ESPN takes Will Cain out of context in equal pay argument during USWNT award segment

The U.S. women’s national soccer team on Wednesday received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at ESPN’s annual award show, the ESPYS, for their fight for equal pay with the men’s team and raising awareness for pay inequity and social injustices in every field.

The noble cause was center stage in Los Angeles, and it came with a montage showing how and why the players decided to take up the issue of equal pay and their lawsuit against U.S. Soccer. 

The montage then mentioned the "critics pushing back at them" showing tweets from those who disagreed and Will Cain, a former ESPN host now with Fox News Channel, offering his opinion on the matter. The montage included this quote from Cain.

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"I think equal pay is a ridiculous concept in and of itself. Soccer, for better or worse, on the men’s side across this globe is much more popular than the women’s," Cain is quoted as saying.

The clip then showed U.S. women’s soccer icon Brandi Chastain, saying "Oh, we get that argument all the time."

ESPN did not take Cain’s full argument, and it was noticed on social media. State Freedom Caucus Network communication director Greg Price found the full clip from Cain’s take and posted it on Twitter on Wednesday night.

Here is what the current "Fox & Friends Weekend" host said in the clip.

"I’ll tell you why it’s like this. Now there’s two things, first of all. When you talk about, as Trevor Scales just laid out, the bonus difference between the men’s team and the women’s team. Between what a winner, if it had been the U.S. men would get in the World Cup, and the women.

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"The women got paid out from a pool of $30 million from the Women’s World Cup. The men would draw from a pool of $400 million. Why is that? It’s because the Men’s World Cup generates $6 billion in revenue. The Women’s World Cup generates $131 million in revenue. If you want to talk about pay disparity, the Women’s World Cup players get paid out 20% of the total revenue. The men get paid out 7%. As a percentage point, they are getting much more. 

"The problem is, for anybody desiring equal pay, and by the way, I think equal pay is a ridiculous concept in and of itself. If the women generate more revenue, they should get paid more than the men. Don’t strive for getting the same, strive for getting what you’re worth. And if you’re worth more then get more.

"And so what I’m saying to you right now is, soccer, for better or worse, on the men’s side across this globe is much more popular than women’s soccer."

When former ESPN host Charly Arnolt brought up the ratings between the women’s and men’s World Cups, Cain and former host Ryan Hollins both said that was in the U.S.

"And that’s comparing a Women’s World Cup Final that featured the United States against a Men’s World Cup Final in the United States that didn’t feature the U.S. team."

ESPN did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Cain wrote in response: "It’s still true. Still unpopular. Full context. Full truth."