Today is Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the 19th amendment and women’s right to vote. As the fight continues for social and economic equality, we teamed up with the investing app Public.com to spotlight women in the world of sports who are making moves to close the wealth gap.

But first, a special gift for you: Claim $10 worth of free stock by downloading the Public app and applying code JWS. Get started.

Honoring the Past

In order to celebrate how far women in sports have come, it’s imperative to look back at the pioneers who first pushed for change.

Billie Jean King started the WTA in 1973 to vouch for equal prize money in tennis, paving the way for players like Chris Evert and Naomi Osaka to earn big paydays.

In 1970, King spearheaded the “Original 9,” a group of women’s tennis players who each signed $1 contracts with Virginia Slims to protest unequal prize money. What started as a stand for equal compensation and a fight for more exposure evolved into today’s WTA Tour.

Flash forward to 2021 and Serena Williams has amassed $94 million in prize money, twice the amount of any other female athlete, according to Forbes.

The 99ers, forever immortalized by Brandi Chastain’s jersey-gripping celebration after her game-winning goal in the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, changed the face of American soccer.

The team’s historic penalty-kick win over China inspired a generation of girls to play soccer, with many current USWNT stars citing Mia Hamm, Brianna Scurry and Kristine Lilly as their childhood heroes. The team’s success also gave women’s soccer players critical bargaining power, which they leveraged to establish the first professional women’s soccer league and the first collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer.

Their efforts led directly to the formation of the Women’s United Soccer Association in 2001 as the first step toward a sustainable league. The NWSL, now in its ninth year, can be traced back to the 99ers, who helped secure soccer as an attainable profession for women in the United States.

Closing the Gap

Today’s athletes have taken the baton from generations past, pushing sports leaders to prioritize equal pay for women.

Venus Williams’ storied career on the tennis court is matched by her tireless activism off of it, picking up the fight from Billie Jean King.

Williams first spoke out about inequality in 1998 when she was competing at Wimbledon as an 18-year-old. In 2005, after Williams had won four Grand Slams, she directly petitioned French Open officials to amend the tournament’s gender pay gap. Williams continued to pen op-eds and meet with the ITF’s Grand Slam Board, pushing for equal compensation at all four Grand Slam tournaments.

The fight paid off in 2007 when Williams became the first female champion at Wimbledon to earn the same prize money as the men’s champion, leaving the sport better than where she found it.

Stephanie Gilmore’s vocal push for equal compensation in surfing not only changed the makeup of the World Surf League but also inspired a conversation across sports.

The seven-time world champion spent much of her career earning less than her male counterparts, including a 2007 competition when the male champion made five times as much as she did. Gilmore’s campaign for pay equality pressed the WSL to make a landmark decision in 2018 — they would begin awarding equal prize money to women and men beginning with the 2019 season.

The WSL has continued to evolve thanks to Gilmore’s activism. In 2022, the organization will combine the men’s and women’s tours in a move to secure equal access to quality waves and tournament resources.

The USWNT has orchestrated arguably the most public fight for equal pay, with the players collectively suing their employer, U.S. Soccer, for gender discrimination two years ago. Over 20 players signed the lawsuit ahead of the 2019 World Cup, the team’s most consequential tournament.

“LFG,” an HBO documentary released in July that chronicles the USWNT’s battle with U.S. Soccer, pulled back the curtain on the team’s push for equality. Their case hit a setback in May 2020 when a federal judge dismissed the suit on the grounds that the players were being compensated in accordance with their agreed-upon contract. The players have since filed an appeal, continuing the team’s pursuit of equal pay.

FIFA prize money remains a sticking point for the USWNT — the 2018 Men’s World Cup awarded $400 million to 32 teams, while the 2019 women’s tournament received just $30 million for 24 teams.

Planning the Future

The youngest generation of athletes are savvier than ever, investing in themselves, companies that share their values and other women’s sport teams.

Naomi Osaka is the highest-paid female athlete in the world, earning a record-breaking $55.2 million in 2020, according to Sportico.

Osaka has emerged as the face of brands like Levis and Nike and even launched her own swim line with Frankies Bikinis. Early investments in companies such as Sweetgreen and Hyperice have set Osaka apart as one of the most financially savvy athletes of her generation.

The tennis phenom has used her platform to effect change, advocating for racial justice and mental health awareness in particular. At just 23 years old, Osaka has also invested in the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage, doubling down on her support for women’s athletes.

Sabrina Ionescu quickly became one of the most high-profile athletes in the WNBA, signing a multi-year deal with Nike as a rookie in 2020.

The New York Liberty guard made headlines again when she partnered with Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and its sports media business, Boardroom. Just last week, Ionescu announced her investment in Buzzer, an app that offers short-form live sports coverage and highlights personalized for fans.

Ionescu’s intentional foray into business is an indicator of the next wave of women’s athletes, where emerging talent has a seat at the table.

While women in sports have come a long way in closing the wealth gap, the fight is not over. Just Women’s Sports is proud to partner with Public.com as they work to democratize the way we invest.

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USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday.

Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes.

“She's got an ankle injury and she's out for this weekend, and then it'll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC.

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Depending on its severity, Morgan’s ankle issue might have larger ramifications than missing a few weeks of NSWL play. Morgan was added to the team's Gold Cup roster after an ACL injury sidelined young striker Mia Fishel, and she's since made a number of USWNT starts in the team's Gold Cup and SheBelieves wins. A long-term injury could potentially derail the center forward’s Olympic plans.

With her return timeline uncertain, it's possible the injury could also impact Morgan's ability to participate in new head coach Emma Hayes' first U.S. friendlies in June and July.

Morgan's injury concerns aren't uncommon in the U.S. player pool, but add a sense of urgency as Hayes eyes the NWSL for top-performing players in the upcoming weeks. Gotham's Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle have also been dealing with injuries: Lavelle has yet to appear for Gotham, while Davidson exited last weekend's match early with a hamstring injury.

Gotham has yet to issue an update concerning Davidson's status.

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024.

In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil's 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

Marta will retire as a giant of the women's game, having appeared in five Olympics and multiple World Cups. When discussing her retirement, she stressed confidence in the rising generation of Brazilian players, noting that she was, “very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes." 

The statement echoes back to a plea she made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after Brazil lost to France 2-1 in the Round of 16. “It's wanting more. It's training more. It's taking care of yourself more. It's being ready to play 90 plus 30 minutes. This is what I ask of the girls,” she said then, addressing the young players following in her footsteps. 

In 2023, she signaled a farewell to World Cup competition with the same sentiment, telling media, “We ask the new generation to continue where we left off.”

If selected for the 2024 Olympic team, Marta has a shot at extending her own consecutive-scoring record with the ability to score in an unbelievable sixth-straight Olympic Games. She currently stands as Brazil’s top goalscorer, racking up 116 career goals in 175 matches, as well as the leading goalscorer in any World Cup, women’s or men’s, with 17 to her name. 

Marta will continue to play for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride through at least the end of 2024. The longtime forward and club captain has already contributed to multiple goals this season.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.