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After decades of unprecedented success on the field — including four World Cup titles and just as many Olympic gold medals — the U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNT) racked up its biggest win last week when it received a landmark contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) that guarantees its players equal pay with their male counterparts.

The victory was a long time coming. Disparities in pay and working conditions have been central to the identity of the team since its inception, resulting in lawsuits, strikes, and work stoppages. Things came to a head in France in 2019 when the red, white, and blue stood by to receive its second consecutive World Cup trophy while fans chanted “equal pay.”

You don’t have to be a fan of fútbol to feel good about USWNT’s historic moment. Closing the gender pay gap is a bedrock social issue that we’ll be dealing with for a very long time. Progress of any kind is worthy of celebration. “I am grateful to the women who have championed this women’s rights issue long before me,” said USWNT forward Midge Purce, “and I’m humbled to join them in the service.”

But while companies look to make equitable compensation across all channels a priority, there’s one clear-cut lesson we can take from our national women’s soccer team: the importance of allyship.

When it comes to advocating for justice, there’s strength in numbers. Make no mistake, the USWNT’s successful collective bargaining agreement was the result of years of relentless persistence by the players — the court filings, media appearances, public campaigning, and endless negotiation. But what ultimately brought the deal over the finish line was an assist from another squad: the U.S. men’s national soccer team (USMNT).

In 2019, the men’s team came out in support of the USWNT’s gender discrimination lawsuit, going so far as to call out “false accounting” practices by the USSF. At the end of last year, the team agreed to share millions of dollars in tournament bonus money with the women, a sum that historically tilted heavily in favor of the men. 

“No other country has ever done this,” says Cindy Cone, U.S. Soccer’s president. “It’s not easy to give up the money they’re giving up. To know it’s the right thing to do, and then to step up and do it, I think they should be applauded.”

More than applause, though, the USMNT’s decision deserves our careful attention because it demonstrates what effective allyship looks like in the workplace.

According to Wade Davis II, a former NFL player turned gender equality activist, calling yourself an ally isn’t enough. “You actually have to do something,” he says. Ultimately it comes down to, “What are you willing to give up to achieve gender equality?”

In the case of U.S. soccer, the answer was money — and a lot of it.

Speaking to the Harvard Business Review in 2019, Cheryl Cooky, a professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Purdue University, said, “Collective advocacy provides a kind of safety. It drives movement.” And movement, as any diversity leader will tell you, is what drives real change. 

As tempting as it is to valorize the USMNT for joining the fight, it’s worth remembering that both the men’s and women’s squads share the same employer in the USSF. What benefits one team, in theory, benefits the other, and the organization as a whole. Put another way: Good allyship is good business.

Indeed, there’s already speculation that the new agreement will clear a path for more broadcasting and sponsorship opportunities. Now that teams are sharing revenue evenly, players will be incentivized to help grow that revenue. Working hand-in-hand as partners, as true allies, they’ll help elevate the sport, promoting the success of U.S. soccer for generations to come.

In a game known for its many ties, it would be the perfect win-win.

*Photo from Wikimedia Commons

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