Uneven Salaries (newsela article) The women's team begins defending the Women's World Cup on June 7. Meanwhile, their decades-long effort for fair treatment by U.S. Soccer continues. A woman earns a base of $3,600 for each game she plays. A man earns $5,000. After 20 games are played, a women's base salary ends up being $72,000 while a man's base salary ends up being $100,000. Therefore, the female player makes about $30,000 less than the male player. Also, the maximum bonus a woman can earn for winning a game is $1,350. Meanwhile, the average bonus a man can earn is $8,166. If you combine their bonus salary with their base salary, on average, the men would each earn $263,320 apiece. The women, by contrast, would earn $99,000. The differences in pay start when the team is decided. Men earned $55,000 for making the U.S. World Cup team in 2014. Women earned $15,000 for making the 2015 U.S. World Cup team.
Took a knee in support of Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racism and police brutality
Uses her public platform to push for marriage equality and LGBTQ rights
Donated part of her salary to soccer-centered charities around the world
Raised more than $150,000 for victims of a wildfire in Northern California
Inspired by Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Briana Scurry - women’s national team players who came before her and were active in important causes
Rapinoe Wants To Change The World For The Better (newsela article) In July, Rapinoe led the United States to the women's World Cup title. Rapinoe scored six goals in the Cup, earning her the Golden Boot for the tournament's top scorer. She also won the Golden Ball as the Cup's top player. The team's coach was Jill Ellis. Ellis won FIFA's award for top women's coach. Rapinoe is an outspoken star who often uses her success as a platform, or opportunity, to speak out about problems facing the world. The 34-year-old did so again in Milan. She asked for male and female players to join the likes of men's player Raheem Sterling. Sterling is a native of Jamaica who speaks out against racism. Rapinoe wants all players to be outraged and outspoken about racism. She wants players who are not part of the LGBTQ community to be outraged and outspoken about homophobia. She wants everybody to be outraged and outspoken about the lack of equal pay for women. "That's my ask of everybody. As professional footballers ... we have so much success, we have incredible platforms, I ask everybody here to lend your platform, to lift people up, to use this beautiful game to change the world for better." Rapinoe finished first in the voting for top player with 46 ranking points. Her teammate Alex Morgan finished second with 42 points. England's Lucy Bronze was third with 29. After the ceremony, Rapinoe said the award isn't the most important thing to her. What's most important is being able to speak about solving problems. "I've been very lucky," she said. "The award's amazing of course, but I don't do this for individual awards, certainly not. "The World Cup's obviously incredible to win, but when we sort of all look back on it, it will be the way we've changed the game," Rapinoe said. She then talked about what the American women have done beyond the sport. They have been fighting for equal pay and treatment as males. This is a problem many women face in all professions. Rapinoe said the women's team will be most proud of "changing the world, this incredible movement that's happening right now."
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Megan Rapinoe, along with the USWNT, won the 2018 Women’s World Cup. This is the Women’s World Cup Champions Parade that took place in NYC, where Megan Rapinoe made a speech to the crowd. Click Here: Megan Rapinoe: Speech at U.S. Women's World Cup Champions Parade