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A budding USWNT star explained women's uphill battle for equality in sports with a brilliantly simple metaphor

Mar 25, 2021, 21:19 IST
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A Harvard graduate and a member of the university's "Board of Overseers," Midge Purce has proven to be as skilled an orator as she is a soccer player.AP Photo/Evan Vucci
  • Midge Purce met with President Joe Biden alongside USWNT teammate Megan Rapinoe on Equal Pay Day.
  • At the White House, the star defender brilliantly explained women's uphill battle for sports equity.
  • Purce - a Harvard graduate - likened the growth of women's sports to cultivating a garden.
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Midge Purce made the most of her time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

From left: Midge Purce, Megan Rapinoe, and President Joe Biden.REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The budding US Women's National Team star met with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden alongside teammate Megan Rapinoe Wednesday afternoon to "mark Equal Pay Day." During their White House visit, the duo spoke about gender inequity in sport and their team's continued fight for fair compensation in front of the first family and fellow USWNT stars who attended virtually.

Purce - a 2017 Harvard graduate and an elected member of the university's esteemed "Board of Overseers" - has proven to be as skilled an orator as she is a soccer player. So when she stepped to the podium in the South Court Auditorium of the White House's Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the 25-year-old delivered a stunning speech about the importance of equal pay for women across society.

Midge Purce plays for the USWNT.AP Photo/John Raoux

She also came up with a brilliant metaphor to underscore the importance of proper investment in women's sports and their athletes, likening the growth of women's sports leagues to cultivating a garden.

"You would never expect a flower to bloom without water," Purce said. "But women in sport who have been denied water, sunlight, and soil are somehow expected to blossom."

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"Invest in women, then let's talk again when you see the return."

Check out Purce's full comments - as well as those from Rapinoe, President Biden, and the First Lady - below:

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