US women soccer players reached a landmark agreement with the sport's American governing body to end a six-year legal battle over equal pay, a deal in which they are promised $24 million plus bonuses that match those of the men, per the AP. The US Soccer Federation and the women announced a deal Tuesday that will have players split $22 million, about one-third of what they had sought in damages. The USSF also agreed to establish a fund with $2 million to benefit the players in their post-soccer careers and charitable efforts aimed at growing the sport for women. The USSF committed to providing an equal rate of pay for the women's and men’s national teams—including World Cup bonuses—subject to collective bargaining agreements with the respective unions.
"For our generation, knowing that we're going to leave the game in an exponentially better place than when we found it is everything," 36-year-old midfielder Megan Rapinoe told the AP. "That's what it’s all about because, to be honest, there is no justice in all of this if we don't make sure it never happens again." The settlement was a victory for the players, who sparked fans to chant "Equal Pay!" when they won their second straight title in France in 2019. And it was a success for USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone, a former player who became head of the federation in March 2020. Cone replaced Carlos Cordeiro, who quit after the federation made a legal filing that claimed women had less physical ability and responsibility than male counterparts.
"The thing that Cindy did was acknowledge the wrongdoing and apologize for the wrongdoing," Rapinoe said. "This is just one step towards rebuilding the relationship with the women’s team," added Cone. "I think this is a great accomplishment ... Now we can shift the focus to other things, most importantly, growing the game at all levels and increasing opportunities for girls and women." Cone said the federation's method of equalizing World Cup bonuses is yet to be determined. The federation has until now based bonuses on payments from FIFA, which earmarked $400 million for the 2018 men's tournament, including $38 million to champion France, and $30 million for the 2019 women's tournament, including $4 million to the champion US. US women have won four World Cups since the program’s start in 1985, while the men haven’t reached a semifinal since 1930. (More US women's soccer stories.)
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