Capito, Cantwell Renew Push for Equal Pay for All USA Athletes Competing Internationally

Press Release

U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) today reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to ensure equal pay for Americans who represent our country in global athletic competitions, like the Olympics, regardless of gender. Today, men and women can be paid differently for representing Team USA in the same sport.

"When American athletes compete on the world stage, they represent our great nation, our people, and our values," Senator Capito said. "It is only right that the women competing for the United States in global athletic competitions receive the same kind of pay and benefits as their male counterparts. This is an issue we can address together, not as Democrats and Republicans, but as Americans, and I'm proud to join Senator Cantwell in introducing this legislation."

"All Americans are proud to see U.S. athletes represent our country on the world stage, and all Americans should be assured these athletes are being compensated equally," Senator Cantwell said. "Anything short of that sends exactly the wrong message across the world and here at home about the American commitment to equality and fairness. It is long past time for us to work together to right this wrong and get this done."

"After 27 years coaching amateur athletes in college, I have seen firsthand the inequalities in our current system. The women I have coached work just as, if not harder than their counterparts. They deserve equal compensation for that. I applaud West Virginia's own Senator Capito and Chair Cantwell for introducing this monumental legislation," West Virginia University Women's Soccer head coach Nikki-Izzo Brown said.

The Equal Pay for Team USA Act of 2021 would require all athletes representing the United States in global athletic competitions receive equal compensation, benefits, medical care, travel, and reimbursement of expenses, regardless of gender.

The bill applies to 50 different sports' national governing bodies, and it requires the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to conduct oversight and report on compliance with the legislation.

Organizations supporting the Equal Pay for Team USA Act include:

Alliance of Social Workers in Sports
American Volleyball Coaches Association
Athlete Ally
Center for Sport, Peace & Society -- University of Tennessee
Champion Women
Equality League
Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media
National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association
National Organization for Women
National Women's Law Center
Sports Fans Coalition
The Female Quotient
The Tucker Center -- University of Minnesota
Trajectory Women
UltraViolet
UN Women
US Squash
USA Curling
USA Volleyball
USA Water Ski & Wake Sports
West Virginia University Women's Soccer Team
Women Win
Women's Basketball Coaches' Association
Women's Sports Foundation
Wrestle Like a Girl

The full text of the Equal Pay for Team USA Act can be found here.

Source