Moving The Goalposts

Los Angeles's new professional women's soccer team, Angel City football Club, is changing how women's sports are valued.

- By Julia Herbst

JUST BLOCKS FROM AMAZON STUDIOS IN SANTA MONICA, next to a startup that's developing high-protein, low-carb bagels, is the headquarters of one of L.A.'s buzziest new brands. Inside, it's light and airy, with standard-issue startup touches like exposed pipes and industrial light fixtures, plus a few dogs peeking out from under desks.

But there are a few details that you won't find anywhere else: a plastic-wrapped flat of neon-colored Gatorade near the front entrance and a wall dominated by photos of women-goofy candids of Angel City FC soccer players, their fans, and the new team's mostly female staffers, many of whom are gathered around desks nearby.

The conversations they're having on this February morning are undoubtedly unlike anything being talked about at neighboring offices too. News has just broken that members of the national women's soccer team, which represents the U.S. internationally and won the 2019 World Cup, have agreed to a historic $24 million equal pay settlement with the sport's national governing body, U.S. Soccer Federation. In addition to awarding back pay to current and former players, U.S. Soccer also committed to equalizing compensation between the women's and men's national teams.

It's a big statement for women's sports, says Angel City president and cofounder Julie Uhrman, sitting on a folding chair in a sunlit yard next to her club's office. The women's national team gets more viewers and attention than the men's team, she points out, and it drives fans to purchase more merchandise. “Seeing that finally recognized in pay equity is long overdue.”