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Alejandro Bedoya continues to tweet about the USWNT's wage discrimination claims against US Soccer.
Carli, huge fan. Just curious. Would you give up your guaranteed salary + benefits for same bonus structure as men? https://t.co/iPwSrxWPcy
— Alejandro Bedoya (@AleBedoya17) April 21, 2016
Why the animosity. We're all fans of USWNT & have a lot to thank them for. They deserve more. It was a question. https://t.co/1yqx2Vt87F
— Alejandro Bedoya (@AleBedoya17) April 21, 2016
In previous tweet I said they deserve more. Pay discrepancies in per diems & sponsor appearances should be equal. https://t.co/JuCTaGta7l
— Alejandro Bedoya (@AleBedoya17) April 21, 2016
Bedoya's first tweet is a reference to the differing pay structures of the MNT and the WNT. The women get a yearly salary, while the men get paid by the appearance. The reason for this should answer Bedoya's question: the WNT's pay structure is the way it is because at the time they negotiated it, there was no other way for them to make a living while training full time. Women's club soccer is notoriously underpaid in just about any league in the world, unless you're good enough to be at the top of a few European leagues. So the WNT needed (and perhaps still needs) a yearly salary from their federation to be competitive on an international stage, because otherwise they would have had to find full-time non-soccer jobs and then fit their training around that.
So let's flip the script. Would Alejandro Bedoya give up his bonus structure for the women's guaranteed salary, but also leave behind the ability to make a living playing soccer anywhere in the world, no matter the club or the league? Would he give up not being questioned on his athletic ability solely because of his gender for a guaranteed salary? Would he, in fact, want the women's salary structure, which exists because women's soccer is still struggling against a long and fraught history of discrimination?
Perhaps he was sincere in wanting an answer. Well, there's an answer and a question in return.
Here's Carli Lloyd's actual answer too:
@uswntxlove5 @AleBedoya17 This isn't a jab at the men. We have to win everything to make what we make. We r only comparing $#s with the men
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) April 21, 2016
Bedoya closed out with this tweet, which may point towards him knowing the deal.
Tough to have a rational debate on Twitter.
— Alejandro Bedoya (@AleBedoya17) April 21, 2016
Put your money where your mouth is & support the NWSL!✌️
Keep bossing the midfield @CarliLloyd.
And in any case, he and Carli are cool - at least on Twitter.
@AleBedoya17 haha it's all good. That's why we play and attorneys figure out the rest. good luck.
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) April 21, 2016