USWNT Case Study: Making Strides for Women on and Off the Field

Key Questions

1. All 28 members of the USWNT filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation on March 3, 2019, a mere three months before the team would compete in the Women’s World Cup in France. Was the USWNT acting strategically in their decision to file a lawsuit months before the World Cup, at a time when all eyes would be on them and the lawsuit?

2. How effective have the USWNT communication strategies been throughout the lawsuit in raising awareness of the issue and garnering public support for the cause?

3. How has the USWNT employed the three messaging frames (diagnostic, prescriptive, and motivational) often employed by activists?

Overview

Change is not coming; it’s already here. It is 2019, and female athletes are leading the latest wave of activism with the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) trailblazing the path both on and off the field. The USWNT has done much more than win numerous titles – it has become a symbol of power, unity, and equality in the ongoing battle against gender discrimination. Over the years, professional athletes and national sports organizations have shifted from being just sources of entertainment to activist organizations that use their platform to raise awareness of social justice issues. There seems to be no end to the game the USWNT must play when they not only are playing for their country, but also for justice, fairness, and equality. The USWNT is poised to use their platform and voices to spread awareness and influence a change in gender discrimination. Through a lawsuit against their governing body, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), activist programs like #SHEBELIEVES, and public engagements to spread awareness, the USWNT is not just fighting the battle but winning it. By examining the USWNT’s communication efforts through the diagnostic, prescriptive, and motivational messaging frames, this case study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the various ways the USWNT used communication to elevate the public’s awareness about equal pay.

Background

Historically, women have had far fewer opportunities to engage in sports, both at the amateur and professional levels. However, this history continues to this day, despite the passage of Title IX in 1972. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, only one in 27 girls played any school sport in 1972 versus one in three in 2000. Yet even with the passage of Title IX, which guaranteed equal funding of male and female sports at all levels of education, women still earn less than men today, even when they are performing better than their male counterparts, particularly in the case of the USWNT. The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) has been a force since its inception in 1985, having won four Women’s World Cup championships, four Olympic golds, and eight CONCACAF Gold Cups (U.S. Sports History, 2019). According to the New York Times, has been ranked No. 1 by FIFA for 10 of the last 11 years (Goodman, 2019). The USWNT is governed by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States (U.S. Soccer, n.a.).

The USWNT fight for equal pay and treatment has been going on for years, from boycotts and movements to lawsuits against their governing body. In March 2016, five prominent USWNT players filed a complaint against USSF over unequal pay and bonuses with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to the complaint, in 2015, the USWNT were paid a quarter of what the USMNT earn, even though the women’s team brought in nearly $20 million more in revenue (Kliegman, 2019). While making comparisons is difficult because the women’s team is salaried and receives benefits while the men’s team is paid based on appearances, the inequality is nonetheless evident. In 2017, multiple USWNT players signed a collective-bargaining agreement with USSF and won control over limited licensing and marketing rights (Gajanan, 2019). However, the women’s fight for equality did not end there. In March 2019, just months before the World Cup, all 28 players on the USWNT filed another lawsuit against USSF on the grounds of gender discrimination.

Activist Message Frames

How the USWNT players frame their messaging has a tremendous impact on the overall success of the team's movement to abolish gender discrimination and receive equal pay. The USWNT players' communication strategies in their fight against gender discrimination can best be examined and evaluated through three activist message frames: the diagnostic frame (problem identification), the prescriptive frame (steps to eliminate the problem), and the motivational frame (call to action) (Swann, 2014). The USWNT has identified the problem of gender discrimination by highlighting the pay inequalities through research and financial statements. Further, the USWNT players have put the issue in the spotlight by creating campaigns and partaking in multiple boycotts. The USWNT players have taken steps to eliminate the gender discrimination issue through multiple lawsuits against its governing body, USSF. Lastly, USWNT players have issued a call to action among fans and the public to join them in their advocacy for equal pay through social media and public appearances.

Main Narrative

Diagnostic Frame: Problem Identification – Pay Inequality

The diagnostic frame identifies and defines the problem at hand. Problem identification can be presented in different ways, using emotional and logical appeals bolstered by financial statements and research (Swann, 2014). The gender pay gap exists in every category of professional sports, and the 2019 USWNT squad is poised to strategically use it’s overarching success on the field as a platform to spread awareness and influence change regarding equal pay. The USWNT’s success, popularity, and lawsuit has clearly identified the problem of pay discrimination and put pay inequality in the spotlight.

The USWNT has used financial statements and statistics to highlight the apparent and persisting differences between the pay of male and female soccer players. Since 2016, USWNT games have generated around $900,000 more revenue than men’s games, and following their 2015 World Cup win, the women generated $1.9 million more than the men (Washington Post, 2019). In 2016 and 2017, the USWNT had a net revenue of $8 million and expenses of $1 million, whereas the USMNT net revenue was $350,000, and expenses were $2.7 million (U.S. Soccer Financial Documents).

