Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe appeared on ‘Good Morning America’ to express their disappointment in their equal pay lawsuit dismissal.
U.S. women’s national team stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe appeared on Good Morning America on Monday and expressed their shock and dismay after a federal judge dismissed the players’ arguments that they were systematically underpaid by U.S. Soccer in comparison to the men’s national team.
Last Friday, Judge R. Gary Klausner of the United States District Court for the Central District of California ruled the USWNT players “have not demonstrated a triable issue that WNT players are paid less than MNT players.” U.S. Soccer contested that women’s players were paid more in total and on a per-game basis than the men’s players from 2015 to 2019.
Rapinoe said the judge’s ruling was “very disappointing” and “missed the point.” Morgan reiterated that they would appeal the decision. Both players were class representatives in the suit.
“This decision was out of left field for us,” Morgan said. “I think for both sides it was very unexpected so we will definitely be appealing and moving forward. If anyone knows anything about part this team–we are fighters and we’ll continue to fight together for this.”
A trial about the remaining aspects of the gender discrimination lawsuit–unequal treatment regarding travel, hotel accommodations and team staffing–will take place on June 16, but the core element of the suit has been settled by Judge Klausner’s granting of summary judgment.
The case has drawn attention from all corners, with Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president and former United States vice president, sharing his support for the USWNT players.
He called on U.S. Soccer to give them equal pay, threatening to withhold funding for the 2026 World Cup being hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, if elected to office in November.
