While the American National women’s soccer team is suing for equal pay and bragging about their victories over other women and just how smackingly clever and talented they are, let’s just keep one minor corrective in mind: the Australian National Women’s Team once challenged a team of 15-year-old boys.
They were easily, effortlessly, crushed 7-0.
The Americans are probably a bit better than the Australians but not by much.
So yes, you American women often beat other national women’s teams, but not nearly as many people care about your performance as much as you do, and you don’t play on the same grand scale as the men do, and no, you don’t deserve the same pay, not remotely, not by any standard that usually applies in the world of professional sports. You can’t go into Italy or Brazil or even Iceland and play their national women’s team in front of 60,000 fans.
Anyone who watched your game right after, say, a men’s game of France vs. Spain, would know the truth. In terms of skill and speed and power, you aren’t even close. Not even close.
So who did you ask for more money? From the fans, who would pay to see you? From the owners of the club teams that run the league that you play in? From the sponsors who pay for advertising during the games? From the makers of sporting apparel and bling who dress you and market you? But then you would have to prove that you actually generate the same income-driving passion as the men. You don’t. You too would lose to a bunch of 15-year-old boys if you played them.
So you went to the government. That’s right. Give us more money or we’ll cancel you.