The USWNT has spotlighted pay inequality for years by boycotts to publicize the issue and demand change. For example, in 1989, due to a contract dispute over low pay, nine prominent USWNT players took a stand by boycotting training before the 1996 Olympics (Kliegman, 2019). Further, following the USWNT’s incredible World Cup win in 1999, 20 members of the team boycotted the Australia Cup in January 2000 after being offered only $6,300 per player and no per-game bonuses (Longman, 2019).

Prescriptive Frame: Steps to Eliminate the Problem – U.S. Soccer Federation Lawsuit

The prescriptive messaging frame takes steps to eliminate the problem. On March 3, 2019, International Women’s Day, all 28 USWNT players took action by suing the U.S. Soccer Federation for wages, back pay, and other improvements. After battling for equal pay for more than 20 years, the USWNT players sued USSF for “institutionalized gender discrimination under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act” (Hays, 2019). The USWNT accused the federation of not compensating or treating them in a manner fair to the men’s team, arguing that USWNT generates more revenue and garners higher TV ratings than the men’s team, yet still, get paid less because they are women. According to the lawsuit, if a USWNT member played in and won 20 national team games, she would net $99,000 a year or $4,950 per game. That $99,000 accounts for 38% of the $263,000 a similarly situated USMNT player would earn. The women also claim that USSF provides unequal playing and travel conditions to the two teams, as well as unequal promotional efforts (Hays, 2019).

On July 21, 2019, the USWNT and USSF issued statements regarding their agreement to begin mediation processes after the completion of the 2019 Women’s World Cup. On August 14, 2019, when negotiations broke down a mere two months after both parties agreed to mediation, USWNT co-captain Megan Rapinoe issued the following statement: “We’re the only team they can have, they’re the only federation we can have,” adding that “If the conversation can move forward, if we get further along in the process, potentially we can get back together. But we’re going to need to see quite a bit more” (Das, 2019). Rather than give the USWNT more, USSF refuted the team’s claims. On September 11, 2019, the USWNT requested to certify the team’s lawsuit as a class action, which would include all players who had been called up to play at a camp or in a game over the number of years as defined by the lawsuit, not just the ones originally named on the roster (Johnson, 2019). USSF countered by claiming that the four players wanting to represent the class make too much money compared to their teammates, and therefore, were not appropriate representatives of the team in its entirety (Valenzuela, 2019). The USWNT players responded in a statement clarifying that the “only legal requirement for those who can represent a class is that there be a sufficient likelihood that [plaintiff] will again be wronged in a similar way in the future” (Valenzuela, 2019). As widely reported, the United States District Court for the Central District of California rejected the counter-argument made by USSF and granted the USWNT players class status on November 8, 2019 (Das, 2019).

Motivational Frame: Call to Action – Athletes Turned Activists

The motivational frame paves the way for implementations, as it “aims to catalyze social movement action” (Boykoff, 2014). The USWNT are a group of powerful women who act as role models and political activists, and who use their platform to take a stand against the sexism and unfair business practices of the male-dominated sports system.

Through movements and campaigns like #SheBelieves and #EqualPlayEqualPay, the USWNT have issued a call to action to supporters everywhere to join them in their fight for equal pay. On March 5, 2019, two days after filing the USSF lawsuit, the USWNT won the fourth annual SheBelieves Cup, an international round-robin tournament conceived and developed by the USWNT to inspire young women to believe in themselves. The USWNT use hashtags like #SheBelieves on social media platforms for years. During the 2015 World Cup, the USWNT created “hashflags” to spread awareness and gain support from Twitter followers everywhere. Throughout the duration of the tournament, when someone used the hashtag #SheBelieves on Twitter, a special United States “SHE flag emoji” would appear along with the hashtag (Scavuzzo, 2015).

The USWNT’s #EqualPlayEqualPay campaign began in 2016 and remains prominent today. When the USWNT defeated the Netherlands in the 2019 World Cup final in Lyon, France, fans could be heard chanting “equal play, equal pay!” (Das, 2019). Days later, during the 2019 World Cup victory parade in New York City, the players, and their fans kept the spotlight on the equal pay issue with fans boasting signs and chanting “equal play, equal pay” along the parade route. Fans at the parade praised the athletes, calling them their heroes and thanked them for the strides they are making for women everywhere. As an added touch, the USWNT players sent the Federation a serious message when they turned the equal pay lawsuit into confetti for their ticker-tape parade – shredding the documents to pieces and throwing them in the air (Koerner, 2019). Not surprisingly, fans loved this sparking a social media frenzy, which in turn helped to spread awareness of the team’s lawsuit against USSF.

