U.S. Women’s National Team member Abby Wambach called on sports leaders to close the gender pay gap, noting that the women’s team was paid a small fraction of what the men’s team was paid for winning the World Cup. “Our earnings from the FIFA organization was 1/17th the amount, 1/17th the amount, that the men got paid for winning the World Cup,” Wambach said, speaking before the Doha GOALS Forum in L.A. “For a company or organization like FIFA that has billions and billions of dollars, that just isn’t good enough,” she said. Wambach said she wanted to leave the sport better than she found it, economically, for the next generation of women. “These are the topics that I am excited about -- to let the next generation that goes behind me to make more of a living than I was able to make,” Wambach said. “That is my passion.” Wambach said that for the women on the U.S. team, sponsor dollars and other income they are able to generate from businesses after winning is more than what they earn on the field. “The post celebration tour, going around the country, this is our source of income,” she said. “This is our main source of income and this is a sad truth. Because most male athletes, if they win, they’re good.” Wambach said she was proud that the U.S. Women’s World Cup win over Japan drew the highest ratings ever for a football event and beat the NBA Finals in number of viewers. “I want people to invest in women’s sport because it's the smart thing to do, not because it’s the quote, unquote, right thing to do,” Wambach said. "Not because you have a daughter now."
