2023 Women’s World Cup puts spotlight back on pay equity issues in soccer

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• John Yang:

  The U.S. women's national team's first game of this year's World Cup is in the books a three nil victory over Vietnam. And the team is now preparing to take on the Netherlands on Wednesday. There's some important changes for this year's tournament reflecting the global growth of women's soccer or if you prefer football, they have the biggest number of teams ever playing for the biggest part of prize money ever.

  But some issues haven't changed most notably equality with men's teams. Christine Brennan is a USA Today sports writer and columnist. First off your reaction to us first game.

• Christine Brennan, Sports Columnist, USA Today:

  You know, John, it was a good start for the U.S. not a great start. I'm sure people watch, they saw all the shots that the U.S. had that did not go in the back of the net. And you wondered if it could have been 10 nothing or something like that.

  But the reality was Vietnam first time in the tournament, and they played very well defensively, and they really collapsed on the Americans. And that U.S. attack the vaunted offense that the U.S. has, it just couldn't quite do what it thought it could or wanted to do.

  But a win is a win. You want to get through. You want to, you know, move on to the next one. That's where the U.S. is. The youngstars from the U.S., Sophia Smith shining, showing that they belong on the team with the veteran. So, I think it was fine for the US. Although I know a lot of people wanted to see a lot more goals.

• John Yang:

  Yeah, I think so. You say because Vietnam did not have a team until 1997. They're one of the beneficiaries of moving from a 2014 format to 32. And they point out FIFA, the governing body points out to the same format as the men. Are there other ways in that they're moving toward the men's tournament?

• Christine Brennan:

  Slowly. Yes, John, very slowly, for those who believe that there should be more equality for women and in sports, and certainly the U.S. team, for example, their fight for equal pay, which was a worldwide phenomenon with Megan Rapinoe, and others leading the way finally the U.S. Soccer paying the women equal to the men. Of course the women are the ones that win women's are the ones that are wildly popular team.

  So that's a good thing. That what though the rest of the world is saying, well, what about us? And I think that when you see the prize money, the fact that the men for last year's World Cup and Qatar $440 million pot and the women 110 million, so that's, you know, 25 cents on the dollar.

  It's way better than it was. The glass is, you know, half full, not half empty, but it's nowhere near what it needs to be. Now FIFA saying well, we'll get there in the next cycle. That would be great. I'm a little skeptical.

• John Yang:

  You mentioned the U.S. teams fight for pay equity. They've got a number of other teams this year. They're squabbling with their home Federation's Canada, England, is there any sense that that the U.S. team has led the way on this and that other teams are sort of trying to follow in their footsteps?

• Christine Brennan:

  Without a doubt, it goes back to Title Nine signed by Richard Nixon June of '72, 51 years ago, the U.S. understanding that we wanted our daughters and nieces and granddaughters to play sports just like the boys.

  And so what you had the U.S. in 1999, the Women's World Cup, people remember Brandi Chastain whipping off her shirt, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Briana Scurry. When you had that, they're really to me the role models. They're the ones that people around the world looked at and said, Look at the Rose Bowl full the capacity for a woman's football game, women's soccer.

  And they really were in many ways, the latter day Johnny Appleseed, sowing the seeds for the game around the world. That's that I think, absolutely did it because even back in 2000, they were fighting for equal pay. So we remember the recent battle, but really the length of this century almost a quarter century, the U.S. women have been leading that battle.

• John Yang:

  Mentioned the disparity between the men and women. The women are only getting 25 cents on the dollar compared to the men. FIFA says they want to have equity by 2027. How realistic is that?

• Christine Brennan:

  I would love to be wrong, but I don't see that as being realistic. Unless we're going to see great TV ratings again, John, I think that's where this battle was lost so long ago, they didn't realize the incredible growth putting of the other 51 percent of the population women to play football to buy jerseys, to want to, you know, buy tickets for games.

  So all of that when we see the Brazil and Argentina and the other countries that care about so much on, you know, the men's game, and never cared about the women's game. Now they're getting it a little bit. But I think that's where the problem is. And the question is now, are they willing to really make that huge jump in four years? I hope they are. But I believe that when I see it.

• John Yang:

  Let's get back to the competition on the field. The eight countries that are making their debuts this year because of the expansion are Haiti, Morocco, Portugal, the Philippines, Ireland, Vietnam and Zambia. There's smaller countries, mostly poor countries. A lot of talk today about Haiti. They played England and their first game, a lot of people I think were expected a very lopsided game. But it was only one nil.

• Christine Brennan:

  Exactly, oh exactly. And Haiti had some chances right near the end. I think England is shocked. I can only imagine what the headlines in the British tabloids are the, oh my goodness, because everything's life and death with them. Good for Haiti.

  And when you think about Haiti, what do we think of and they even have talked about this, the players, of course, the hurricanes, the earthquakes, the incredible political turmoil, just your heart aches for the living conditions, and the heartache and the problems and the issues that go on and on in Haiti.

  And yet, they've been able to feel this team, these women are proud. They're one or two who have been playing overseas, you know, they play in the U.S. colleges. And they're good. And it's the nature of the country, as in so many countries that kids grow up with a soccer ball on their feet.

  Well, now they're giving the girls a chance, but they haven't had much of a national team. And so truly, probably the biggest underdog in the entire tournament, number 32 of 32 teams, and they really almost, you know, well, they almost beat or tied England, one of the favorites to win and I think that's the beauty of this tournament. Now almost anyone can pull off an upset like that. We could not have said those words really even 8, 12 years ago.

• John Yang:

  Christine Brennan of USA Today. Thanks very much.

• Christine Brennan:

  John, thank you.