Elizabeth Mitchell of the New York Daily News has written a comprehensive and damning indictment of FIFA and US Soccer’s treatment of the US Women’s National Team. It’s such a good read I thought I should post it here. Do yourself a favor and spend some time on this, but be prepared to get angry (if you weren’t already).
Some choice quotes.
Of the $1 billion FIFA doles out in development money every year, only $13 million is earmarked for women’s football.
…as Fox Sports’ Nathanson pointed out, the WNT’s commercial appeal is a no-brainer. “There are certain sports, events and opportunities that don’t require a lot of selling to an advertiser,” he says. “You don’t have to explain to an advertiser the value of the NFL; they get it. It’s going to deliver audiences. There are extremely few opportunities for any advertiser to be associated with and wrap themselves around the American flag. The U.S. national team for both men’s and women’s soccer allows them to do that with an audience that is extremely young and desirable.”
Women are told their games don’t draw television viewers compared to the men, yet 26.7 million Americans tuned in to last summer’s World Cup final, a record number to watch a soccer game — any soccer game — in this country.
- Episode 35: The End of Chaos - May 7, 2021
- Episode 34: So Now What? - April 4, 2021
- Episode 33: Brave New World - January 11, 2021
