Goal Power

Sporting News, The, July 19, 1999 by Ed Guzman

Sellout crowds. Beatle-esque receptions wherever they go. Matches that piqued the interest of even the Commander in Chief. Yes, it is quite easy to say the United States women's soccer team has provided a stirring lift to the game in this country and to women's athletics in general, which made the team's journey through this year's Women's World Cup all the more remarkable.

Going in to the event on its home turf, not only did the team have immensely high expectations, it was burdened with the pressure of making a major women's sporting event work.

Mission accomplished. The U.S. team, a social phenomenon that has been labeled on par with 1960s Beatlemania by World Cup organizers, drew an average of more than 68,000 fans for its six matches, including the 90,000-plus--the most to watch a women's sporting event in this country--who crammed the Rose Bowl last Saturday for the U.S.'s dramatic victory against China.

Even in games not involving the U.S., the World Cup drew an average of 22,000 per match--numbers most Major League Soccer franchises would kill for. In short, the U.S. team has built on its Olympic high of three years ago and increased it tenfold, doing more for women's sports in terms of turnstile counts and media coverage than any event preceding it.

Even President Clinton attended Saturday's final, something he didn't do for the Men's World Cup final in 1994, sending Vice President Al Gore in his place.

Whether this will last after the novelty has worn off is another question. After all, there were some who thought this country was ready for a soccer league in the afterglow of the Men's World Cup five years ago. Four indifferent seasons later, MIS hasn't exactly caught on. But the aftereffects of this tournament indicate something different. Not necessarily a women's professional league, but at least a step in the right direction.

It will take some time, but it took 27 years of living with Title IX legislation to get to this point. With more than 8 million girls playing soccer in this country, the future looks bright for the next generation of female athletes.