Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff
Episode: Win-win for Women's Soccer
Date: August 1, 2019
Guests: Dr. Harriet Fraad
Episode Overview
This episode of Economic Update explores the deeper economic and social implications behind the recent successes of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT), contextualizing their achievements within ongoing struggles for gender and racial equality. Host Richard D. Wolff is joined by Dr. Harriet Fraad to discuss how the team’s victory shines a spotlight on systemic discrimination, pay inequity, the power of collective action, and shifting societal attitudes. The conversation makes connections between sports, capitalism, and broader movements for justice, highlighting how the push for equal pay and recognition in women's sports links to larger fights against systemic economic and social oppression.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Media Distraction and Systemic Inequality
[00:10–05:00]
- Wolff critiques President Trump’s racist tweets (directed at Congresswomen of color) as deliberate distractions from urgent systemic issues, particularly the treatment of refugees at the U.S.–Mexico border and the fallout of the 2008–09 capitalist crisis.
- Highlights how scapegoating minorities is historically used to distract the working class from economic miseries perpetuated by capitalism:
"If you can convey to at least a portion of an angry working class that it is the non whites among them or the foreigners or the immigrants or the trading partners, well, then you have done your job." (Wolff, [02:30])
2. Government Corruption and Resource Allocation
[05:00–08:40]
- Wolff discusses the scandal involving France’s environment minister spending public money on personal luxuries, connecting this to how capitalist governments tend to serve the wealthy while burdening ordinary people.
- Critique of “trickle-up” economics and public policies that punish the many for the benefit of the few.
3. Global Capitalism’s Harsh Impact
[08:40–11:20]
- The crisis of plummeting coffee prices devastates Central American farmers, leading to increased migration to the U.S.
- U.S. and corporate actors profit while small producers face hunger:
"If you haven’t noticed a drop in the price of coffee... the company delivering your coffee drink is keeping the extra money." (Wolff, [10:40])
4. Critique of Conservative Logic on Education Policy
[11:20–14:30]
- Wolff highlights a conservative argument against free tuition, sarcastically dissecting how the capitalist system is structured to frustrate efforts that would benefit the broader population:
“This is why we shouldn't help people. Because others in this crazy system would take advantage...” (Wolff, [13:20])
5. Offshoring and Worker Displacement
[14:30–16:00]
- The ongoing offshoring trend is examined through the example of GM moving jobs from Ohio to Mexico for drastically lower wages.
- The broader effects of such capitalist policies:
"This is what General Motors saved. They're now going to have workers they pay $3 an hour... What this does is destroy the economy here in the United States and do very little for Mexico.” (Wolff, [15:15])
Feature Segment: Women’s Soccer, Pay Equity, and Societal Change
Introduction to Dr. Harriet Fraad
[16:00–16:51]
Dr. Fraad introduces her work at the intersection of economic, political, and personal life, as well as her podcast "Capitalism Hits Home."
A Historic Moment for Women’s Soccer
[16:51–19:27]
- Dr. Fraad asserts that the USWNT’s visibility marks a transformative moment in the fight for gender equality:
"This is the time for equality. This is the time for talking back. This is the time for women’s equality." (Fraad, [16:52])
- Reading Megan Rapinoe’s stance, Fraad emphasizes the message extends beyond soccer into other social justice movements (race relations, migrant rights):
“You will not silence us. You will not take the smile off our face... We’re here, we’re not leaving.” (Rapinoe via Fraad, [17:30])
- Stark pay disparities outlined:
"The men's team in 2018 got $400 million... women’s winning team got $30 million.” (Fraad, [18:40])
- Corporate involvement (Nike, Procter & Gamble) now signals shifting cultural attitudes as these brands attempt to align with the team’s cause.
The Broader Economic Lens
[19:27–22:30]
- Wolff frames the pay gap as emblematic of capitalism's historic discrimination by gender and race.
- Sports as a unique meritocracy:
“When you're out on the field playing a sport, you have to be good at it... one area where Americans can watch people compete who are qualified... by their own skill.”
