The United States House has passed a bill allowing equal pay for women competing in international events. This means that all American women will receive the same financial compensation as men during tournaments like the World Cup and the Olympics.
Passed into law Wednesday night, the Team USA Equal Pay Act covers more than 50 sports in which the country competes internationally. Organizations such as the Olympic and Paralympic committees are required to oversee the financial aspects of the deal.
Bill approved in both the House and the Senate
The bill’s co-sponsor, Sen. Maria Cantwell, thanked the soccer stars in her post-passage speech. “I… want to thank heroes like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan who brought that case against US Soccer,” she said Cantwell. “USA women’s soccer led the charge after winning the World Cup and making it clear to everyone that female athletes deserve equal pay.”
The bill was previously unanimously approved by the Senate. Now that it has passed both the Senate and the House, the bill will now go to President Joe Biden’s desk for final approval.
US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone also released a statement on the news. “By sending this legislation to the president, both houses have sent a clear message that this is the standard for all national teams in all sports and underscores the importance of working with our athletes to achieve equal pay, including prize equalization. in international cash,” Parlow said Cono.
American soccer previously agreed to a new deal in May
The USWNT got a big financial boost earlier in the month after the USMNT beat Iran in the World Cup. The women on the USWNT roster collected around $380,000 due to the win. A deal between the two American teams was previously agreed to last summer.
The USMNT and USWNT unions agreed to a new collective agreement in May. The agreement allows the two teams to work together to benefit both unions. The previous arrangements meant that the Americans were essentially competing for resources.
Photo: IMAGO/Icon Sportswire
