Life could not have gotten any better than it was this past weekend. The red, white and blue fireworks on the Fourth of July were followed by gold, sweat and tears of joy on the fifth.
The USA finished first place in the 2015 Women’s World Cup on Sunday. Our country defeated Japan, 5-2. This was not just a soccer match, though. Something felt different. It felt right – goosebumps, happiness and pride.
It may be the fact that we crushed Japan or the redemption of defeating them after last World Cup’s penalty kick loss. Maybe it has something to do with FIFA’s key figures, which state Sunday’s match as the highest scoring in Women’s World Cup history. Or the hat trick scored by American Carli Lloyd, which was the first ever in Women’s World Cup history. Or maybe even the USA passing Germany as the top-scoring team in Women’s World Cup history, but I think there was another piece to this puzzle.
A piece that is history, as in, gone. A burying of the hatchet, the acceptance and realization of equality. This match was not a soccer game. It was a celebration of progress. A celebration of liberty and justice for all.
The women of USA soccer have been carrying the burden of not just representing our country, but of changing our country. I do not need to get into the details of gender inequalities within sports — we all know the truth. This team, though, has continually proven that gender plays no part in hard work, dedication and competitiveness. I have never watched a passionate performance such as Sunday’s. Not in the NFL, MLB or NBA. And, I obviously was not the only one who noticed this.
A npr.org article highlighted FOX News Network’s statement that the match was the “highest metered market rating ever for a soccer game in the U.S. on a single network.”
The article cited TV Media Insights data that stated 22.86 million Americans viewed the game. This number is compared to the 2014 World Series game seven which attracted 23.5 million viewers.
The article, along with others across the web, also complimented the lack of flop attempts to draw calls. I, for one, highly applaud the women in this regard, especially since they were forced to play on artificial grass. I still have scars from falling on that garbage in high school.
There has never been anything like Sunday night. It was the first of its kind.
Lastly, I must address one more occurrence of the match. And that is Abby Wambach’s postgame kiss with her wife, Sarah Huffman.
The camera panned across as the players ran to the stands. The view stopped on Wambach as Huffman leaned over the railing and hugged her. Then, they kissed. It was a beautiful moment; a moment that summed the match up. Equality changes in our society have found a platform in the past couple of years and Sunday was, in context, a progress report. We stood united as one, with our country’s morals on display, for the world to look up to.