- Teamwork is celebrated in sports, contrasting with the often individualistic nature of capitalist society.
Why Now? The #MeToo Context and Shifting Power Dynamics
[22:30–24:06]
- Dr. Fraad highlights the influence of #MeToo and Time’s Up in sparking collective action and empowering those previously without resources:
“2017 was the beginning year of MeToo... Time’s up gives money not only to the people who have the money to sue, but allocates money for everyone, like the 30,000 campesinas who are farm workers...” (Fraad, [22:35])
- U.S. inequality is now more pronounced than in peer nations, creating a sense of urgency and solidarity.
- Political alignment is shifting, with once-radical issues now being mainstreamed by major politicians.
Will the Impact Last? Visibility and Capitalist Adaptation
[24:06–25:52]
- Fraad notes increased, long-overdue coverage of women’s sports in major outlets and a surge in corporate sponsorships.
- However, she cautions that corporations are primarily driven by PR, not genuine commitment.
“I don’t think it’s their deep seated belief, but they are recognizing this.” (Fraad, [25:40])
Confrontation with Political Power and Capitalist Structures
[25:52–28:24]
- The team’s refusal to visit Trump’s White House and their alliance with progressive politicians, such as AOC, underscore the challenge to dominant power structures.
- Fraad identifies how capitalism enforces social hierarchies (white supremacy, patriarchy) as a strategy to maintain control:
“Capitalism pits one group... in order to keep the unity of the working class from emerging against capital.” (Fraad, [26:20])
- Connecting to broader movements (Black Lives Matter, anti-sexual violence), this social moment is about dismantling systems of shame and subordination.
Memorable Quotes & Moments
-
On Distraction in Politics:
“The risk for capitalism today, as it has always been, is that the people... who are not sharing the wealth... may turn their anger on the system unless you distract them.”
— Richard D. Wolff ([02:10]) -
On Women’s Soccer & Social Justice:
“You will not silence us. You will not take the smile off our face... We’re coming, we’re here, we’re not leaving.”
— Megan Rapinoe (quoted by Harriet Fraad, [17:30]) -
On Systemic Inequality:
“A system that allows schools and colleges to negate the whole point of helping people get a loan... that’s a problem we should solve.”
— Richard D. Wolff ([13:35]) -
On Visibility and Change:
“Now, women are covered for the first time in a long time, for the first time, forever, as far as I know, because women are asserting themselves...”
— Harriet Fraad ([24:34]) -
On Capitalist Enforced Subordination:
“You can’t have an oppressive system like capitalism unless you enforce the lines of dominance and subordination in children and adults... That’s what Black Lives Matter is about.”
— Harriet Fraad ([26:12])
Notable Timestamps
- [00:10] – Wolff opens, addresses previous mistake, launches into critique of Trump’s tweets as distraction
- [05:00] – Scandal in France: government elites’ spending and the system’s structural flaws
- [08:40] – Coffee price crash and the link to migration
- [11:20] – Conservative resistance to free tuition, capitalist logic dissected
- [14:30] – GM relocates jobs to Mexico: impact on labor and communities
- [16:10] – Dr. Harriet Fraad joins the program
- [16:52] – Iconic statements from Megan Rapinoe; women’s soccer as a beacon of equality
- [22:30] – #MeToo’s influence and shifts in collective action
- [24:34] – Increased visibility of women’s sports; capitalist response
- [26:12] – The deeper implications for capitalism and social hierarchies
Conclusion
This episode sets the USWNT's achievements within a broader critique of capitalism’s systemic inequalities, showing how moments of sports glory can sharpen and amplify wider demands for justice and equality. Wolff and Fraad use the lens of women's soccer to reveal powerful trends: the breakdown of old social hierarchies, the exposure of ingrained pay discrimination, the possibility of new solidarities, and an intensifying contest between oppressive capitalist logic and emancipatory grassroots movements.
Listeners are left with a hopeful sense that this is not just a sports story, but a turning point in the struggle for economic and social justice in America.