Men’s vs Women’s Soccer in the United States
Men’s and women’s sports vary in many different ways depending on the sport. In most cases, the women’s side of the sport is less popular in viewers as well as the number of players. Soccer among women has increased dramatically in the past decade and has brought a lot of attention to the sport. The men’s side of sports are usually more popular than the women’s but, in most of the popular sports in todays society, like soccer, the women’s side of the sport has increased in interest recently. For example, there are many major clubs for both men and women in the United States and many opportunities to play this sport starting at any age. As the professional level grows in players, the youth side of the sport grows around the country because they are able to watch players that motivate them. The sport has grown dramatically in the recent years which has caused the professional leagues to become more competitive. The national teams for both genders has increased the viewers and interest to the sport.
The MLS is the major men’s soccer league in the United States and consists of 24 teams from around the country. The league is highly competitive and contains players from all around the world. The 2018 MLS cup brought a historic amount of viewers from around the country. In this match, Atlanta defeated Portland 2–0 which brought around 1.56 million viewers. The league has also constantly been growing since 2004 when a contract was signed to expand from 10 team to 24 teams by 2019. On the female side, the NWSL is the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States. The NWSL only has nine teams around the country but has grown since starting the league in 2013 with only four teams. The league has not only grown in teams but also in viewers. The most recent championship game with the Portland Thorns defeating the North Carolina Courage 1–0 brought an average of 132,000 viewers. This game broke the previous record for the most viewers to watch a NWSL game. Although 132,000 people may seem like a lot, the mens side of the game brings about eleven times this amount to every league game. The differences between the two genders may be different but it has improved in the past decade. The United States Women’s National Team did not begin until 1985 when they played Italy but lost 1–0. When this began, it inspired young girls to become soccer players because they could finally watch a professional team and know that they could one day play professionally. Before this, there were no professional girls soccer which caused many girls to not have an interest in the sport knowing there was no future for them. This inspiration caused growth in the number of players which ultimately lead to the opening of the NWSL. This growth has also lead to many youth leagues and highly competitive college teams around the United States. There has been a drastic improvement between the two sides of the sport but, there is still improvements that needs to be made.
Along with differences between the NWSL and the MLS there are also many differences between the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) and the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT). The USMNT is more respected across the country mostly because the female side of the sport is not as popular and many people think the sport is boring just because girls are playing. The mens side was founded in 1885 which is 100 years before the women’s national team was founded. Even though the Men’s National Team is less successful, the team still gets better recognition around the country. For example, the men’s national team has won zero world cup titles while the women’s team has won three world cup titles. The women have also won four olympic gold medals while the men have won zero. The final of the 2012 Olympics brought 4.350 million viewers when the barely United States beat Japan 2-1. The women’s team has been fighting for equality for many years and recently they filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Foundation. This lawsuit consisted of all 28 players fighting for equal pay because of the discrimination they have faced in the past years. Many of the players feel like second-class compared to the men’s team even though they are more successful than the men. An example of this pay discrimination happened in the recent World Cup. When the Women’s team won the World Cup in 2015 they received two million dollars for winning the tournament while the men lost in the round of 16 but still earned nine million dollars. The winner of the tournament received thirty-five million dollars which is over seventeen times the amount of money the women’s side of the same tournament received. The women’s national team has been fighting and will keep fighting until this unequal situation is under control.
Equality between men in women in sports has become prominent in the United States, especially in soccer. There is a major soccer club for the men and women in the United States and both clubs have grown in size in the recent years. Part of this is because the youth has become more interested in the sport because there are more options now to become involved than there ever have been. The NWSL and the USWNT has helped grow the women’s side of the sport and the MLS and the USMNT has helped boys continue to be interested in the sport. While the size of the sport has grown in the United States, there are still multiple ways the women’s team is discriminated form the men. One big example of this is the pay gap between men and women. This effects almost every professional female soccer player and the problem has also been an important argument to many men soccer players. With the help of the men, the women have made improvements towards fixing these problems and hope to completely fix these problems in the years to come.
-Madisyn Portsche
Sources:
Pucci, Douglas, et al. “Ratings: National Women’s Soccer League Concludes Season on Lifetime on a High Note.” Awful Announcing, 23 Oct. 2017, awfulannouncing.com/ratings/ratings-national-womens-soccer-league-concludes-season-lifetime-high-note.html.
“United States Men’s National Soccer Team.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_men’s_national_soccer_team.
USSoccer. “A History of the U.S. WNT at the Olympic Games.” U.S. Soccer, USSoccer, 6 Aug. 2016, www.ussoccer.com/stories/2016/08/05/19/54/160805-wnt-a-history-of-the-usa-at-the-olympic-games.
