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SPORTS
East Oregonian
Friday, April 1, 2016
Soccer
Women accuse US soccer federation of wage discrimination
In this July 5, 2015,
file photo, the Unit-
ed States Women’s
National Team
celebrates with the
trophy after they
beat Japan 5-2 in
the FIFA Women’s
World Cup soccer
championship in
Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada.
Five players from
the World Cup-win-
ning U.S. national
team have accused
the U.S. Soccer
Federation of wage
discrimination in an
action filed with the
Equal Employment
Opportunity Com-
mission.
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
Five stars from the World
Cup-winning U.S. women’s
national team have accused
the U.S. Soccer Federation
of wage discrimination in an
action ¿led with the federal
Equal Employment Opportu-
nity Commission.
Alex Morgan, Carli
Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe,
Becky Sauerbrunn and Hope
Solo maintain in the EEOC
¿ling that they are paid
nearly four times less than
their male counterparts on
the U.S. men’s national team,
based on U.S. Soccer’s 2015
¿nancial report. The ¿ling
was announced Thursday in
a statement from the law ¿rm
representing the players.
“The numbers speak for
themselves,” Solo said in the
statement. “We are the best in
the world, have three World
Cup Championships, four
Olympic
Championships,
and the USMNT get paid
more just to show up than
we get paid to win major
championships.”
The union representing the
players is currently involved
in a legal dispute with U.S.
Soccer over the terms of their
collective bargaining agree-
ment. The federation ¿led a
lawsuit this year seeking to
clarify that its contract with
the U.S. Women’s National
Soccer Team Players Asso-
ciation runs through the Rio
Olympics until Dec. 31. The
union maintains the memo-
randum of understanding
agreed to in March 2013 can
be terminated at any time.
That case is pending.
Attorney Jeffrey Kessler,
one of the attorneys repre-
senting the players, claimed
that the tenor of the negoti-
ations over the CBA created
the need for the women to act
in hopes of ending what they
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File
say is the “discriminatory
and unfair treatment” they
have endured for years.
“The reality is that this
team is more valuable to the
USSF than the men’s team
has been. That’s what the
facts show,” Kessler said
on a conference call with
reporters. “And they would
be justi¿ed in asking for more
than the men are receiving.
But the ¿rst step that they are
seeking is equal treatment.”
U.S. Soccer issued a
statement maintaining that its
“efforts to be advocates for
women’s soccer are unwav-
ering.”
“We are committed to
and engaged in negotiating
a new collective bargaining
agreement that addresses
compensation with the
Women’s National Team
Players Association, to take
effect when the current CBA
expires at the end of this
year,” the statement said.
“U.S. Soccer will continue to
be an advocate on the global
soccer stage to inÀuence and
develop the women’s game
and evolve FIFA’s compen-
sation model.”
The top players on the
women’s team are paid about
$72,000 a year by U.S. Soccer,
along with bonuses, to play in
a minimum of 20 exhibitions
per year, the EEOC complaint
says. Conversely, the men
are paid per match, with a
minimum of $5,000 a game,
and additional payments
based on the opponents’
rankings and results.
The women have a
potential to earn $99,000 if
they win all 20 exhibitions,
while their male counter-
parts would earn $100,000
minimum for appearing in
the 20 games before the
opponents and outcomes are
¿gured in, and possibly as
much as $263,320 a year if
they win all of their games.
Citing another example
of disparity, the complaint
says that the women are
paid $30,000 for making the
World Cup team, while the
men are paid $68,750 each.
U.S. maintains that the
women’s team set up the
compensation
structure,
including a guaranteed salary
rather than a pay-for-play
model like the men, in the
last collective bargaining
agreement. The women earn
an additional salary because
the federation pays their sala-
ries in the National Women’s
Soccer League.
The women’s national
team players also receive
other bene¿ts, including
health care paid for by the
U.S. Olympic Committee,
that the men don’t receive,
the federation maintains.
USSF President Sunil
Gulati said Thursday night
that many factors are consid-
ered when it comes to player
compensation, including the
revenue the teams generate.
“We think very highly of
the women’s national team
and we want to compensate
them fairly, and we’ll sit
down and work thru that with
them when all of this settles
down,” Gulati said.
The U.S. women won
the World Cup last year in
Canada with a 5-2 victory
MARINERS: Success hinges on revamped bullpen
In this Feb.
20, 2016,
file photo,
Seattle
Mariners
manag-
er Scott
Servais
watches a
drill during
spring
training
baseball
practice, in
Peoria, Ariz.
