The Social Impact of the 2019 Women’s World Cup
Many consider the 2019 Women’s World Cup the seminal event for women’s soccer. The tournament was the eighth FIFA Women’s World Cup contested by 24 women’s national teams.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, said: “The FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 was an unprecedented success, breaking numerous records on and off the pitch.”
2019 Women’s World Cup Highlights
Many moments on the pitch are etched in the minds of the soccer universe.
- France hosted the 2019 WWC; it was the first time the country hosted a tournament.
- The USWNT defeated the Netherlands 2-0 winning back-to-back World Cups (Canada 2015, France 2019).
- The victory marked the fourth World Cup title for the USWNT.
- In their first match against Thailand, the USWNT won 13-0, scoring more goals in one game than the men’s team scored in every World Cup since 2006 combined.
- USWNT manager Jill Ellis became the first coach to win the Women’s World Cup twice.
- U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe earned the Golden Ball (top player) and Golden Boot (top goal scorer) honors.
- Jamaica, Chile, South Africa, and Scotland made their first World Cup appearances.
- More than 1.12 billion people viewed the 2019 Women’s World Cup globally.
The Social Impact of the 2019 World Cup
The significance of the 2019 WWC is more than the accomplishments on the field. With a wide-reaching viewer audience, the USWNT pushed to the forefront the social issues of discrimination, police brutality, pay equity, and LGBTQ rights.
Megan Rapinoe led the charge. In 2016, Rapinoe began kneeling during the national anthem to protest against police brutality in the United States, “I have chosen to kneel because, in the words of Emma Lazarus, ‘Until we are all free, [none of us] are free.'” After the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) required its athletes to stand, Rapinoe continued her protest by listening to the anthem without singing and placing her hand on her heart.
The social issue of equal pay was centerstage throughout the tournament. Before the World Cup, 28 USWNT players filed a lawsuit suing the United States Soccer Federation for gender discrimination. The USWNT filed the suit on March 8 (International Women’s Day), alleging discrimination against the women’s team on various issues, including the wage gap, medical benefits, travel, and training conditions.
USWNT spokeswoman Molly Levinson stated the USSF violated the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, “Even as the most decorated American soccer team in history, USSF treats the women’s team as `less-than’ equal compared to their male colleagues.”
U.S. fans in France showed their support for the fight by chanting “equal pay” during matches. The chant was even louder when FIFA president Gianni Infantino congratulated the USWNT on the field following the final.
The USWNT achieved the ultimate victory when the team settled its class-action equal pay lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for $24 million. The victory is a lesson for all players: hard work, dogged determination, and patience eventually lead to success.
As South Africa captain Janine Van Wyk summed up the significance of the Cup by tweeting, “Sometimes it’s not about winning, to be seen or spoken about, sometimes it is about showing your worth & what value bring to the game.”
Featured image via Getty Images
_
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS
Girls Soccer Network
Your source for girls soccer news
