In this Lesson On Commitment, Rich Nichols talks about fighting for equal pay for the United States Women’s National soccer team (USWNT). Rich shares insights into what it takes to stand up to the entire US Soccer Federation and why women are just people who get things done without any ego involved.

Rich Nichols is a premier pioneering sports lawyer with decades of experience as a businessperson and lawyer in the sports industry. Along with being the catalyst, architect and leader of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team’s quest for equal pay, Mr. Nichols has represented a plethora of iconic athletes. Notably, Mr. Nichols served as a Deputy City Attorney in San Francisco, CA, practiced law for several years in Silicon Valley at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and in the early 1980s founded, owned and operated a sports marketing company that eventually purchased, revamped and operated the City of San Francisco Marathon before selling it in 1991 to the International Management Group (IMG). Finally, Nichols has considerable experience in broadcast media as a sports and political analyst and provides insights and commentary as a network television pundit on high-profile issues in the news, politics and sports. He resides in Keller, Texas.

All Things Being Equal: The Genesis, Costs and Aftermath of the USWNT’s Equal Pay Battle

Listen To A Lesson on Commitment with Rich Nichols:

Topics Discussed with Rich Nichols:

• What is Rich’s earliest memory of being creative?
• How Rich’s upbringing cultivated a quality of fearlessness.
• Rich Nichols was a two-time NCAA Division 1 All-American, and in 1982 competed
  internationally as a member of the United States Track and Field Team.
• What happened when the Black Panthers came to Rich’s neighborhood.
• Why Rich chose to go to Law School.
• Rich has represented some legendary sports figures including NFL Hall of Fame Wide
• Receiver James Lofton, Olympic Champions Edwin Moses (the best male hurdler of all
  time and creator of the Athletes Trust Fund) and Marion Jones, and World Cup and Olympic Champion Hope Solo.
• The process of being hired by the US National Women’s Soccer team.
• How unity is essential in negotiations.
• How to leverage the power of no.
• Why Rich introduced the Pay Equity Act.
• Why commitment is essential to winning any tough negotiation.
• How do men and women use power differently.
• What is Rich’s take on the ways that men and women lead?
• Paycheck Fairness Act has been introduced 13 times over two decades and has still not
  passed, how can we tip the balance?  intends to expand on provisions included in the
  Equal Pay Act of 1963, which made it illegal for employers to pay men and women
  unequal wages for performing substantially equal work.
• What Rich thinks the real reason was that the Soccer Federation doesn’t want equal
  pay for it’s female players.
• FACTS
• The average MLS (major league men’s soccer) salary is $85K to $650K
• The average WLS salary is $36K to $200K.