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  • Let's talk about women soccer players.

  • They're the big stars in the States,

  • with all the money and the glory of the men.

  • Well, except for the money part, as Hasan Minhaj reports.

  • MINHAJ: Superstar athletes have the life.

  • We're talking cars, jets.

  • Even their pet albino tigers get cars.

  • But not all pro athletes are happy with the big bucks.

  • In fact, the women's soccer team is taking legal action

  • because they want more!

  • Players on the U.S. women's national soccer team say

  • they're being discriminated against because they make less

  • than members of the men's team.

  • REPORTER: Filed a federal complaint

  • against the U.S. Soccer Federation.

  • MINHAJ: I sat down with three members

  • of the U.S. women's soccer team

  • to find out why they're being so greedy.

  • We're not being greedy. We're just fighting for what's right.

  • Our contributions to the federation should be seen

  • as equal to what the men have done.

  • Fine. Whatever. But you need to understand

  • that the men made it to the round of 16 in the World Cup.

  • Well, we've won three World Cups.

  • Well, they are ranked 30th in the world.

  • We're ranked number one.

  • Um, they play with so much...

  • passion.

  • We have four Olympic gold medals.

  • Humblebrags. Okay.

  • But how much less could their pay possibly be?

  • If we win a match, we get $1,300.

  • -The men, they get around $17,000. -Whoa.

  • If the men's team loses, they make $5,000.

  • Five Gs if you lose!

  • Could you imagine having that much money?

  • Can't really imagine it

  • because we don't get paid anything if we lose.

  • Maybe that's why you guys don't lose.

  • Silver lining.

  • (bleep) kidding me?

  • Why don't you guys just pick up second jobs?

  • Uber driving. After your guys' games,

  • surge pricing will definitely be high.

  • Boom. You're driving fans home at 1.5, maybe 2, 3x.

  • We don't have time to go be an Uber driver.

  • We put in our time to win gold medals for this team.

  • While the U.S. Soccer Federation

  • has their own interpretation of the pay differences,

  • the bottom line is the women want them

  • to level the playing field.

  • Oh, and they also want them

  • to literally level the playing field.

  • They're constantly forced to play on Astroturf,

  • even at the World Cup, something that the men's team

  • has never had to do.

  • -They don't play on turf? -Not one game.

  • Others would argue that the women's soccer team

  • should be grateful just to play.

  • Like Gavin McInnes.

  • Sure, he looks like an art school dropout

  • with a Shins cover band, but he has his own show

  • and is a Fox News contributor.

  • Women do earn less in America because they choose to.

  • Yep, not surprisingly, he thinks the women's lawsuit

  • is a waste of time.

  • Men's soccer has been getting ten times the eyeballs.

  • You know what, I'm gonna let the ladies handle this one.

  • -Well, we actually broke the record -Yeah.

  • for the most watched soccer game in the history of America

  • between men or women.

  • You're playing a man's game, by a man's rules.

  • This is the way it is in our world.

  • You got to earn it.

  • No, we've brought in,

  • what, 17 million this past year.

  • The men lost $2 million in profit

  • for the federation this last year.

  • U.S. men's soccer still gets a lot more enthusiasm.

  • Now, why is that? Is that because

  • men's soccer is more interesting, more exciting?

  • Gavin, you're down two-nothing.

  • You know what, let me try to help you.

  • Name three U.S. men's soccer players.

  • Current, we have Bobby Daniels.

  • Bobby Daniels. Okay, let's check the list.

  • Nope. Not a player.

  • Zigler Norris.

  • Also not a player.

  • And a guy we... known to everyone as Junebug.

  • Come on, man. If you're gonna make up fake names,

  • do better than Junebug.

  • If lunatics like this are against the women,

  • who's on their side?

  • -Billie Jean King. -100%.

  • I mean, she's done so much for women's sports.

  • Who is that?

  • Tennis player.

  • I don't... I don't...

  • REPORTER: Tennis star Billie Jean King

  • has long been campaigning for women's rights.

  • MINHAJ: Damn. Turns out Billie Jean King

  • is a badass tennis player but also she paved the way

  • for equal pay in tennis when she defeated Bobby Riggs

  • in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes.

  • Let me get this straight,

  • all you did was defeat a man,

  • and now you have equal pay in tennis. Problem solved.

  • (chuckles) It wasn't easy peasy, man.

  • -When I played Bobby Riggs, -Mm-hmm.

  • that was about social change.

  • Our ratio of prize money was about eight-to-one,

  • and I think the women's soccer is four-to-one.

  • -And I know what you're gonna say. "Improvement." -Progress.

  • -Yeah. -Improvement's not enough.

  • We're supposed to be so happy if we get one crumb.

  • "Oh, thank you. I'm so grateful."

  • -You're welcome. -We deserve the cake, the icing,

  • and the cherry on top, too, just like the boys.

  • So let's put some cleats on you, you play the men,

  • and let's get them ladies paid.

  • You're missing the point.

  • Okay. I will play the women.

  • Do you honestly think you can keep up

  • with the women's soccer players? Seriously?

  • ♪ ♪

  • We will do a battle of the sexes, BJK-style,

  • because it worked for tennis.

  • -No. -No. We'd crush you.

  • Bobby Riggs was a champion in his sport.

  • We didn't even know who you were until today.

  • Um, I've played two years of AYSO.

  • I was in the fourth grade.

  • And I have also won trophies

  • for effort.

  • This is definitely a different level than that.

  • Okay, fine, so the battle of the sexes is a bad idea.

  • What else can we do?

  • KING: People have to get to know us.

  • So we need to really get behind women,

  • get behind them with money, exposure,

  • give 'em more commercials.

  • MINHAJ: A commercial! Yes.

  • I can see it now.

  • ♪ ♪

  • WOMAN: You can defy the odds.

  • SOLO: I became one of the best players in the world

  • at the age of 17.

  • WOMAN: You can be great.

  • I scored a game-winning PK in a World Cup.

  • You can make history.

  • We won three World Cups and four Olympic gold medals.

  • You can aspire to be less than.

  • -(whispers): Less than. -Wait. What did you say?

  • You can be just as good as any other person,

  • as long as that person doesn't have a penis.

  • -(whispers): A penis. -Are you kidding me?

  • And for all that hard work, you can make four times less

  • than a man.

  • I don't think so.

  • ♪ ♪

  • You can treat us equally.

  • You can give us grass to play on.

  • You can pay us what we deserve.

Let's talk about women soccer players.

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