The tug of war lasted six years and not only occupied state bodies and courts.
It cost the job of an association president and a lot of nerves for all those who plagued themselves with the question of whether they shouldn't just give up their fight.
The American national soccer players were all the more relieved on Tuesday when they and US Soccer were able to announce that they had settled their dispute with an out-of-court settlement.
The result: instead of the originally demanded $66.7 million in damages for years of poorer pay compared to the men's team, the women still receive $24 million.
At the same time, the agreement sends a signal for a new self-image in professional team sports: that equality does not just exist as a phrase on paper, but also has consequences in everyday life and can ensure equal treatment.
Not only team captain Megan Rapinoe, who was one of the driving forces from the start, was satisfied with what had been achieved.
She dedicated the negotiation result to all those women who had fought for the same goal since the beginning of the era of professional sports and had also achieved it in an individual sport like tennis.
This was "a wonderful day," said the two-time world champion (2015 and 2019) and Olympic champion from 2012. Association President Cindy Parlow Cone sees the amicable settlement as a step to "correct the many mistakes of the past".
US President Joe Biden, who had declared his solidarity with the players a while ago, called the development on Twitter an "overdue victory" for women.
However, it is only a first step, which initially officially ends the long-standing legal dispute in which the players suffered defeat in the first instance in April 2020 when the judge dismissed their claim.
The footballers had appealed the decision.
The arrangement will only be implemented if the next phase of the negotiations leads to an amicable conclusion.
This affects the new collective agreement, which for the first time includes the members of the men's national team in all calculations.
The reason: it generates a significant part of its income with bonus payments that the world association FIFA guarantees to the participants in the World Cup finals.
The team brought home nine million dollars, even though they were eliminated in the round of 16 in Brazil 2014.
The women, who became world champions again in France in 2019, were only rewarded with four million dollars by FIFA.
The unequal treatment at international level is now to be abolished within US Soccer, although the representatives of the men's selection must give their consent.
It is important that "we move forward," said association president Parlow Cone in view of the upcoming talks.
"And that we move forward together."
Incidentally, the compensation paid to women contains a special feature.
While the majority of the sum is to be paid directly to the active players, two million dollars will go to a special fund that will provide financial support to the players after their careers and also promote women's soccer in the United States.