Women’s sports have always faced a difficult dilemma on how reconcile femininity and the inherent competition and aggression in sports. Soccer is no exception, and the athletics versus aesthetics debate has been a major issue as the sport attempts to grow.
Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA, faced a great deal of criticism (as evidenced by the many Facebook groups with names like “Sepp Blatter is a clown and should be fired”) when he said that women should wear tighter shorts as a way to attract people to the women’s game. And Blatter is not the only one to be criticized on these grounds. Five members of the Germany Women’s Under-20 team recently posed for Playboy, saying that their goal was to promote the upcoming World Cup and overcome stereotypes. Many, though, believed it undermined the sport, and that female soccer players should gain respect and popularity based on their abilities on the field.
This is a valid viewpoint, and in an ideal world, this would be how female athletes would earn the attention and respect they deserve. But this is not an ideal world. So though Mr. Blatter would have saved himself a fair amount of grief by taking a more subtle approach, he has a point. Women’s soccer has made unbelievable strides in the last decade, but it still has a long way to go. If sex appeal, whether that means shorter shorts or something else, gets people interested and watching and attending games, then they should use it. Because like it or not, the German Playboy cover caught people’s attention and increased the visibility, so to speak, of the Women’s World Cup in that country which is the host, and around the world.
That said, by no means should women’s soccer be turned into some sort of roller derby spectacle. Something more tasteful and subtle included in a team’s promotion or a sponsor’s marketing that highlight the player’s femininity as well as athletic ability, would still be effective without being demeaning.
Maybe at some point, women’s soccer will be able to sell itself based on athletics alone. But until that time comes, if it ever does, promoters of women’s soccer are going to have to do whatever it takes to get the job done. As the WPS, the best professional league in the world, struggles for survival, there is no excuse to pass up any acceptable and appropriate opportunity for promotion. If one of these opportunities happens to be using sex to sell the game, then the possible rewards may well be worth the compromise.
Molly Campbell is a Stone Ward intern and soccer player for the University of Notre Dame. Not one to call herself an underdog, Campbell’s story still follows the trajectory of a dark horse. In her youth soccer days, she was a member of the Kansas ODP “B” team, but went on to win a national championship with Notre Dame. Since being converted to a defender, some have gone so far as to relate her to the likes of the legend
Stonewall Jackson and his impenetrable line of defense.
With Dramatic Endings Come Gigantic Ratings
USWNT Forward Abby Wambach scores the tying goal in the World Cup Quarterfinal vs. Brazil
Last year when Landon Donovan scored the game-winning goal to send the United States to the quarterfinals of the 2010 Men’s World Cup,
Landon Donovan of the USMNT celebrates his dramatic "win or go home" goal over Algeria in the 2010 Wold Cup
soccer in the United States had a bigger spotlight than ever before. Videos popped up online documenting celebrations all across the country, and most people understandably thought it would be the biggest goal U.S. soccer would experience for quite some time.
Enter the women of the U.S. National team.
No one could have predicted that Abby Wambach would score an even more dramatic goal just one year later to keep U.S. soccer dreams alive. But she did, and with that goal she kept the U.S. in the World Cup and now with only one game away from their first World Cup trophy since 1999. Just like after Donovan’s goal, fan reaction videos to Wambach’s goal have started surfacing on YouTube. The joy on the players faces, the shot of Head Coach Pia Sundhage hugging a crying Rachel Buehler and the passion
from the fans celebrating at home was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The impending doom as the clock ticked deep into injury time and the Brazilian players stalled, expectations make the victory that much sweeter and causes people to love the character and determination of the team that much more. At a time when most athletes seem to be overpaid and underperforming, this team represents everything Americans love about sports. This team plays for the love of the game, not for the money. They play for and believe in each other. They give everything they have, and has been said over and over, they “never say die.” You couldn’t dream up a better team for America to fall in love with.
In terms of marketing, U.S. soccer could not have asked for a better game than what took place last Sunday against Brazil. The early own goal, the red card, the controversial calls, the Brazilian stalling and faking tactics, and the last second heroics could not have been scripted better for this team of “never-give-up” players, to write the next chapter in American sports lore. The game countered a lot of the criticism that soccer faces for being too slow and boring; it’s hard to believe that anyone could still win that argument after watching Sunday’s game. It was the 3rd most watched women’s soccer game of all-time in the U.S. and the fourth most watched game was the France semifinal on Wednesday. The only question regarding ratings go, is could the 2011 World Cup Final beat the 1999 as the all-time watched women’s soccer match.
The other interesting storyline for soccer in America, is that the Brazil game and the U.S.A.’s ongoing march toward the trophy may have given the WPS a lifeline. If the U.S. had made their earliest exit ever from the tournament, there would be almost no hope that a professional league would stand a chance. But if the U.S. uses their momentum and continues to have the same kinds of performances as they did on Sunday, then the WPS should get a huge boost in attendance, coverage, and media attention. If the U.S. players can return to their respective teams as champions, they will surely have won over a fair number of people who jumped on the bandwagon during the World Cup. They should be able to improve sponsorship as well, since there are few, if any, teams or athletes that have had such incredible underdog performances. The only problem the WPS will have to deal with is the Brazilians. Although things would have been worse had the Brazilians won, it will be interesting to see how fans react to them after the tactics they employed. All I know is that if I were a Brazilian, I would lay low in the WPS for a while. And avoid any and all diving.
It’s hard to believe that a U.S. soccer team could have as big of an impact as the 1999 team had. But if it is possible, this is the chance. They have the same grit and determination that that team had, as well as much of the same “girl next door” appeal. There is only one player still on the roster from that ’99 team that brought home the trophy and marketing gold with their star power. And it appears that U.S. Soccer may have may have struck gold with this team. We’ll find out Sunday whether this team really can go all the way and if we do, I think the soccer marketers in America will be partying like it was 1999.
This post was written by Molly Campbell, Stone Ward intern and defender on the University of Notre Dame Women’s Soccer Team.