Just for the record: Hooray, the American women’s soccer
team won the World Cup on July 5, beating Japan 5-2.
I’m not a soccer fan, but I’m happy to cheer for a U. S.
victory.
This event isn’t completely cheer-worthy.
For one thing, the world soccer organization (FIFA) will pay
the winning women's team $2 million. In the men’s tournament, the winning team
got $35 million.
For another thing, our National Women’s Soccer League,
America’s top-tier soccer group for women, sets a minimum salary of $6,842 for
its players—in other words, for women, nationally-ranked soccer has to be a
hobby. Male players tend to start at about $60,000.
And here’s a little historical footnote: the first recorded
women's soccer game was played in Glasgow by Scottish and English teams on May
9, 1881. Press coverage was disdainful and the women were chased off the field
by male spectators in a game-ending display of disgracefully rowdy boorishness.
Wondering what that game was like? The players covered every
part of the bodies except their hands and faces, tucking their hair under scarves and wearing
jerseys, stockings, knickerbockers and boots with heels.
One reporter wrote: "The game, judged from a player's
point of view, was a failure, but some of the individual members of the teams
showed that they had a fair idea of the game."
Some men today still need to do some work on having a fair idea of
the game.
Copyright © Richard Carl Subber 2015 All rights reserved.
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