In March, the gold medalist and two-time World Cup Champion complained to Congress and to President Joe Biden that she is a victim of pay discrimination. Later this month, she'll take her case to the court of public opinion in a new documentary, LFG, that will begin streaming on HBOMax.

Unfortunately for Rapinoe, the only court of law to rule on the matter found her claims wanting.

In 2019, Rapinoe and her teammates sued USSF in California federal court, seeking more than $66 million in damages for alleged wage discrimination and discriminatory working conditions. The court found sufficient evidence to allow the players to proceed with their claims of unequal travel and hotel accommodations, medical support, training, and other support services. But it dismissed the players' claims of pay discrimination, finding that the women's team earned more than the men's team on both a cumulative and per-game basis.

It turns out, the Women's National Team earned approximately $24 million overall; the Men's National Team earned only $18 million. The average take per game was $220,747 for the women's team, compared to $212,639 for the men's team. And while the individual female plaintiffs made an average of $11,356 to $17,416 per game, the four highest-paid male players made an average of $10,360 to $13,964 per game.

Facts are stubborn things. And so, Rapinoe and her teammates argued that, even though they received more money than their male counterparts, they were, nevertheless, victims of discrimination. Why?  Because they would have earned even more had they been paid under the men's pay structure, which offers higher bonuses.