The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Abby Wambach on "Wolfpack" and Demanding Gender Equality On and Off the Field (Rebroadcast)

Episode Date: March 9, 2021

Women's World Cup champion and "Wolfpack" author Abby Wambach discusses the income disparity between professional female athletes and their male counterparts. Originally aired on June 10, 2019. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. Please welcome Abby Womba. All for you. All for you. Thank you. Thank you.

A standing ovation. You have an amazing audience. Are you kidding? Yeah. Welcome to the show. Thank you. And congratulations on the book. Let's talk about the book because it really speaks about everything that you've done in your life and everything that we deal with. Many people know you as a really successful soccer player who in many ways led the U.S. women's soccer team to some of its greatest victories.

You know, your header in the World Cup against Brazil is one of the most famous ones. Amazing. But the conversations in this book speak about many of the conversations that people are still having today about women's soccer in the U.S. and that is, why is the women's team not getting paid what they are owed? In other words, equal pay for the work that they're doing. It's insane. You know, I really feel like this is a true discrimination lawsuit that they've just filed against U.S. soccer and I'm proud to be supporting them. But here's the thing, the big argument, right, that I hear is that the men's team brings in more money. So of course,

that's why they should deserve to make more money, but that's just $6.6 million, and the men's team only brought in two. So like that debate is now no longer can be part of this conversation. And you know, we were talking backstage and I think that what you said is actually a deeper truth that people don't want to talk about. And it's the amount of money that it takes to market and brand something so that the supply and demand debate can actually make........ And, the, thiiii, that thi, that thi, that thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thr. thri, thri.eeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. thi. And, thi, th debate can actually make sense. Yeah, well this is something that we spoke about. Like, we did it on the show. And I remember, you know, handling the conflict, both in the show and in my head. I was like, okay, well, let's go with all sides of the argument.

On one side, you go, women's soccer, they're winning, they should get more money. And so, they're they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't they don't their their their their their. We tho. We their their. We tho. their. We their. We their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. the. the. the. the. toe. toe. toean. toean. toean. toean. toe. toe. thean. theean. thean. thean. the. the.'s soccer has to get over in America. First of all, the games are on at random times. So they're not scheduled in a way that people can watch. And then if you look at how much money was pumped into the MLS and men's soccer in the country, it was a loss generator. And that money hasn't been pumped into women's soccer. And as a soccer player who was winning the games, did you ever at a point on the field just be like, no, I'm not going to let the ball hit my skull? No. Have you ever think that?

What motivated you if you weren't getting the money? I mean, now I think I should have done more of that because I'm no longer playing and I'm like, I hit the ball against my head way too many times. And that's a serious and total total total total total total total total total to total total total total total total total total total total total total total total total total total si si si si si si si sii. that is a sii. that's a sii. that's a serious and th. that's a sii. that's a si. that's that's a si. thi. that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to to to to to to to to to to to to today. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. that. I. thatthat the women are like, wait, hold on, this doesn't make sense, right? We are putting ourselves in the same positions, we're putting our bodies on the line, we're sacrificing the same amount, and this is not to slight the men in any way. This is just showcase how much I just truly believe in the women, because aside from all of the argument that we can make for these women, earning the same as men, we haven't, and their, and their, and the same, and the same, and men, we haven't even once talked about them actually winning championships. Right. And that's an important part of this debate as well.

Like the women's national team is one of the most successful team sports in the world. And we're still struggling. We're still struggling to get equal pay. And that, it just feels so backwards and it's like wow the 99 World Cup team just had their 20th anniversary alumni last weekend and you know the sport has grown and we've moved a far away from where we started but we also started below the poverty line you know people were playing for free. If you if you look at the book it's based on a commencement speech that you gave

that really went viral, you know, because it connected with so many people. And one of the quotes in the book reminds me of what you said in that speech, and that was when you were looking at yourself on a stage at the SPs, it was yourself, and it was Kobe Bryant, and it was Peyton Manning. And you were all on the stage being honored as legends in your fields.

