We are back at that conversation again on men and women being paid differently in sports. It was learned this week that the United States Women’s National Team receives payment for wins achieved by the Men’s team.
During Thursday morning’s broadcast of CNN This Morning, Don Lemon argued that the U.S. men’s national soccer team should get paid more than the women’s team despite their lack of success. He told his female co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlin Collins that the men are simply “more interesting to watch.”
Collins and Harlow pushed back on Lemon, who claimed he was not sexist.
“But the men’s team makes more money. If they make more money, then they should get more money,” the CNN host stated. “The men’s team makes more money because people are more interested in the men!”
Due to a new collective bargaining agreement between the United States Soccer Federation and the men’s and women’s unions, the women’s national team will make at least three times as much from this year’s men’s World Cup as they did for winning the 2019 women’s World Cup.
The men, who advanced to the round of 16 with a win over Iran, are guaranteed at least $13 million in prize money. If you’re not a regular soccer fan, you likely do not know that the U.S. women’s team has been far more successful on the international stage than the men.
After listening to his co-hosts argument, Lemon, who said he grew up in a “family of all women,” continued to go back to his original argument.
“I understand what you’re saying. But not everybody, honestly, has the same skill. Not everybody has the same interest in the sport. I think the women should be paid more, I do,” Lemon declared.
“The women are better skilled against other women,” Lemon plowed through. “But if the women played the men, they wouldn’t be winning the way that they win.”
What he said might be hard to hear for some, but he is being praised for saying it online.
A few days ago, the Netherlands defeated the United States 3-1 in the first match of the knockout round at Khalifa International Stadium, eliminating USMNT from the 22nd FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
