In June of this year, I wrote a column on why we needed to pay attention to the World Cup. As a person that covers soccer, I think it’s one of the greatest sports. It’s not as popular in the United States as football, but it’s an amazing sport. As a soccer fan and a woman, I think paying attention to this upcoming year’s Women’s World Cup is especially important.
Currently, the top women internationals the world over have teamed up in a gen der discrimination lawsuit against FIFA. They say the decision from FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association to make the Women’s World Cup teams play on artificial turf is unfair. During this past year’s World Cup, the men played on natural grass. The Canadian team said it would not play on a turf field, causing a major issue for FIFA.
This lawsuit demonstrates just one of the ways there is gender inequality in sports.
Why should you pay attention to women’s soccer right now? As we speak, the women are breaking some serious gender walls. They are playing harder than ever and fighting for what is right.
Sure men’s soccer is exciting – I love it just as much – but this year’s U.S. Women’s National Team has a lot going for them. And they just qualified two weeks ago for the World Cup. They have a lot of experience on the team. They have plenty of practice under their belts, seeing as how they have been to the World Cup every four years for the past decade.
They also have players on the team from the last time they won the World Cup in 1999. They’ve placed third or higher in every World Cup since then. They have what it takes to win this year.