And you walked off that stage and you had a very specific thought, and that thought was... Wow, all three of us are walking into very different retirements. On stage, I was feeling this immense amount of gratitude, like, wow, we women had finally made it, you know? and th and when I walked off stage is that's like basically the emotion that women are granted to feel when they are given an award, this idea of just being grateful. So for me, writing this book and trying to unpack some of these moments in my life that taught me things, I mean, that night is when I dedicated, and I promised myself that I would dedicate myself for the rest of my life, the their to to to to their to my life, I, I'm, I, I'm, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I, I, I'm, I'm, I, I'm, I'm, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, and I'm, I'm, I, and I'm, I'm, I, thr, and I'm, and I'm, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, and I'm, their, and I'm, thr, and I'm, throwneee, and, toeeea, toea, throwne, throwne, their, their, their, their, their, their, their for the rest of my life to fighting for equality, whether it be equal pay, in my sport and for my team, but also for every women and every industry

because this is a fight that is necessary and it's not necessary just because women deserve it. It's necessary for all people everywhere, right? Because our world feels like, I mean, you talk about all the things that seem to be on fire, that seem to be going wrong. I believe that women having more access to the tables where decisions are made, that will help this world better, to be better. It's really interesting that you bring that up, because there have been numerous studies that have shown that when you pay women what they are due, if you give women access to the workplace, if women earn more, society earns more, and you see this in countries where it's happening, it's not like because the women get money now the men don't get

money, the economy grows. Right. People earn more money. And this is a really interesting part of the book. It's right at the beginning and it's just, and it's, and it's, and it's, and it's, and it's, and it's, it's, it's, it's, th, th. And, th. And, th, th. th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, thin, thin, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, they, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their,'s right at the beginning and it's just a beautiful little anecdotes. You go, recently on a call with a company hiring me to teach about leadership, a man said, excuse me, Abby, I just need to ensure that what you present is applicable to men too. I said good question, but only if you ask every male speaker you've hired if his message is applicable to women to, which is a really powerful thought that you don't think. th, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, thi, thi, their thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, abo, abo, abo, ab-a, ab-a, ab-a, ab-a, ab-a, abo, abo, abo, abo, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, ab aba, ab ab aba, ab ab ab ab ab aba, ab ab ab ab ab ab ab ab aba, aba, ab ab aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, abet, abe, abet, abet, abet, abet, abet, abet, their, their, their, their, toe, ia, toe, toe, ia, toe, toe, their, their, their, their, their, to. Which is a really powerful thought that you don't think about. People will often say that, they'll be like, oh, man, do the men understand women leadership? Yeah, well, and also this was like a women leadership conference

that I was going to. So like, for this dude to like say this on the call, and I'm saving him from actually putting this company out in his name, but but but but but but but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, is like these microaggressions happen all the time. And I think what we need to start doing is becoming aware of what these micro aggressions are. That's what this whole book is about. And then having the courage and the language to be able to counteract some of these things that we are interacting with in the everyday life. So me asking him that very question, my wife is the best at this.

She's like, just flip it. Just flip the scenario, put yourself in their position. And if it is not equal, then that is prejudice. That is treating somebody less than. When you talk in the book about these ideas, what I really enjoy is a part of the book where you specifically say, is there's a part of the book where you specifically say, hey, if you are a man reading this book, I hope you realize this book is for you as well.

This is a message we all have to engage in. And you speak specifically about the wolves in Yellowstone, right? And it's a story many people know or don't know. It's about how in Yellowstone, and the deer were destroying everything, they were eating everything, they had no predator. And so the people said we need to introduce wolves. Yeah, the rivers stopped running. Right. And so this decided, the scientists decided

that they would reintroduce wolves into the Elisome National Park ecosystem. And soon enough, the wolves, they displaced the deer through hunting. And then the the the vegetation grew grew up grew grew grew grew grew grew grew grew grew back, the the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the scientist, the scientist, the scientist, the scientist, the scientist, the scientist, the scientist, their, their, their, ss.s, ss, scant, their, scant, their, scant, the scientists, the scientists, the scientists, the scientists, the scientists, the scientists, the scientists, the scientists, the scientists, their, the river bank started to strengthen and then the river started to run again. And so when I was giving the speech at Barnard last May, you know, it was one of the most special moments of my life because I was trying to connect the dots and when you write a speech you don't know if they're going to get it. You know what I'm saying? When you write a joke, you don't know if people are going to laugh although they're their their they're they're their they're they're their their they're their they're their they're their their their they're they're paid they're their their their they're paid their there tho. thi. thi. thi. thi. their their thi. thi. thi. thoes. thoes. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. th. th. their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their the. their the. the. the. the. the. thea. thea. thea. the thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. And so when I told them this story about the wolves, I was hoping that these Barnard graduates would get the connection

between what the wolves were experiencing. You know, wolves were threat to the system, and they ended up being the salvation of this dying ecosystem. And so too can we, as women, be the salvation of what's happening in our system right now. It's a really beautiful message. It's a powerful book. I'm excited for the journey that you're going to be on. Thank you so much for being on the show.

Thank you. Host tap is available now. It's a really fun read. Abby Wanbuck, everybody. The Daily Show, weekn'tthe Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. to the Daily Show and Instagram and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.