A letter from our CEO Rachael Rapinoe

Dear Mendi Community & beyond,

I felt a personal responsibility to respond to the recent comments U.S. Soccer President, Carlos Cordeiro, and council made regarding why they have chosen not to pay the USMNT and USWNT equally.

U.S. Soccer has publicly stated they feel male players carry more responsibility than female players, and the USWNT are less skilled and work less demanding jobs than the USMNT.

If you follow that logic to its natural conclusion, they are basically saying women will never be equal to men. Which we know, is simply a lie. The job of a USMNT player does not require a higher level of skill than those of a USWNT player. Not by a long shot. Both jobs require the same devotion of time, sacrifice, hard work, motivation and much, much more.

I have personal relationships with many of the USWNT players, and I know for a fact these women have had to carry more weight, more burden, sacrificed more and have fought harder than their male counterparts the past five years. And they’ve still come out on top. Imagine what the world will be like when women get to just do their jobs, and stop fighting for pay, benefits, fair treatment, etc.

Times up for shortsightedness. Times up for not investing dollars into women. Times up for misogyny. Times up for discrimination based on one’s sex. Times up for not paying up.

To future players, business women and girls all over the world, you are 100% equal to men. My sister, Sue, the USWNT, myself and the Mendi team promise to keep fighting for equality, for you.

To all CEOs and business leaders, your support in this fight is paramount. I encourage you to participate. Make a statement to the world, your employees, your communities and your families that paying women equally matters. Silence doesn’t put anyone on the right side of history.


Sincerely,

Rachael Rapinoe
CEO & Cofounder

A powerful message from Megan

USWNT co-captain Megan Rapinoe gives her thoughts on the legal filings by the U.S. Soccer Federation in the equal pay lawsuit filed by her and other members of the team.