Beyond campaigns and movements, the USWNT players have made their voices and opinions heard everywhere through talk shows, news publications, and their personal social media profiles, and have proven their voices can lead the newest and most significant wave of athlete activism. In a recent interview on “The Today Show,” team captain Megan Rapinoe said “At the heart of this whole issue we . . . believe that there has been discrimination against us and while we have fought very hard and for a long time . . . we still feel that we don’t have what we’re trying to achieve, which is equality in the workplace” (DelGallo, 2019). Rapinoe is just one of the many USWNT players who have spoken publicly on the lawsuit in hopes of spreading awareness and garnering support for equal pay.

Stakeholder Responses

U.S. Soccer Federation

The U.S. Soccer Federation has continuously ‘counter framed’ the USWNT’s movement by opposing the changes the women are advocating for and publicly rebutting or undermining the team’s argument for equal pay. USSF first responded to the lawsuit with an open letter claiming the Federation was surprised by the USWNT’s complaint and saying “[We] want to assure everyone in our soccer family that U.S. Soccer and its Women’s National Team players remain partners with shared goals and aspirations” (Bogage, 2019). In response to the letter, a representative for the USWNT stated on behalf of the player that the team looks “forward to pursuing [the] claims and continue to hope for an outcome where USSF complies with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Pay Act” (Bogage, 2019). In May, USSF denied the players’ claims, saying that the pay gap “stems from differences in aggregate revenue generated by the different teams and/or any factor other than sex” (Wise, 2019). In the same court filing, USSF argued the men’s and women’s teams are “physically and functionally separate organizations” (Washington Post, 2019). On July 29, 2019, a mere eight days after agreeing to mediation, USSF president Carlos Cordeiro issued another open letter claiming the USWNT was paid $34.1 million in bonuses and salaries from 2010 to 2018, while the USMNT was paid $25.4 million (Budryk, 2019). Although USSF has been well-prepared with defenses against the claims of gender discrimination and pay inequality, the USWNT has the American public on their side.

U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team

The USWNT players frame their lawsuit as bigger than just a lawsuit for them – rather, it as a lawsuit for fellow women athletes and women everywhere. Prominent members of the USWNT have spoken about the lawsuit on social media and talk shows, as well as through prepared statements released by the Levinson Group, which handles the players’ communications.

On August 15, 2019, Megan Rapinoe addressed the lawsuit in an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” saying “the team won’t accept anything less than equal pay” (Bogage, 2019). That same day during an appearance on “The Today Show,” Rapinoe said the team “feels a responsibility not only to stand up for what [they] know [they] deserve as athletes, but also for what [they] know is right – on behalf of [their] teammates, future teammates, fellow women athletes and women all around the world” (DelGallo, 2019). In a prepared statement released by The Levinson Group, co-captain Carli Lloyd said, "In light of our team's unparalleled success on the field, it's a shame that we still are fighting for treatment that reflects our achievements and contributions to the sport. We have made progress in narrowing the gender pay gap, however, progress does not mean that we will stop working to realize our legal rights and make equality a reality for our sport” (DelGallo, 2019). USWNT player Christen Press responded to apparent conflicts with USSF: “We have worked very hard with USSF . . . To make progress on these incredibly important gender equality issues . . . Despite this progress, the fact is that the pay disparity and unequal working conditions persists. We believe that we have a responsibility to act as role models. Fighting for what we legally deserve is a part of that” (DelGallo, 2019).

U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team

The USMNT pledged its support for the USWNT and their criticisms of USSF throughout the lawsuit. The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team Players Association demonstrated their support for the women’s team in a statement released on July 30, 2019, saying they “were not impressed” with USSF president Cadeiro’s letter in which he claimed that the Federation had paid the USWNT more than the USMNT in recent years. The Players Association also criticized Cadeiro’s claim that the USWNT lost $27.5 million from 2009 to 2019, calling it “false accounting” (Olmstead, 2019).

Politicians

The USWNT has gained support from many U.S. politicians. During the 2019 World Cup, many U.S. politicians pledged their support for the USWNT on Twitter. For instance, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted, “The @USWNT is #1 in the world & contributes higher revenues for @USSoccer than the men’s team, but they’re still paid a fraction of what the men earn. Women deserve equal pay for equal (or better!) work in offices, factories, AND on the soccer field” (Kelly, M., 2019). These political figures are among the many with a platform and a voice willing to help the USWNT spread awareness of the pay discrimination plaguing women on and off the field. After the 2019 World Cup, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin introduced a bill to withhold funding for the 2026 men’s World Cup set to be held in the U.S. until the USWNT receives equal pay (Bumbaca, 2019). At the 2019 World Cup victory parade, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed an equal pay bill into law (Kelly, M., 2019).

