A
key moment for women's soccer happened at the
Pasadena Rose Bowl in California. At the end of the World
Cup final, Brandi Chastain
kicked the ball from the
penalty spot past China's
goalkeeper to win the
match for the US.
She
knelt down,
took off her shirt
to
reveal her Nike-sponsored sports
bra, and
waved the shirt over her head. The US had won -
on
home territory.
America loved it. Women's soccer had arrived. It was
exciting and
successful. In just three weeks it moved from an
unknown minority sport to being the main topic of
conversation. More than 40 million
viewers watched the game on TV. The
crowd at the Rose Bowl was over 90,000, the largest
ever at a women's sporting event. The players appeared on TV
shows.
The president's wife, Hillary Clinton, sent them her good
wishes. Victory
parades took place in Disneyland and New York. A
picture of Brandi waving her shirt appeared on the cover of
Sports Illustrated.
All the teams had
captured the public imagination, ‘not only by their
playing but by their
behaviour,’ says Jerry Goldman, a US commentator.
‘They didn't argue, they
didn't abuse
anyone. They were always
gracious.’
But what most Americans forgot is that this is the second
time the US has won the women's World Cup. The first time
was in 1991 in China. That year the press did not mention it.
No-one came
to
greet the winning team at the airport when they
returned home. In fact one player
nearly wasn't
allowed to go by her University professor.
Let’s hope things will be different now.