# USWNT \[US Women's Soccer\]- Who Pays Them? Do They Have Day Jobs? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 10, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130 "2015-06-10T01:55:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/1 "2015-06-10T01:55:33Z")
Who is paying the salaries of the women on the US Women’s National (soccer) team? When the Cup is over, will they go back to 9-5 jobs, or is the WSMNT as much a full-time job as a job as, say, a roster spot on the Chicago Cubs or the Tulsa Shock? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/2 "2015-06-10T02:34:11Z")
The US Soccer Federation pays the National Team. They make around $50-$60K. Most of them also play professionally for clubs overseas or in the very small National Women’s Soccer League in the US. National Team members would make between $25K-$40K for a five month season. Stars like Alex Morgan probably double or triple their soccer salaries with endorsements. So, for most they don’t make much, but the top players do quite well. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/3 "2015-06-10T02:44:09Z")
Hmm. I probably understated what the top players make. Alex Morgan apparently made over $1M last year from all sources (including the Olympic team salary and a bonus for winning the gold.) Abby Wambach made over $400K in salary alone, before endorsements. I imagine the bench players make less than $100K. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/4 "2015-06-10T23:12:12Z")
US pro women’s soccer has already failed 2 times before. Maybe the 3rd time is the charm. We had a local team that did pretty well in the 1st league (WUSA) but the whole league went under due to lack of cash. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/5 "2015-06-10T23:42:18Z")
The [National Women’s Soccer League](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women%27s_Soccer_League) is in operation, partially funded by the US, Canadian and Mexican soccer federations. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/6 "2015-06-10T23:54:12Z")
Moved to the Game Room, and title edited to indicate subject. Please don’t use abbreviations that may not be apparent to everyone in thread titles. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/7 "2015-06-11T19:39:03Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Hmm. I probably understated what the top players make. Alex Morgan apparently made over $1M last year from all sources (including the Olympic team salary and a bonus for winning the gold.) Abby Wambach made over $400K in salary alone, before endorsements. > > I imagine the bench players make less than $100K. Yes, definitely less. Like $94k less. > **[Low Pay Limits Player Experience in National Women’s Soccer League](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/low-pay-limits-player-experience-in-national-womens-soccer-league/)** > > The second season of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) starts April 12, which will be about the time people ask, “There’s a professional women’s soccer … ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/8 "2015-06-11T19:50:07Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Yes, definitely less. Like $94k less. That’s their salary from the league. They may also be getting paid by USSF, any foreign team they play for, and endorsements or sponsors. The folks getting the lowest salaries from the league may not be on the US team. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/9 "2015-06-11T20:19:15Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > That’s their salary from the league. They may also be getting paid by USSF, any foreign team they play for, and endorsements or sponsors. The folks getting the lowest salaries from the league may not be on the US team. Players only play for one team at a time. I doubt USWNT bench players have sponsorships, but who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/10 "2015-06-11T20:22:29Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > That’s their salary from the league. They may also be getting paid by USSF, any foreign team they play for, and endorsements or sponsors. The folks getting the lowest salaries from the league may not be on the US team. Yes. Players on the National Team get between $50-60K from the USSF. National Team players aren’t going to be paid the league minimum. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uswnt-us-womens-soccer-who-pays-them-do-they-have-day-jobs/722130/11 "2015-06-12T02:55:36Z")
The league (NWSL) minimum is actually zero. There are amateurs playing on NWSL teams. They get reimbursed for expenses directly related to playing, but nothing else. Some of them are substituting for the players “called up” to play on their national team. Just in case anyone wants a [cite](http://www.nwslsoccer.com/home/about/732760.html)