At the end of the day, all of the pearl-clutching and cries of “they’re too arrogant” and “unsportsmanlike celebrations” were just noise. In fact, that noise probably added to interest, debate, ratings and stanning of the USWNT, the American women’s soccer team. They played their final against The Netherlands on Sunday and they WON. Meghan “I’m Not Going to the F–king White House” Rapinoe scored the first goal – on a penalty kick – of the match, then Rose Lavelle landed a sweet second goal just a short time later in the second half. This is the USWNT’s fourth World Cup championship in eight total Women’s World Cups. It’s historic. Here are the highlights:
After the win, the crowd in Lyon started chanting “Equal Pay! Equal Pay!” as the FIFA president and representatives walked through. This World Cup win is tied to that now, and that’s the way the USWNT wanted it – they set themselves up for enormous pressure not just to deliver the championship for their country, but they HAD to deliver the World Cup, plus ratings, plus ticket sales, plus social media movement plus the national energy, all just to “prove” that they deserve to be paid the same as the men by US Soccer (and ultimately FIFA as well). The fact that they pulled off this multi-pronged hat trick is insane. All of these women are utter ballers.
Also: Megan Rapinoe won the Golden Boot. And she quoted Nipsey Hussle on her Instagram. So baller. And Nike released this commercial which made me cry.
Some reactions to the win.
Yes! Fourth star. Back to back. Congrats to the record breakers on the @USWNT, an incredible team that’s always pushing themselves—and the rest of us—to be even better. Love this team. #OneNationOneTeam
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 7, 2019
Rapinoe's World Cup has to be up there with the greatest all-time talk-and-back-it-up performances in sports history. Tangle with a President and win World Cup and MVP? A socially conscious athlete pilloried for patriotism? No one will *ever* be Ali, but there's Ali in Rapinoe.
— Jason Gay (@jasongay) July 7, 2019
Lol jokes on Megan Rapinoe cause she actually has to go to the White House cause now she’s our president
— Jonah Hermann (@JonahHermann) July 7, 2019
BIG TIME. #USAvNED | #OneNationOneTeam pic.twitter.com/yrmdlVsGyP
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 7, 2019
Best picture from today’s celebration, hands down. I’m not crying, you’re crying. #USWNT pic.twitter.com/eyyDyvNEAK
— Allison Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@allibecc) July 7, 2019
America’s beloved daughter. #USAvNED pic.twitter.com/oHCyy8Gbpn
— Layla. (@32lllv) July 7, 2019
One Nation.
One mood. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/sL5BE1AfDv
— ESPN (@espn) July 7, 2019
We already discussed this. Science is science. Gays rule. @Ashlyn_Harris @alikrieger https://t.co/Q80L65O0OZ
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) July 7, 2019
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, social media.
Congrats, USA!
Now: can’t wait to beat you in the next round of Wimbledon 😉
Love, Australia
…whoops, spoke too soon!
1. Carli Lloyd from New Jersey just finished a Babe Ruth level career.
2. Meghan Rapinoe is the current Greatest American.
3. Confetti angels are the best thing ever.
4. We’re having a ticker tape parade down Broadway in the Canyon of Heroes Wednesday morning 930 AM. Everybody is invited!
I want to go!! 🙂
I love it! And also love the salty MAGAt tears about Meghan. bwah ha ha! But seriously, she and all the ladies did. that.
Now equality in pay!
After this win I couldn’t help but play “Backin’ it up” by Pardison Fontaine and Cardi B:
🎶 Back, Back, Backin’ it up! I’m the queen of talkin’ sh@t but I be backin’ it up!🎶 😂
Rapinoe is the best ever!!!!!
I like the comparison of Megan to Muhammad Ali. Now they need to be paid as much as the men. Equality now!
Yes, I liked that tweet too. As for equal pay, we’ll see I guess. I was at a graduation party and everyone was seriously buzzing about the championship. This one woman breezed in and said something like how she didn’t want to be controversial but that it just wasn’t good business sense to give the women equal pay considering how much less revenue the women bring in compared to the men. It was controversial, lol, and generated a lot of discussion but I found it depressing. One guy (the “good business” lady’s husband) was saying how now finally, women’s soccer in the U.S. will be legit. Did people say the same thing years ago during the Mia Hamm era?
That’s so obnoxious, because IMO, if business lady knew business sense so well, she’d understand that any team paid less wouldn’t be given equal opportunity or promotion because there’s less invested in it.
If they were paid equally, they would likely be treated and promoted equally because there would be as much investment in them.
I’m NOT a business lady, so I could be wrong but this argument for equal pay makes sense to me.
Why would people want to watch the US men’s soccer anyway when the women’s track record is soooo much better?