Continued from 1B
good bullpen,” Servais said.
“Those guys are going to be
key for us.”
Here’s what else to watch
with the 2016 Mariners:
KING
OF
THE
NORTH(WEST):
Hernandez is now entering
his second decade pitching
for the Mariners, which
is shocking in itself. He is
coming off a 2015 season
where he won 18 games,
second-most of his career,
but saw his ERA rise to
3.53, the highest since
posting a 3.92 ERA in
2007. Hernandez also had
some of the more forget-
table outings of his career
last season, including
giving up 10 earned runs in
2 1/3 innings in Boston and
managing just one out and
giving up eight earned runs
in Houston.
Hernandez remains the
ace of Seattle’s staff that
includes the return of Hisashi
Iwakuma, promising young-
ster Taijuan Walker and
AP Photo/Charlie
Riedel
the additions of Miley and
Karns.
CANO SHOW: If spring
training is an indication,
Cano is on the verge of a big
season. Cano struggled the
¿rst half of the 2015 season
and played through two
sports hernias the second half
of the year. He ¿nished with
respectable numbers at the
plate, but Seattle did not pay
$250 million over 10 years
for Cano to hit .287 and play
average second base in the
prime of his career.
BULL(PEN)
ON
PARADE: The determining
factor in Seattle’s success
will likely be a revamped
bullpen. Seattle is hoping that
Steve Cishek can rebound
from a down 2015 and return
to the closer form he showed
in Miami. If Cishek can be
solid in the ninth inning and
Joaquin Benoit holds down
the eighth, then Seattle has
enough arms to bridge the
latter innings. If either of
them struggle, the Mariners
could be vulnerable in the
late innings.
DEFENSE FIRST: Part
of Seattle’s makeover was
to play to the strengths of
its home park. That led to
the acquisitions of Martin
and Aoki for the out¿eld
and Miley and Karns for
the rotation. Martin and
Aoki will be asked to cover
ground in Seattle’s vast
out¿eld, while Miley and
Karns will likely enjoy
pitching in the big stadium
after playing last season in
Boston and Tampa Bay.
BLAZERS: Lillard hits two free throws to ice game
Continued from 1B
points. Jae Crowder returned
to the court after missing
the last eight games with a
sprained ankle. He didn’t
miss a beat, sinking a big
3-pointer with 1:08 left to
give the Celtics a one-point
lead.
McCollum answered with
a tough fadeaway jumper
to reclaim a 110-109 lead
with 1:04 remaining. Allan
Crabbe’s steal on the next
possession led to a dunk by
Aminu with 49.2 seconds
left. Boston couldn’t catch
up.
Portland trailed by as
many as 12 in the third
quarter, only to rally for a
13-point lead in the fourth.
Celtics head coach Brad
Stevens said that their early
third quarter lead gave them
a “false sense of security.”
“It kept us feeling better
than we were actually
playing and they exposed us
eventually,” Stevens said.
Aminu was the Blazers’
lifeline in the third, scoring
12 points and matching his
career high of 20 points on
a dunk, sparking Portland.
Crabbe’s 3-pointer and a
rebound basket by Ed Davis
capped the Blazers’ 10-0
run, tying the game at 81 and
(AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, right,
shoots over Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner, left,
during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Port-
land, Ore., Thursday, March 31, 2016.
bringing the crowd to its feet.
With Lillard on the bench
to start the fourth, the Blazers
took over.
Lillard re-entered the
game with 6:35 remaining
and Portland’s lead began to
dwindle after Davis fouled
out with four points, seven
rebounds, three steals and
two assists. The Celtics were
able to close the gap to two
with just over 3:25 to go.
With the crowd chanting
“MVP,” Lillard made two
free throws to ice the win.
“A lot of the time, you
see guys say, ‘This was a
great team win’ and this was
really what that was,” Lillard
said. “They came out early
and made it hard on me and
CJ, coming off ball screens
and handoffs. They basically
said they were going to force
everyone else to beat us
and everybody showed up
tonight.”
The Blazers were lifeless
early, going scoreless for the
¿rst three minutes. Lillard
struggled in the ¿rst, scoring
only six points, and going 0
for 3 from deep range. Port-
land was able to take the lead
brieÀy off a 3-pointer from
Maurice Harkless with just
over three minutes remaining
in the ¿rst.
The
Celtics’
stellar
defense, highlighted by a
7-0 run to start the second
quarter, allowed them to
build a 58-54 lead at the half.
