Please watch 6:13-16:05 for the discussion.
One a
hot summer July day in Pasadena, California, women’s sports changed forever in
the United States. Playing in front of a Rose Bowl crowd that numbered well
over 90 thousand strong, the United States Women’s National Soccer team (WSWNT)
defeated China 5-4 on penalty kicks in the Final of the Women’s World Cup. This
game, and the event as a whole, changed the whole reality of women’s sports,
and, specifically, women’s soccer, in the United States.
Eight
years earlier, in China, the first ever Women’s World Cup concluded with the
United States defeating Norway 2-1 in the final. However, this monumental event
carried little knowledge back to the homeland USA. Upon arriving home from
China, the USWNT was met at the airport by all of three supporters. Better than
nothing, but still inadequate for how great the feat they had accomplished.
Even though the men’s side had completed 14 competitions up to this point, ’91 was
the first opportunity for these countries to be represented by their women,
yet, they were awfully underrepresented by their fans. In 1999, the Women’s
World Cup was hosted in the US, and all of that changed.
The
first game was held at Giants Stadium. Being a stadium for the National
Football League New York Giants, the stadium held over 80,000 people. While
some forecasters were worried that the event would be played in mostly empty
stadiums, the crowd for the opening game was a near sell out, with almost
79,000 people in attendance. That number only grew. When the US women beat
Brazil 2-0 in the semifinals, there was a record 2.9 million viewers tuned in
on cable tv, the most watched soccer game of all time in the US, for men or
women. In the final game, 90,185 people were in attendance at the Rose Bowl in
Pasadena, which remains the largest crowd to watch a women’s soccer game, but a
women’s only sporting event… in the world. On top of that, 40 million people tuned in on ABC to watch
the final, which remains the most watched soccer game in US history.
After
the final match, Bill Clinton said: “[this] is the most exciting sports event I’ve
ever seen”, and throughout the event commentators were quoted as saying: “The
best known group of unknown women ever to captivate America”; “What we are
seeing clearly transcends sports”; “one of America’s Greatest teams… ever.” With
so much energy over this event, the fact that it was a women’s sporting event
seemed to disappear, and that changed the landscape for women’s sports moving forward
into the 21st century.
Questions:
Were the 99er’s pioneers, or an anomaly?
“For the next generation, it’s no longer a matter of if, but
when.” – This quote is said in the final minutes of the film. What needs to
happen for the when mentioned above
to be actualized? Do you think that when is now?
How has the 99ers been a popular and real world example to
help bolster equality efforts for women, especially considering acts like Title
IX, which indirectly stipulated equal access to sports?
End note: this documentary is one of my most favorite documentaries ever, so I would indulge everybody to watch the entire thing at some point, but this 10 minute segment should give some good insight to the team and what was happening at the time. And if you want to see the final game, it starts about the 37:20 mark and the PKs end at the 45:30 mark.
I really like what you posted, Brandon, and I'm interested to watch the rest of the documentary after just that segment.
ReplyDeleteI think the 99ers were pioneers, but not solely in gender equality for sports. They did lead a huge following in the late 1990s, especially for being a womens team, but I think they also made leaps and bounds for soccer in the U.S. Today there is little coverage of the national teams, and American support for the sport is pitiful compared to the hype in Europe and most other countries. The 99ers used this handicap of soccer being under-appreciated in the states brilliantly to their advantage. We have already set standards for which sports are interesting to watch, like football, basketball, and hockey, and most of these high-viewer volume sports are dominated by men because we've established culturally that they can do it best. Granted that the physical differences between men and women give men an advantage on most fields, courts, and rinks, but soccer can be a great equalizer because we haven't cemented that men rule out.
On a side note, I think that the womens side is actually more fun to watch. Where I grew up, the stereotype was that mens soccer is full of players taking dives and spend most of the game on their back. Womens soccer, in contrast, the players put their efforts into sending their opponents to the ground.
Americans still get crazy when it comes time for the Olympics, and will go crazy for most any sport regardless of gender. To spur constant national interest we'd need a group of icons for people to like enough to have them follow their progress in-game. The 99ers were this group. And if we saw something like it again, in a sport that isn't decidedly male-dominated (yet), then the same cultural shift would happen. If it didn't stick enough the first time, then the second effort might be enough to prod the public into permanently following a womens sport.
1. The 99er's were not an anomaly nor pioneers. They followed in the footsteps of the 91er's just as teams now follow in the footsteps of the 99er's. In this way, there did not start this movement, nor represent one mere moment but a culmination of other struggles represented in their victory.
ReplyDelete2. The "when" is not a specific moment in time. Just as the 99 team established a great moment in sporting equality, so did the 91 team. In much a similar way, Jackie Robinson did not shatter racism and complete the Civil Rights movement. Rather, he represents a key individual who's struggle served a larger cause and continued the movement on towards future success. In this way the "when" is now; however, the mistake is in assuming that the "when" is one single moment. Rather it is the gradual trend sports are following towards equality.
I do believe that the 99er's were pioneers not because they started a women's movement but in that they popularized the women's movement in sports. Although they were not the first women's team to participate in sports, they became a symbol for gender equality in sports and in the United States. They brought attention to an issue that most Americans did not think about or believed was solved. But that is far from the truth. Gender inequality was and still is a major issue in American society and on a global scale as well. It was certainly not solved through a soccer team, but the realization that women can be strong, athletic, and competitive has the power to change the conversation regarding women.
ReplyDeleteSports provide a way in which woman can prove their worth, but that should not be necessary. There is no reason that women should have to prove themselves in order to be respected. Regardless of their abilities, athletic or not, women should be given equal treatment. While the 99er's popularized this desire for respect, they did not create it. This fight has been the struggle of women for centuries. In addition, the popularity the 99er's provided for gender equality was brief. Once the Olympics ended, their popularity decreased, with it the prevalence of those fighting for gender equality decreased as well. It is essential that the fight for gender equality is never given up. While we can rely on popular sports, movies, or activists to bring attention to the movement it is also up to women and men all over the world to continue to recognize women's rights as an important issue.
1. I do not believe that the 99ers were pioneers or an anomaly because they were not the only proponent of women's soccer at the time, nor did women's soccer maintain its popularity in the sport's world.
ReplyDelete2. For the state of women's soccer to be no longer an if, but when statement it is reliant upon the fans to demand for the sport. Previously, women's soccer leagues have existed in the US, however the monetary support from fans simply isn't strong enough to maintain these leagues. If given time though I believe women's soccer will soon be in demand as a sport for American viewers and spectators.
3. The lasting effect of the 99ers and even the US women's team in 2011 is that women's soccer can be just as exciting as men's. Simply because one team is male and the other is female is no reason to state that one will be more exciting.
1. i don't think the 99ers were pioneers as they didn't start an equality movement, nor were they in the same role that Jackie Robinson was for the black community in sports. And whether they're an anomaly depends on how you look at it. Yes, they're an anomaly because pre and post world cup, there was little support for women's soccer. But they're not an anomaly in the growing trend of women's sports. And that leads to your next question.
ReplyDelete2. In the past couple of decades, and especially recent years, I feel were are seeing a growing emphasis on women's sports. There is a growing sense of importance on young girls being active and participating in school sports and i think this is leading us to the when. As the young girls who are playing sports, and the boys in school with them grow up with this idea of women's sports being just as prevalent as men's it could change the idea that adult women's sports are trivial i.e. jokes about the WNBA.