If you follow me on Instagram, then you know we’re in the middle of the 2019 Women’s World Cup. (@your_gal_pal_al -- follow me :-P). I’m crazy about it, some may even say obsessed. I won’t claim I know everything there is to know about the game of soccer, but I will confirm that I know more about this particular team than you do. I started playing soccer when I was four years old. I played select soccer while also playing for my middle and high school teams. I knew early on I wasn’t cut out for college soccer -- no regrets. Actually there are a lot so maybe I’ll write another post about how that’s affected me.  I’ve built a strange yet strong plethora of knowledge about this squad since early June. I follow all 23 players on Instagram and Twitter. I’ve watched every USWNT video on YouTube, I know each player’s position, club team, hometown, college, and cheat day meals. However, I’ll admit that I wasn’t as fascinated with the 2015 Women’s World Cup team as I am this one, and I’m sure you’d agree. The 2015ers were fighting their fight and playing (and winning) their game, but this year’s squad along with every player in this tournament have changed the way that women’s sports is received in the world. This World Cup has more attention than any before for a few reasons: We’re (I’m on the team) defending champions, the players have propelled themselves onto a platform unlike ever before, and our country is in a much different place than we were four years ago.

I bet if you stop right now and try and name players from the men’s national team and the women’s national team, you could name more from the women’s team. If I’m wrong, good for you! I’m genuinely impressed. I’m not bashing the men’s team here -- that’s not my point. I hope our men’s soccer team continues to grow and become more popular, and I think it’s fair for me to expect them to use their platform to stand up for good, too. You could just know more about the women’s team right now because the World Cup is going on, and that’s fair. However, isn’t it telling of this particular team, (and every female footballer), that their hard work and performance on and off the field has led to a professional women’s sports team that has garnered this much attention?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (no shame -- must be nice under there), you know this country has changed over the past two years. I’m not going to dive deep into politics here, but I’ll do my best to briefly breakdown how the Gals have used their platform to demand equal pay and gender equality and the straight-up tension with the current administration. I encourage you to read up on all of those topics further, because I feel it’s important. The pay gap is truly insane and sports fans should know about it. 

Here’s a brief low-down on some of those topics:

• Megan Rapinoe (God save the Queen) has beef with the president. She says she’s not going to the f*cking White House, the prez tweets at her in response. Sue Bird (three-time WNBA champion, and half of the sports power-couple that is Sue and Megan (love ‘em)) wrote about it.

• The Gals filed a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer right before they left for the World Cup!!! Imagine preparing to leave for the biggest tournament of your entire life (you’ve literally been working towards this since you were five years old) and you sue your employer (aka the people you’re playing for) because you’re not getting paid enough. Oh, and now you’re crushing your opponents and heading to the finals. To win the whole thing. That you won’t get paid enough for. Ballsy!

• Heading into the semi-finals, the women’s team has earned $90,000 in bonuses, according to The Guardian. Which is six times less than the amount the men’s team would’ve earned in the same position. Which they were not in. Because they didn’t qualify to play. Again, no offense to the dudes, but like c’mon. The amount isn’t the issue here, it’s the fact that these women work just as hard (harder) and are more (MORE) successful all while getting paid significantly less than others. 

• USWNT viewership is up nearly 50 percent more than the 2018 men’s World Cup, according to FOX Sports. 

• According to Nike CEO Mark Parker, the USA women’s home jersey is the number one soccer jersey, men’s or women’s, ever sold in one season. 

• The revenue generated from 2016-2018 by the USMNT was $49.9 million. The USWNT generated $50.8 million in the same time frame, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Female athletes (and a few male athletes and celebrities -- although late to the game, they do deserve some credit) have been hard at work creating a culture of women’s sports that is powerful, engaging, exciting, and fun to be a part of. This gives young girls, hell, even 24-year-old girls like me, someone to look up to -- women who are working hard, playing hard, and living their truths. It’s more than the USWNT, than soccer, than sports. This is about women getting the long overdue recognition they deserve for being boss-ass bitches and about making the world a more inclusive and a more fun place for women, men, and everyone else.

Do yourself a favor and join the fun. Learn about the sport and the players. The Gals are in the finals (a BFD), and they’ll be playing the Netherlands on Sunday at 10 AM central. 

OOSA OOSA