Along with her fellow USWNT members, Rapinoe has ben a leader in the fight for equal pay for women. The team and former players issued a gender-discrimination lawsuit against US Soccer in 2019, and after years of work, made history when they reached an agreement with US Soccer that guarantees equal pay through 2028.
Rapinoe and USWNT teammate Margaret Purce both spoke at the White House in March 2021 for Equal Pay Day, and Rapinoe later addressed a House of Representatives committee on the same subject.
"You want stadiums filled? We fill them," Rapinoe said. "You want role models for your kids, your boys and your girls and your little trans kids, we have that . . . you want us to represent America in the best way possible. We've done all of that, and simply there's no reason why we're underpaid for the exception of gender."
In July 2023, the USWNT won the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYs for their work on equal pay, which is having a ripple effect outside the world of sports.
