Why is there a divide in the United States between the Men and Women?
Welcome to blog post #1 of Kicked in the Grass and I am going to start into one of the most controversial topics in soccer here in the United States. The divide between the men’s and women’s teams.
The year is 2017. I remember sitting and watching as Trinidad & Tobago defeated the USMNT and eliminated them from World Cup Qualification. All I could do was stare at the TV in shock. Fast forward to July 15, 2018 as France beat Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup Final. It was bittersweet as I watched that World Cup without the USMNT thinking how we failed and where do we go from here. But honestly, is there somewhere we can go?
Today, its 2019 and I write this a day after the USWNT qualified first out of their group at the World Cup. Anyone who watched their first three games saw one clear thing. Dominance. USA outscored their three opponents 18-0. Their scoring was so diversified that anyone looking at them cannot lock down one attacking player in hopes of shutting down their scoring. The USWNT is the defending World Cup Champions and have made the last two finals. Anyone else see the glaring disparity?
This is just a short synopsis of a glaring divide in the game of soccer, specifically in the United States. As a microcosm, it shows the divide between men and women as a whole. The year is 2019 and we are still seeing a clear divide that over 100 years ago was fought to be closed. Yes, June 4th, 1919 almost 100 years to the day when Congress passed the 19th Amendment, you know the one that gave women the right to vote. Yet today, June 21, 2019, we have a divide on whether the men’s and women’s soccer team should be paid the same.
I know just by writing that paragraph alone people will come back with one of the following: the men’s team faces harder competition, the women’s game is not as developed, it’s just a different game… etc, etc, etc, and with probably more crap than you can imagine. I continuously ask one simple question, why? Why do we have this disparity?
The sad part, is that it is not just in the National Teams that the disparity is shown. I coach, both men and women, and in the leagues I am in there are glaring holes. Despite a high level of play in both genders, the leagues are greatly differing. I have seen men’s leagues have a high intensity and energy, and typically better officiating. In the women’s game, I have seen sub-par playing standards, officials who do not really care, and even some coaches who appear to be there just for a paycheck. Now this is probably not all encompassing, but it is something I have witnessed first hand.
How can we as a country, who has always been on the forefront of everything, be so behind on this?
I am sure we can all agree that our men’s team still has development to do in order to compete for a World Cup title, but I believe that we are starting to do that in the youth game. I am sure we can also agree that our women’s team has been light years ahead of other countries because of the development of our players. But there is more to do, as a whole country, for the sport of soccer.
Now, here is an interesting thing. As I said not long ago, the USA has been a leader in most things in the world. In the Women’s game, other countries are looking for us as to what to do and how to shape the game. Is anyone surprised that other countries do not have the funding or support when we do not even pay our Women equal to our Men?
The hole is glaring and needs to be filled. The women have more than earned their fair share in the beautiful game. We need to step up and do the right thing. When we do, the world will recognize and do the same. I may be naive but I have faith in the human race and this is the right thing to do. This is where we can go. That is the next step to developing the sport in the United States. If we want to see success on the men’s side, we must utilize our greatest successes in the sport of soccer. Our Women.
Be on the look for more about this topic as I will continue to delve in this large disparity. I, for one, will step up and continue to try and provide equal opportunities for all through the beautiful game.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
— Nelson Mandela.
Kicked in the Grass 