The American Woman's Soccer Team won the World Cup. Big Whoop. I'm sick of hearing about it. I've never been much of a sports fan and even less a soccer fan. But there are several other reasons that I'm less than thrilled about the team.
They got off to a bad start by showing poor sportsmanship (shortspersonship?). They were always the favorite team. They made a big show of celebrating each score against a team that never stood a chance against them.
Then there's the politics. Star player Megan Rapinoe made a show of not standing for the national anthem and saying ahead of time that she'd never accept an invitation to the White House from President Trump. This isn't a regular pro team playing in an American league. She's a member of a team representing the USA but her actions show that she does not represent all Americans. She doubled down on this in a post-win interview when she said that she'd be willing to meet with Nancy Pelosi, AOC and anyone else who she agrees with. But she won't meet with any politicians she disagrees with. Again, she's supposed to be on a team representing all Americans. And she's a soccer player, not an elected official.
And, finally, there's the pay issue. The team's been very vocal about wanting pay equity with the men's team. But the issue is a LOT more complicated than they are making it out to be. In the World's Cup, the men's tournament makes a lot more money than the women's does. Both teams are paid a proportion of the earnings. The women get a bigger share of a smaller pot. In the US, the woman's team's pay is figured very differently. They are on a salary with benefits. The men are only paid when they play and have to pay their own benefits.
When a team representing the USA wins a championship then it should be a cause for a national celebration. This isn't. It's become multiple reasons to browbeat the country instead of uniting it.
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