The USWNT (US Women’s National Team) has been one of the world’s most successful women’s soccer teams for the past few decades. They have won four World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, and much more. Time and again, they have shown that they dominate their sport. Along with their success on the field, they have also controversially fought for equal pay in professional soccer. After winning the 2019 World Cup, they believed that they deserved to be paid more than they were. This idea was formulated because the US men’s team was paid more than them, even though they weren’t in the men’s World Cup. Most people in the US were not happy with the political stance the players were taking and called it “un-American.”
Even though the USWNT was not 100% successful with their attempt at achieving equal pay, they caused an uprise in women’s sports. Other countries were watching the US players and considered what they were saying. Countries like Norway, Spain, and England have fought for equal pay in their respective ways, after the spark the US team started. These other countries worked to gain support and become great like the USWNT was, on and off the field.
This spark lit the fire in other sports because the US inspired all girls worldwide to believe they could compete and work at a higher level. Bishop O’Dowd student Issa Bonner-Papazian, 25′ says, “I think that the US women’s team has nationally and internationally inspired teams to work harder by setting the bar and creating high expectations about how women can play, diminishing the gender standard that women cannot be good at sports.” Bonner-Papazian alludes to how the US team motivates people worldwide about women not having to stick to the general idea that they cannot be as good as men at sports.
Bonner-Papazian also talks about how the uprising the USWNT started has affected her club soccer team. “In club soccer,” she says, “it has inspired young girls to believe that it is possible to accomplish their goals within women’s soccer. Girls everywhere try to work even harder than they ever have before.” Her stance is that many girls in the US have changed the way they feel about club soccer. Girls of all ages work as hard as possible because the competition levels have risen. Fifteen-year-olds are making it into the professional leagues, along with many girls making it to the World Cup at a young age. This is only the start of how much harder women can work.
The younger generation has decided it is their time to emphasize that women’s sports are just as important as men’s sports. They have increased their abilities like never before, beginning with soccer. Soccer might be the first sport in this uprising but it won’t be the last. Popular youth women’s sports, especially in the US, will see an increase in competition because of the effect of the USWNT.
Overall, the impact of the USWNT will be a legacy that continues for the foreseeable future. Girls will continue to become more significant than ever before, and continue the impact that the USWNT started. They will try their hardest to match the competition around them and fight for equal pay for women in sports.
