Jul 18, 2023
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Prideful smiles beamed off the pitch on the night victory was declared. The U.S. women’s national team had spent decades bitterly fighting for it. They’d gone to court and Congress and countless bargaining sessions in a bid for equal pay. They won it, finally, last May, then gathered months later in Washington D.C. to celebrate — and to send a message.
They could have easily signed their landmark collective bargaining agreement in a backroom flanked by lawyers. Instead, on a field with thousands watching, Crystal Dunn pounded a table in excitement; Megan Rapinoe hugged predecessors who’d paved the way; shrill cheers serenaded the entire USWNT as player reps officially signed that CBA, a deal that now pays them on par with the U.S. men in every conceivable way.
They did it there, flanked by powerful politicians and cameras, in part because they wanted to set a visible example.
Source: Yahoo Sports