Fans

The USWNT has the overarching support of America – on and off the soccer field with fans showing their support for the player’s at parades and on social media. Thousands of fans gathered in New York City to celebrate the USWNT’s World Cup victory and one attendee in particular, Anna Wong, made a statement to the New York Post that represents the general public’s attitude toward the players: “I’m actually not a big sports fan. I think just what they stand for, what they’ve done in the last four years since the last World Cup. What they mean in terms of fighting for women's equality and equal pay – I think that’s huge, that’s something that we’ve been fighting for many years” (Causi, 2019). USWNT fans have also shown their undying support for the team on social media, with thousands of posts regarding the USWNT appearing on platforms daily.

Organizations/Brands

Many U.S. organizations and brands have pledged their support for the USWNT through public statements and advertisements. For instance, in July 2019, Secret Deodorant placed a full-page ad in the New York Times to communicate its support of the U.S. Women’s team’s fight for pay equality. The advertisement plays off the number 23, which represents the number of players on a championship soccer team as well the pair of chromosomes in a human – whether they be male or female. The brand also pledged $529,000, or $23,000 for each of the 23 players on the team, to the USWNT Players Association.

Communication Timeline

March 3, 2019: All 28 members of the USWNT file another lawsuit against USSF for gender discrimination on International Women’s Day (Johnson, 2019).

March 5, 2019: USWNT wins the fourth annual SheBelieves Cup (She Believes).

July 21, 2019: USWNT and USSF agree to begin the mediation process after the completion of the World Cup (Bachman, 2019). Both parties make statements concerning the agreement.

July 7, 2019: USWNT wins the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the fourth time.

July 9, 2019: U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduces a bill to withhold funding for the 2026 men’s World Cup until the USWNT receives equal pay.

July 10, 2019: The USWNT participates in a World Cup championship parade in New York City and New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signs an equal pay bill into law (Kelly, C., 2019).

July 29, 2019: USSF president Carlos Cordeiro issues an open letter claiming that from 2010 to 2018, the USWNT was paid more than the USMNT. A USWNT spokesperson denied the claim (Budryk, 2019).

July 30, 2019: The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team Players Association issues a statement in solidarity with the USWNT (Budryk, 2019).

August 14, 2019: Negotiations between the USWNT and the USSF over the team’s equal pay demands break down without a resolution (Budryk, 2019).

August 15, 2019: Team captain Megan Rapinoe addresses the conflict on “The Today Show” (Budryk, 2019).

August 19, 2019: Judge R. Gary Klausner sets a May 5, 2020 trial date for the USWNT lawsuit.

September 11, 2019: USWNT requests to certify the team’s lawsuit as a class action (Johnson, 2019).

September 30, 2019: The U.S. Soccer Federation files a motion with the court against the USWNT players’ request for class action certification (Valenzuela, 2019).

October 6, 2019: The USWNT players respond to USSF motion (Valenzuela, 2019).

November 8, 2019: A federal judge grants the USWNT players class status (Das, 2019).

Up-To-Date

The trial in the USWNT’s gender discrimination lawsuit against USSF is scheduled for May 5, 2020, which is more than six months earlier than requested by the parties, and a mere 11 weeks before the opening match of the 2020 Olympics. Accelerating the timeline for the trial means the USWNT’s fight for equal pay could become entwined with its preparations for next summer’s Olympics to be held in Tokyo, Japan. The USWNT players are hopeful they will win this lawsuit off the field, just as they win almost every game on the field. The USWNT has undeniable negotiating leverage having just won the 2019 World Cup and completing a highly profitable victory tour – plus the impending 2020 Olympics where the team is again projected to win the Gold and will be center-stage. The world is closely watching how the USWNT and USSF communicate their positions throughout the lawsuit, so with all eyes on them it is more important than ever to effectively deliver the team’s message to effect a change. While the world will have to wait at least until May for the court’s decision, fans are hopeful both the USWNT and women everywhere will win that they have long deserved – equal play, equal pay.

Discussion

The communication strategies employed by the USWNT throughout their battle for equal pay were consistently aligned with the diagnostic, prescriptive, and motivational activist message frames, and therefore, successful. Through parades, campaigns, boycotts, and public-speaking events, the USWNT successfully raised awareness for the issue of equal pay that has plagued them and women everywhere for too long. The USWNT clearly identified the issue of pay inequality – and forced it into the spotlight – with financial statements, statistics, and player boycotts. The USWNT then took the necessary steps to eliminate the problem of pay inequality through its lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. And lastly, the USWNT successfully aligned its communications with the motivational message frame as they called upon fans everywhere to support them on the pitch and off the field in their battle against gender discrimination through public statements, social media, national talk shows, parades, and public appearances. Their actions illustrate how a successful team through its followers can effect change by shining the light on an issue of fundamental fairness.