Blumenthal calls on USA Hockey to treat women's team members fairly
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., joined 13 other senators, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, on Monday in calling for USA Hockey to treat the women’s national team equitably.
The group made their comments in a letter they sent to USA Hockey Executive Director Dave Ogrean on Monday.
The women’s team maintains USA Hockey does not provide “appropriate compensation” or “equitable support” to the women’s team. It has now chosen to boycott this year’s International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships.
The women’s team members are paid only $6,000 every four years, say they are often expected to purchase their own equipment and point out that USA Hockey provides no national developmental program for women, while spending $3.5 million a year to support a program for men.
“We urge you to resolve this dispute quickly to ensure that the USA Women’s National Hockey Team receives equitable resources. These elite athletes indeed deserve fairness and respect, and we hope you will be a leader on this issue as women continue to push for equality in athletics,” the senators wrote.
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