Soccer star Megan Rapinoe offered a solution Sunday to the push for equal pay for the U.S. Women’s National Team: Big corporations “can just write the check.”
Players from the World Cup-winning team sued in March the U.S. Soccer Federation for alleged sex-based pay discrimination, a lawsuit reportedly headed to mediation, but Rapinoe said the parties should be able to resolve the issue “a lot more quickly.”
“I think that it is a complicated issue, and I think sometimes we get in the weeds about it, can’t see the forest for the trees, when, you know, big sponsors can just write the check,” said Rapinoe on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
One sponsor already has: Procter & Gamble announced Sunday that it would donate $529,000 for bonuses to the championship team, translating into an additional $23,000 for each of the 23 players.
“These are some of the most powerful corporations, not just in sports but in the world and have so much weight that they can throw around,” said Rapinoe, co-captain of the team. “And I think that they just need to get comfortable throwing it around.”
Rapinoe, who said in May that she was “not going to the f——— White House,” added that it would take “more than Trump is willing to do” to get her to change her mind.
“There’s, like, 50 policy issues that we can probably reverse and get going,” said Rapinoe. “I mean, it would take a tremendous amount I think. I understand that progress is sometimes slow and I’ll never close any door all the way. But I think it would take more than Trump is willing to do.”
. @mPinoe on next steps: “I’m gonna fight for equal pay every day, for myself, for my team, and for every single person out there: Man, woman, immigrant, U.S. citizen, person of color, whatever it may be. Equal pay, as the great Serena Williams said, ’til I’m in my grave.” #MTP
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 14, 2019
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.