U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
It seems like this month is the perfect time to wear non-stop red, white and blue! America has so much to celebrate right now— its 259th birthday (so many candles), the right to marriage has been legalized for everyone and the U.S. Women’s National Team just won the World Cup! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
It is a big deal and not only for soccer fans that the Women’s Team won the Cup this year. It is the first time they have won since 1999 (huge!) and it has also sparked a discussion about women’s empowerment and sports. For female athletes, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team broke ground for women’s sports when they took home their first World Cup Title in 1991. Although most of the main members of that original team, including Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy, have since retired, there are still a few that remain since the second World Cup win including, Amy Wambach and Christie Rampone. This year’s World Cup win is just as important as the first, and the lack of coverage of it has made it obvious that we still have a long way to go to support professional female athletes.
Many news outlets including, The Atlantic and Cosmopolitan have published articles stating that this year’s World Cup is a feminist issue. I believe that this is true, yet at the same time we must not forget that it is an incredible accomplishment. One cannot help but think that if it was the men’s team that had won, all of social media and television would be bursting with headlines. Instead, I did not come across one post on my Instagram feed about the win, and I barely saw it mentioned in the news.
For aspiring young female athletes, this is not a good thing. Imagine how difficult it must be to be one of the best in your field, and receive almost no recognition for it— whereas men doing the same exact thing garner much more attention and a much larger fan base. We have a long way to go in equally supporting and respecting these talented athletes in the same way which we do others. I believe that this starts with the media changing the conversation. This is a month for equality and celebration, let’s start this new and improved time with a standing ovation for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, and a crisp glass of chardonnay decorated with a red, white and blue Pomchie wine charm!
Stay classy! xx