Megan Rapinoe Says 'There's a Part in This for Everybody to Do' in Women's Soccer Wage Gap Fight

The star athlete appeared alongside her World Cup-winning teammates on Tuesday

By
Rachel DeSantis
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Rachel DeSantis is a senior writer on the music team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2019, and her work has previously appeared in Entertainment Weekly and the New York Daily News.
Published on July 9, 2019 11:39AM EDT

Fresh off of theirWorld Cup victory, the U.S. Women’s National soccer team dropped byGood Morning America Tuesday, where they talked equal pay, inspiration and … pancakes?

Co-captain Megan Rapinoe, 34, has been vocal in her fight tosecure equal pay for female players in the sport and doubled down on her goals during her visit to the ABC morning show.

“I think the conversation needs to move from, you know, are we worth it, or should we have equal pay, to what can we do now?” she said. “How can FIFA support the federations, how can federations support their players better, how can the leagues support their players better?”

The star athlete also offered some advice for fans looking to do their part, as she encouraged viewers to watch games of both the national team and their local club teams.

“I think there’s a part in this for everybody to do, and I think we’ve really left the old conversation behind us and now it’s time for that action,” she said.

Rapinoe was one of 28 players on the USWNT who filed a lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation in March accusing the organization of workplace discrimination based on gender.

TheWashington Post reported that the women claimed they were paid less than the men’s national team, and also received less support from the USSF despite the fact that they played consistently well.

The suit also argued that “during the period relevant to this case, the WNT earned more in profit and/or revenue than the MNT.”

RELATED VIDEO: Megan Rapinoe Pays Tribute to Her Brother, a Recovering Addict, After World Cup Win: ‘I Love You’

The USSF responded with a court filing in May that denied the women’s claims, saying that pay is “based on differences in aggregate revenue generated by the different teams and/or any other factor other than sex.”

According to thePost, women’s games pulled in about $900,000 more in revenue than men’s games from 2016-18, and $1.9 million in the year after the women won the World Cup in 2015.

All the Stars Calling Out the Soccer Wage Gap After Americans’ World Cup Victory

Meanwhile, the 2019 women’s World Cup winners took home $4 million, while the 2018 men’s World Cup winners scored $38 million, according to thePost. The World Cup is run by FIFA, not the USSF, and is separate from the players’ lawsuit.

Despite the equal pay battle looming, the team hadn’t yet lost their celebratory spirit as they hit theGMA stage in matching black shirts emblazoned with “World Champions” in gold letters.

Rose Lavelle, who scored the winning goal against the Netherlands on Sunday to bring home the win, said that while the aftermath has been “unreal,” she wouldn’t exactly call it a dream.

“You grow up and it’s kind of something you’ve always envisioned yourself doing,” Lavelle, 24, said. “So I never like to call it a dream because it was like, something that I really felt was going to be a reality someday.”

Megan Rapinoe Celebrates World Cup Victory with a Kiss from Girlfriend Sue Bird

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, 31, also weighed in on her big block during the match and said she found herself blacking out during the pivotal moment.

“There wasn’t really much going through my mind to be honest. I kind of blacked out for a second,” she said. “There was never a doubt in my mind that it was not gonna go in, and that’s what I felt and was able to come up with it.”

Meanwhile, the ladies — who were treated to iced lattes on the show — also revealed the surprising food they like eating before games: pancakes.

After a young audience member asked what they prefer to chow down on prior to games, the team responded with a loud, enthusiastic call of the popular breakfast food.

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