” considering how much less revenue the women bring in compared to the men.”
Little Miss “Good Business” needs to read before she speaks.
“U.S. women’s soccer games have generated more revenue than U.S. men’s games over the past three years.
That’s according to audited financial statements from the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) obtained by The Wall Street Journal. In 2016, women’s games generated $1.9 million more in revenue than men’s games. From 2016 to 2018, women’s games generated approximately $50.8 million in revenue, compared with $49.9 million for men’s games.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/us-womens-soccer-games-now-generate-more-revenue-than-mens.html
So annoying to see men on twitter talk about how the women shouldn’t get paid equal to men because they don’t face the same level of competition. First it was the revenue. Now the women make more than the men, it’s the “competition.” Boils my blood.
So so so happy to see the women win it all! And stick it to their faces.
Just enter baby-crying comments since that’s what these little boys are doing.
A well-deserved win!! Loved the warmth showed to Megan and the team by Macron, who knows their own president will never congratulate them sincerely. Props also to the Netherlands team, who just about gave us all a heart attack with their staunch defense throughout–they have an incredibly talented goalie.
This team and the hurdles they face are such a perfect microcosm of women’s experiences. Be the best, but please be humble. Be aggressively competitive, but do it nicely. Be expected to do more, but for far less. Have confidence to lead a team, do not have confidence in your opinions. Be beautiful, but not sexy, who would take you seriously if you were sexy, except the president of the league said more people would watch you if you wore shorter and tighter shorts. Be everything, and do it for nothing.
Couldn’t have said this better myself. 👏
Not even joking, this would be an amazing t-shirt. i’d wear the crap out of it.
This is glorious!
I am so disappointed in myself. Since all the other games were on at 2pm my time I assumed this game would be as well. I would have liked to have seen it, but then I got the alert that we won.
I am so proud of not only the US team but all the other women who came together to make a great world cup. Especially Marta! Although she doesn’t spell it the same, I am proud to share a name with Megan Rapinoe!
I’m so proud of these ladies, they were amazing to watch. And I’m so sick of people talking about their arrogance, word to the Dutch women who complained about the USA’s arrogance several times on the pre-game interviews…next time worry about your level of play and quit whining about the confidence of other strong women and you might come out ahead. It’s a damn shame that women can’t be good at sports without being insulted for it…but other women, no less.
I have a crush on her.
We watched the match on the halo screen before the MLS match. People went bonkers when they won. So much fun. I’m so proud of these women. All the noise and they stayed focus. As USWNT twitter posted…they talked the talk and walked the walk. Well done, Ladies!
YAY!!!! I was so pumped yesterday. And that nike commercial made me cry too.
There were twitter videos of Alex Morgan in the locker room afterwards and they were cracking me up. She was, um, happy. LOL.
Friend of my husband’s is in Lyon and staying at the same hotel as the team and had video of them coming back through the lobby, and the screams from the fans were amazing and you could tell how proud and emotional the women were.
Did anyone see the Fox News segment about the game??
I live in a college town and even though it’s summer, most of the bars had viewing parties for the game. I watched from home with my daughter, but a friend of mine went uptown and she said the bars were fairly packed, mainly with guys, and the guys were cheering and hollering like it was the Super Bowl. Good to hear that. Hope U.S. Soccer hears it too and gives these warriors equal pay.
So proud of these women! This is the stuff that makes me proud to be an American.
America is great again because of its kick ass women’s soccer team. How about along with visiting the house of Representatives, they also visit Obama, the last legitimate president of the United States?
I am gonna have to look up who does those Nike ads. Just damn good work. I cried. Just beautiful.
Now let’s make sure there women are paid what they are worth. The fact that this a conversation and the fact the men have not been to a final since 1930 just..does not surprise me.
I wonder if there is a German word for knowing in the moment that history is being made. That’s what yesterday felt like. Not that everything will be perfect tomorrow but a real sea change was witnessed by millions of people.
Queens!!!!
I Feel it! It’s in the air. History is being made. And it started November 8, 2016. They went too far and Women roared and said “no more”. We are not only winning at soccer, we are winning at #metoo, we will vanquish Weinstein, Cosby, now Epstein. We have heard the battle cry. ERA will pass. We will get Equal Pay! We will have a woman in the White House. We will win! I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!
Not really a surprise. That’s the issue with this sport, it should be more competitive.
Great match with a well deserved win by the American Ladies. I think it was an equal win-lose for both sides. The Americans are the undisputed champions of the world but have to return to a country that doesn’t value them “women”, and the Dutch lost but got to return to a pretty chill country that is not ruled by a homicidal wotsit! Pros and cons all round