[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 108 (Monday, July 13, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S5011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 222--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE
FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION SHOULD IMMEDIATELY
ELIMINATE GENDER PAY INEQUITY AND TREAT ALL ATHLETES WITH THE SAME
RESPECT AND DIGNITY
Mr. LEAHY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
S. Res. 222
Whereas the Federation Internationale de Football
Association (referred to in this preamble as ``FIFA'')
awarded $576,000,000 to the 32 teams that competed in the
2014 Men's World Cup, but only awarded $15,000,000 to the 24
teams that competed in the 2015 Women's World Cup;
Whereas FIFA awarded $35,000,000 to the team that won the
2014 Men's World Cup, but only awarded $2,000,000 to the team
that won the 2015 Women's World Cup;
Whereas FIFA awarded $6,000,000 more in prizes to each team
that lost in the first round of the 2014 Men's World Cup than
to the team that won the 2015 Women's World Cup;
Whereas FIFA awarded $420,000,000 to the 32 teams that
competed in the 2010 Men's World Cup, but only awarded
$10,000,000 to the 24 teams that competed in the 2011 Women's
World Cup;
Whereas FIFA awarded $31,000,000 to the team that won the
2010 Men's World Cup, but only awarded $1,000,000 to the team
that won the 2011 Women's World Cup;
Whereas the 2015 Women's World Cup Final had more than
25,000,000 viewers in the United States, making it more
widely viewed than the Major League Baseball World Series or
the National Basketball Association Finals;
Whereas the 2015 Women's World Cup highlighted the need to
eliminate the existing gender pay disparity in prize award
structure in athletic competitions that has persisted for
decades;
Whereas the unfair and unjust prize award allocation system
used by FIFA sends a terrible message to women and girls
around the world about the value of their contribution to
sports;
Whereas, in 2007, Wimbledon finally implemented an equal
prize payment structure for all athletes, regardless of
gender; and
Whereas gender should not determine the amount of a prize
award that a person or team receives in an athletic
competition: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) urges the Federation Internationale de Football
Association to immediately eliminate gender pay inequity and
to treat all athletes with the respect and dignity those
athletes deserve;
(2) supports an end to the unfair and unjust practice of
gender pay inequity in the workplace, including athletic
competitions and related prize awards;
(3) urges all other local, State, Federal, and
international organizations to eliminate gender pay inequity;
and
(4) instructs the Secretary of the Senate to submit a copy
of this resolution to the President of the Federation
Internationale de Football Association.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, last week more than 25 million Americans
watched the U.S. women's soccer team win for the third time soccer's
most coveted title--the Federation Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA) World Cup. This thrilling victory was the most
widely viewed women's soccer game in our Nation's history. Americans
are proud of this impressive victory, and we applaud these world-class
athletes for their contributions to our Nation's legacy.
Anybody walking down the road by our farm house the night of the
soccer game--we had our windows open--would have heard Marcelle and I
screaming with joy at the victory.
But as the celebrations fade, we should all be troubled by the way
FIFA discriminates against some of the teams that compete in the World
Cup. The U.S. women's team will receive $2 million for winning the
Women's World Cup. The 2014 men's World Cup winner was awarded $35
million. In fact, men's teams that lost in the first round of the 2014
men's World Cup were awarded $8 million--four times more than the
champion U.S. women's team. The reason for this extreme disparity?
Gender.
So today, I am introducing a Senate resolution that calls on FIFA to
immediately eliminate this discriminatory prize award structure.
Opponents of equal prize awards in sports point to revenue as the
reason behind this disparity. But revenue should not be and cannot be
accepted as a means for discrimination. In fact, they ought to ask
this: How many people watched the women's soccer team? Most teams would
give anything to have that viewership.
The 24 women's teams that took part in FIFA's tournament are role
models--not just to women and girls but to men and boys across the
globe. The World Cup champions should be rewarded for their
performance, for their grit, and for their teamwork, rather than
devalued for their gender.
Nelson Mandela, a person I met often and admired, once said: ``Sport
has the power to change the world.'' Well, sports bring us together in
our communities and on the global stage. They remind us what we have in
common, they inspire us to dream, and they push beyond every boundary.
This weekend, millions of people watched American tennis star Serena
Williams win the women's final at Wimbledon, marking her sixth
championship at the All England Club. The next day, Serbian tennis star
Novak Djokovic won the men's final on the very same court. Both of
these athletes competed against the very best players in the world, and
they were awarded the very same amount of prize money for their
impressive victories. This is because Wimbledon chose to be on the
right side of history in 2007 by ensuring pay equity for female and
male athletes. For years, tennis champions such as Billie Jean King and
Venus Williams fought for equal treatment for the future champions of
their sport.
I hope the story of the American Women's World Cup champions not
receiving fair treatment will inspire more people to join the fight for
equal prize awards. With the resolution I introduce today, let the
Senate be on record in support of fair treatment for all World Cup
champions as we urge FIFA to change its policy, just as the All England
Club did years ago.
The fight for gender equality continues and is a fight worth winning.
In 2009, I proudly voted for passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay
Act, which amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to clarify the statute
of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay
discrimination. And I supported Senator Mikulski's Paycheck Fairness
Act, which would ensure that all Americans receive equal pay for equal
work.
We have had a lot of civil rights fights in our Nation's history. The
battle for true equality has persisted for too long. Let's join
together. Let's send a powerful message of equality to those who aspire
to one day become a champion. Equal pay for equal work should no longer
be an ideal, but instead the reality for all.
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