"We couldn't have done any of this without Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King" - USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn after landmark settlement
Footballer Becky Sauerbrunn gave credit to tennis legends Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King, among many others, for the recent landmark settlement that the USWNT reached with the US Soccer Federation on Tuesday.
The agreement came at the end of a protracted legal battle between the United States Women's National Soccer Team and the governing body for the sport in the country, and promises to equalize pay for players of both genders. Sauerbrunn, as captain of the team, was one of the co-instigators of the gender discrimination lawsuit that eventually led to the deal.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, the American made sure to highlight the role played in this unprecedented success by other athletes belonging to other sporting disciplines over the years.
She first thanked her predecessors, the 1999 World Cup-winning USWNT, who are popularly referred to as the 99ers. Widely regarded as one of the greatest teams produced by the country, the 99ers are responsible for arousing national interest in women's soccer with their World Cup exploits.
In addition to the Williams sisters and Billie Jean King, all of whom have rallied arduously in the fight against gender discrimination in tennis, the defender also made special mention of the Women's National Basketball Players' Association (WNBPA). The WNBPA, founded in 1999, was the first trade union for professional women athletes.
The 36-year-old added that there were even more women who laid the foundation stones for her and her teammates to finally close the wage gap in the sport, and reckoned none of it would have been possible without any of these pioneers.
"The truth is, this work has spanned decades and generations; and not just within women’s soccer, but all women’s sports. We couldn’t have done any of this without the 99ers. Not without Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King. Not without the WNBPA and many more," Sauerbrunn wrote.
A quick note on yesterday…truth is this work has spanned decades and generations; and not just within women’s soccer, but all women’s sports. We couldn’t have done any of this without the 99ers. Not without Venus, Serena and Billie Jean. Not without the @TheWNBPA and many more. twitter.com/AndrewDasNYT/s…
Tennis legend Chris Evert agreed with Sauerbraunn's sentiments. The American praised King in particular, saying that no one inspired future generations like she did.
"No one has had the vision, the leadership, the courage like [Billie Jean King]. No one sacrificed her career like she did. Every generation was inspired by her," Evert wrote.
twitter.com/beckysauerbrun…No one has had the vision, the leadership, the courage like @BillieJeanKing No one sacrificed her career like she did. Every generation was inspired by her..💪👍👏 twitter.com/beckysauerbrun…
"An amazing day for women and women's sports!" - Venus Williams
Venus Williams took to social media on Wednesday to congratulate the USWNT on their historic achievement. The seven-time Grand Slam champion shared the news on her Instagram story and referred to the occasion as an "amazing day for women" everywhere.
"An amazing day for women and women's sports!" Williams wrote on Instagram.
It should come as no surprise that the 41-year-old is proud of the USWNT's achievement, seeing as how she led the same charge in tennis more than a decade ago. It was thanks to Williams' powerful essay in the Times magazine that Wimbledon finally agreed to pay the same prize money to the women's and men's singles winners in 2007.
The former World No. 1 went on to win the tournament the same year, becoming the first woman in Wimbledon history to take home the same amount as the male champion -- who happened to be Roger Federer.