July 22, 2015: Portland Thorns players greeting loyal fans who filled the stadium to a record sell out, first of their history in July, 2015.
by Matt Hoffman
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) last week filed a lawsuit against the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) for, from what we can surmise, is the USWNT’s ability to strike. It essentially stems from the fact that the two organizations had an “understanding” that the two entities would continue to abide by a prior Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) despite the fact that said CBA expired in 2012.
When the USWNT suggested in December, 2015 that they did not believe that the “No Strike” clause from 2012 was no longer valid, USSF went to war. US Soccer filed a lawsuit based on, from what outsiders can tell, is the USWNT team’s ability to strike.
Let’s just examine a few realities. After years of pressing for some meaningful sort of free agency, MLS players of a certain threshold were able to finally achieve free agency in 2016, something players in other American sports have enjoyed since 1975. How was this obtained? In large part because management eventually caved to the threat of a labor stoppage.
Besides the NFL, it’s hard to think of any American sport whose management has been more tarnished in the past year than soccer. Even if no American’s were captured (or even targeted) by the FBI’s operations against various FIFA members, US Soccer was suspiciously quiet during those proceedings (at least publicly). More to the point, it’s guilty by association for most casual American soccer observers
About the only good thing to happen for American Soccer last year was the Women’s World Cup which the United States won despite a lawsuit filed by the women’s team. The women’s lawsuit (which ultimately, duh, lost) was due to the fact that the World Cup fields would be played on turf, something that has never (and likely never would happen) for a men’s World Cup.
The USWNT won the World Cup. Now they are getting sued.
The lawsuit had tepid, at best, support from the USSF and ultimately lost. The USWNT still won and provided a fantastic pedestal to further promote the sport in the country.
Instead of championing its heroes, US Soccer has chosen one of the most American of pastimes: the courts system. It’s an unfair and unfitting position but one that may truly exemplify where not just the women’s game, but moreover women in general, lay in the sporting landscape.
Becky Hammon won last year’s summer league and is a trusted coach on the San Antonio Spurs. Women have a far larger role in the sport of soccer worldwide, but how many women have similar positions within Major League Soccer?
Breaking it down on gender lines and saying only one gender is allowed to strike is un-American. To pursue this line of course is not only self-defeating, but expensive.
Regardless of how the lawsuit is resolved, it is a loss for the USWNT. As lowly as the salaries were for MLS players previous to the latest CBA, that’s nothing compared to what the women are playing. Even if they win in court, it’s a long shot that they would be able to recoup the thousands of dollars in legal fees.
2015 was not a banner year for soccer. This lawsuit is the equivalent of trying to give yourself a second black eye in hopes that collectively it looks less noticeable. It has been the threat of a labor stoppage that has ultimately brought forth any progress in the last two MLS CBA deals. Needless to say, it has been a critical tool for the Player’s Union to extract concessions.
All of which begs the question: why can’t the USWNT sue? What is the USSF so afraid of that they would take this group, it’s only team to win a World Cup, to court?
I’m not sure we really want to know the answer.
