Rapinoe listed better flights and hotels as ways to improve equality for women in the sportGETTY IMAGES
USWNT F Megan Rapinoe addressed the team's talks with the U.S. Soccer Federation over equal pay, saying if the federation is ever "ready and willing to have a conversation that starts with equal pay ... we’re all ears." Rapinoe, speaking during last night's Reign FC-Sky Blue FC NWSL game, said, "We’re the only team they can have and they’re the only federation we can have. We’re tethered together forever." More Rapinoe: "We would love for this thing to be over and for of us both to be able to walk out of there together with a collaborative relationship, but we’re not at that point yet.” Rapinoe added that she hopes the next step is a "proposal that has equal pay in it, in a broad sense.” Rapinoe: “Obviously there’s a lot of different things that go into that, but when I play a game for the U.S. National Team, I want to be compensated equally as if Jozy Altidore plays a game” (“Reign FC-Sky Blue FC,” ESPN, 8/18).
MORE VOICES SPEAKING OUT: Former USWNT F Kristine Lilly said the equal pay debate is "twofold." She said, "If you’re talking dollars to dollars, that’s hard just to say ‘yes, we deserve it all.’ But I do think we deserve equal in a lot of areas. Flying, how we’re treated, hotels, all these things that kind of lead to the ultimate, which is equal pay. Because you’ve got to start to build that equally and earn the same respect" (HARTFORD COURANT, 8/18).
