The Equal Pay for Team USA Law
January 1, 2025
“The Equal Pay for Team USA Act erases any ambiguity, setting the standard that – when it comes to pay, medical care, travel arrangements and reimbursement of expenses for players of the same sport – nothing short of equal is acceptable, regardless of gender.” – Senator Cantwell
Men and women athletes have received different benefits and pay for representing Team USA in the same sport. Before the Equal Pay for Team USA Act, there were many instances of inequality, including the women’s national teams in many sports being paid consistently less than the men’s teams, women’s teams flying to games in coach seats while the men’s teams sat in business class, and women athletes waiting months for medical reimbursements.
Why should women be paid less than men for representing the USA in global sports competitions?
When the world-champion U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team sued for equal pay in 2019, Senator Cantwell and Senator Shelley Moore Capito teamed up to introduce a bill that amplified the chorus of voices demanding equal pay for Team USA. In 2022, Senators Cantwell and Capito, joined by Senator Klobuchar and Senator Lummis, re-introduced their Equal Pay for Team USA Act. The bill guarantees equal pay and benefits for all athletes who represent the United States in global athletic competitions, like the Olympics, Paralympics and the World Cup, regardless of gender.
On January 5, 2023, President Biden signed the Equal Pay for Team USA Act into law.
The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics marked the first global event where Team USA women athletes were guaranteed equal pay under the Cantwell-Capito Law.
The law received outspoken support from the sports community, including US Soccer, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Billie Jean King’s Women’s Sports Foundation.
“U.S. women have been at the forefront of the modern Olympic and Paralympic movements for more than 120 years. Female Olympians and Paralympians have trained, excelled, and inspired generations of girls. The Equal Pay for Team USA Act will build upon the USOPC’s established commitment to parity in its support of female and male athletes competing on behalf of the United States, and it will help America continue to lead in advancing equality and opportunity in international sport.” – Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
"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 is excited to continue to lead on equal pay and we look forward to helping drive more progress in the future.” - Cindy Parlow Cone, President of the U.S. Soccer Federation
