/5s5OuS4Gsx
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 10, 2019
We’re so proud of the U.S. women’s soccer team and all they’ve accomplished. Now, pay them.
