From “Canadian women make gender equality statement by wearing purple in loss to U.S. at SheBelieves Cup” by N, Davidson. 2023, 17. CBCnews.
The Canadian Women’s soccer team has always been on the map for being one of the best women’s soccer teams in the world. This was even further instilled when they won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. In addition to their gold medal they have also won bronze twice at the Olympics, and won the CONCACAF Women's Championship two times. With high-ranking achievements like this, one would expect the team to be high-earning as well. In reality there is a “shocking lack of funding, and very different treatment than the mens team” (Poisson, 2023). An example of this was in November 2022 when the Canadian Women’s National team had a game against Brazil and were told they were not going to be able to play because they did not have enough money (Poisson, 2023). They were finally able to play once a private donor was found to support the team (Poisson, 2023). Apart from this it also came to light that the team has still not been paid from the work they did back in 2022 (Poisson, 2023). It is an understatement to say that the players are upset. “We won the damn Olympic games and we're about to go to the World Cup with the team who could win,” said Canadian women’s soccer player, Janine Beckie (Molinaro, 2023).
In an interview with Christine Sinclair, and Janine Beckie the two national team players take a stand on the gap in pay between the women's versus men’s team.
The Difference Between The Women’s and The Men’s Team
A main point that the women’s team is arguing is that when you look at what the men’s team received during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year, there is a major difference in what the women are currently receiving while currently preparing for the world cup (Sinclair & Beckie, 2023). When the men went to Qatar they were all flown out along with friends and family in business class, whereas the women have been travelling economy class (Poisson, 2023). This is just one small example of the difference in treatment between the men and women’s team. On a larger scale, the men’s national soccer team is funded with 11 million dollars to pay for expenses whereas the women have 5.1 million dollars (Poisson, 2023). There is no justification in spending for either team, and no transparency regarding the recent budget cuts for the 2023 season (Molinaro, 2023). Janine Beckie says in an interview, “it’s pretty disgusting that we’re having to ask just to be treated equally” (Molinaro, 2023).
The Protests Begin
The women’s national soccer team fought back against Soccer Canada by announcing that they will be striking during the Shebelieves Cup in Orlando, Florida. Following this, the players “were told they would be sued if they continue to protest in the form of not playing” (Poisson, 2023). Instead they went to the field and protested in the form of wearing their jerseys inside out, or purple shirts to represent the gender inequality.
The Twitter account @playerscanadian that represents the Canadian Soccer Player Association tweeted how wearing purple is a symbol of protest. Purple is historically a colour that represents the fight for gender equality, so it was fitting for players to wear this during the Shebelieves Cup. In a tweet that Christine Sinclair made she clarifies that just because they will be playing in Orlando, it does not mean they are not continuing to fight.
Countless other countries wore purple in support of the fight, and even Canada and The United States joined hands in solidarity before the match in Orlando (Poisson, 2023). The main question that this raises is, will this fight lead to any change? One major change is that “the president of Soccer Canada has resigned” amidst the controversy (Poisson, 2023), yet there is still no deal to be made after all of these protests. In an interview, Sinclair states that “us and the men’s team, we are fully united” (Molinaro, 2023), showing that everyone has Canada’s national team’s back. The American women’s national team player, Megan Rapinoe says in an interview, “[we are] bitter rivals on the field, but even bigger allies off” (Rapinoe, 2023). Every female athlete everywhere has dealt with the fight for equality, which is why Rapinoe can not only understand what the Canadian women’s national team is going through but she has experienced it firsthand.
The Message This Teaches The Younger Generation
The impact this story has on young girls and their ability to dream of being a professional athlete is immense. One Canadian soccer player says, “I really think it sends a signal to every girl, every woman, that no matter how much you try, how much you accomplish, you're still not important enough” (Poisson, 2023). If young girls look up to their idols like Christine Sinclair or Janine Beckie and see that they were almost unable to compete in a game because there was not enough funding, how will they be able to dream of themselves as a professional athlete? Young boys can look up to the biggest soccer players in the world that are men and see that this is a feasible profession, whereas it is just not the same for girls. The first step to change is action, and this is exactly what the women's national team is doing. All we can do now is hope that their fight has a lasting impact to make a difference in the world of soccer.
To find out more about the dispute between Soccer Canada and the women’s national team, listen to CBC’s Front Burner podcast.
Bibliography
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