US House passes landmark bill: Men and women to get equal pay in sports

Aryan Suraj Chadha

The bill was passed on Wednesday

The Equal Pay for Team USA Act, which was passed late on Wednesday, says that all athletes regardless of gender, who represent the United States in international competitions must get the same pay and benefits for their sport.

The House has enacted a bill that provides equal compensation for U.S. women competing in international competitions, a piece of legislation that resulted from the U.S. women’s soccer team’s long fight for equal pay.

The Equal Pay for Team USA Act, which was passed late on Wednesday, mandates that all athletes representing the United States in the international competition receive equal pay and benefits, regardless of gender. Also, it encompasses over fifty national sports and mandates control by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

The Senate had previously passed the bill unanimously. Also, it now heads to the desk of Vice President Joe Biden.

The bill is the result of a 2019 federal gender discrimination lawsuit brought by U.S. women against U.S. Soccer.

The ladies signed a new collective bargaining agreement earlier this year that featured equal pay structures for men and women and equitable distribution of World Cup prize money.

The majority of Olympic sports in the United States have met USOPC standards for fair compensation throughout the past decade.

Inequities remained, however, between the men’s and women’s soccer teams, whose positions in major tournaments such as the World Cup resulted in unequal compensation structures and separate oversight, prompting lawmakers to attempt to codify these norms.

“By sending this legislation to the President, both houses have sent a clear message that this is the standard for all National Teams in all sports and it underscores the importance of working with our athletes to achieve equal pay including equalizing international prize money,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement announcing the bill’s passage.

The law covers more than 50 national sports and mandates control by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Also, the legislation will now be sent to Vice President Joe Biden.

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