U.S. Women’s National Team soccer players protested unequal pay at a Wednesday match by turning their jerseys inside out to obscure the logo of U.S. Soccer, currently embroiled in a discrimination lawsuit with the team.
The players reversed their shirts after the national anthem, wearing them right side out for the remainder of the match against Japan, BuzzFeed reported. While the jerseys were inside out, the only visible part of the logo was the four stars representing each of the team’s World Cup victories.
The protest, one of the first public demonstrations by the team, comes days after court filings revealed the soccer federation has argued that the team’s male counterparts are entitled to more money because they have “more responsibility” and their job “requires a higher level of skill.”
Several of U.S. Soccer’s corporate sponsors slammed the federation’s claims, with Coca-Cola telling BuzzFeed in a statement: “We are extremely disappointed with the unacceptable and offensive comments made by U.S. Soccer. We have asked to meet with them immediately to express our concerns.”
“Well let it be known how they really feel about us,” backup goalie Ashlyn Harris tweeted in response to the remarks. “But here we are still showing up and changing the conversation and the culture of this country.”
The case is set to go to trial May 5.