The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Will Keep Fighting For Equal Pay
InStyle Awards 2019: Ellen Pompeo and USWNT Speeches
At tonight's InStyle Awards, the United States women's national soccer team, appropriately enough, took home the Badass Women Award sponsored by Secret Deodorant.
At tonight's InStyle Awards, the United States women's national soccer team, appropriately enough, took home the Badass Women Award sponsored by Secret Deodorant. While the whole team couldn't take the stage, Alex Morgan, Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris, Carli Lloyd, and Kelley O'Hara were on hand to accept from presenter Ellen Pompeo. Morgan took to the mic to talk about how the team would continue to fight for everything that it believed in during the FIFA Women's World Cup earlier this year — where the United States took home a record fourth title — and promised that equal pay and social justice are still things worth pursuing.
"Raise a glass and toast to all of us disruptors who have been loud, who have demanded equality, who have fought for ourselves and more importantly our sisters," Pompeo said, urging everyone in attendance to offer up one more round of applause for the team. "Here's to us, the disruptors."
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Morgan spoke on behalf of the entire team, explaining that what these women did on the field was just the beginning. Now that they have the world's attention, they're hoping to continue to disrupt expectations off the pitch. Soccer may be a team sport, Morgan explained, but the players are all working towards bringing awareness to women's issues around the world, not just in sports. Embroiled in a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, the team is hoping to set a precedent that'll make waves around the world.
"I feel in my heart what the world saw on the field this year: that this team is a group of badass women. This year has been incredibly meaningful for us as a team and as individuals. We challenged longstanding inequity in our sport and the wave of support we received from our fans on and off the field was more than we could have ever imagined," Morgan said. "We are honored to be presented with this award tonight and I promise you that we will unapologetically continue to use our strength to advocate for social justice and equal pay for women everywhere."