Thomas led all scorers with
13 points at the break.
DEFENSE MATTERS
Lillard was well off his
average of 25.4 points a
game, and credited Bradley
with stellar defense. Against
Bradley, Lillard has shot only
33 percent in the last seven
games against the Celtics.
“I told him he’s the best
perimeter defender in the
league,” Lillard said about
his brief chat with Bradley
after the game. “Because he
is.”
TIP INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard had
scored at least 20 points in
the Blazers’ last two meet-
ings with the Celtics. ... The
Blazers are still adjusting to
the loss of Meyers Leonard,
who will miss the remainder
of the season after under-
going shoulder surgery.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: host Miami
on Saturday.
Celtics: visit Golden State
on Friday.
in the ¿nal against Japan.
The team earned a total of
$2 million for winning the
tournament, according to
documents. The U.S. men’s
team earned $9 million the
year before at the World Cup
in Brazil, where they were
knocked out in the round of
16. The prize payouts came
from FIFA, soccer’s interna-
tional governing body, and
not from U.S. Soccer.
The federation pays the
men and women equally for
qualifying for the Olympics
and making the roster for the
event.
“There are no legitimate
non-discriminatory reasons
for this gross disparity
of wages, nor can it be
explained away by any
bona ¿de seniority, merit or
incentive system or any other
factor other than sex,” said
the complaint.
Democratic presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton
weighed in on the issue on
Twitter: “Wouldn’t want to
face these women on the ¿eld
or in the courtroom. Every
woman deserves equal pay.”
Landon Donovan, who
played 14 seasons with the
men’s national team, posted to
Twitter: “USWNT absolutely
deserve to be treated fairly
in all ways. Important to
remember that these issues are/
can be collectively bargained.”
He added: “Both USMNT
and USWNT should be paid
commensurate w/ the revenues
they produce, not based upon
what the other makes.”
The EEOC investigates
claims of discrimination on
merit. There is no timetable
for resolution of the matter.
Federal law makes it illegal
to discriminate against an
employee because of race,
color, religion, sex, national
origin, age, disability or
genetic information.
Many players on the
national team have become
increasingly vocal about
gender equity in the sport,
something that came to
light in advance of last
year’s World Cup. A group
of players led by Abby
Wambach ¿led a complaint
in Canada about the arti¿cial
turf playing surface, noting
the men’s World Cup is
played on natural grass.
The players dropped the
complaint before the tourna-
ment to focus on the compe-
tition. Wambach retired from
the national team at the end
of last year.
“This is a ¿ght that we are
going to have to continue to
¿ght from here on forward,”
Solo said on a conference
call. “I don’t see it getting
any easier, but it is something
we are committed to. And it’s
not just in the sports world,
it’s everywhere you look.”
The U.S. women, who
have already quali¿ed for
this summer’s Olympics in
Brazil, are in Florida training
for a pair of exhibition games
against Colombia.
Athlete of the Week
Twenty questions with
Alexis Morrison
East Oregonian
East Oregonian: Favorite
sports team?
Alexis Morrison: New York
Yankees
Favorite athlete?
(Former
Buckaroo)
ShaeLee Lindsey at Port-
land State
Favorite memory as a
Buckaroo?
Winning the (2014) state
title
Favorite movie?
Stuck in Love
Favorite actor?
Logan Lerman
Favorite TV show?
Supernatural
Favorite music genre?
Indie/Alternative
Favorite band?
The 1975
Favorite restaurant in
Pendleton?
*reat Paci¿c
Favorite fast food restau-
rant?
Chick Fil-A
Favorite candy bar?
Snickers
Coca-Cola or Pepsi?
Coke
Favorite family recipe?
My mom’s tuna casserole
Favorite class in school?
Forensic science
Dream job?
Something in criminal
justice or health sciences
Favorite vacation spot?
Boston
Favorite color?
Blue
How long have you played
softball?
Since I was eight
Something people might
not know about you?
I write left-handed, but
everything in sports right-
handed
%LJJHVWLQÀXHQFHRQ\RXU
life?
(Former Buckaroo) Darian
Lindsey, the type of player
she is, she motivated me to
show that if she can do it, I
can do it too.
ATHLETE
OF THE WEEK
ALEXIS MORRISON
Senior, Pendleton Softball
Junior -
Stanfield Football
Alexis smacked
a pair of solo
home runs and
added three
doubles to help
her Pendleton
Buckaroos team
go 3-1 during
their spring
break trip last
week.
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