If one of your star players is married to a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, it might help to be able to identify her jersey.
As is customary for NBA teams, the Boston Celtics posted a series of photos of its players entering the arena on Tuesday, February 27, for their Game against the Philadelphia 76ers. One of those players was Jrue Holiday, a two-time All-Star and husband of women’s soccer star Lauren Holiday (née Cheney). Jrue, 33, entered TD Garden in his wife’s No. 12 USWNT jersey — but the Celtics’ social media team didn’t realize it.
They posted his photo to X with the caption, “Reppin’ @USMNT tonight 💪🏾.”
Thankfully, USWNT striker Alex Morgan was in the replies to clear up any confusion, writing: “Let me help you with this– @USWNT.”
Let me help you with this– @USWNT
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) February 28, 2024
While this may seem like a simple mistake — the men’s and women’s kits are somewhat similar and a non-soccer fan could be forgiven for not differentiating — USWNT fans know it’s emblematic of a larger problem.
The USWNT has been at the forefront of the gender equity push in sports over the past several years. It started with five club members, including Morgan, filing a complaint in 2016 against the United States Soccer Federation, arguing that the women’s team received unequal treatment and compensation compared to that of the men’s national team. After a series of lawsuits and negotiations, President Joe Biden signed the Equal Pay for Team USA Act in 2022 that outlined identical pay structures for the men’s and women’s national teams and an equitable distribution of World Cup prize money.
So what does that have to do with the Celtics misidentifying a soccer jersey? Nothing, or everything, depending on how you look at it.
That a pay disparity between the two teams was even able to exist despite federal law shows how ingrained and normalized this problem is, particularly in Sports. While this was surely an innocent mistake by a Celtics staffer, it shows the tendency to default to men’s Sports over the women’s equivalent. Small actions like that make it just a little bit easier to let the larger issues like pay, resources or media coverage, linger even longer.
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It Must Be Black Friday, Because This Iconically Soft Ugg Hoodie Is 41% Off View DealMorgan, 34, wasn’t the only one in the comments correcting the post, though others weren’t quite as kind. One user said, “Damn guys, it’s the @USWNT he’s repping. That’s his wife’s number, his wife who won 2 Olympic gold medals and a World Cup.” Another added, “None of you thought hey this might be his wife’s jersey?”
As of this writing, the Celtics still have not corrected or amended the tweet, turning their attention instead to their ninth consecutive win last night.
