Women's World Cup is Almost Here

Some of the toughest women I've ever met were soccer players. When I was in college I had the privilege of covering the Florida Gators' women's soccer team for a semester and those chicks were tough. At their practices I'd see them take each other out, spit like men, and run until their lungs burned. I'd hear some of them get angry at other girls and calling their opponents "bitches." Ever since those days, I became a big women's sports fan. I get made fun of for this, but when there's a big women's sporting event, I am as interested as I would be for most men's games.

Which brings me to the Women's World Cup. I have many sports images tattooed in my memory, but very few of them relate to women's sports. I can recall Theresa Witherspoon hitting a halfcourt shot against the Houston Comets in the WNBA Finals (it's true), I can remember Gail Devers running like crazy in the hurdles events at the Olympics, and of course, I remember watching Kerri Strug landing on a sprained ankle to win gold for the United States. But when I think of women's sports, I think of Brandi Chastain taking off her shirt and dropping to her knees in complete euphoria after scoring the game-winning penalty shot against China. That's it, that's the image for women's sports, and it's a great one.

One of the best outcomes of the game was that women's sports had truly arrived on the scene. I remember feeling the energy of a completely packed Rose Bowl audience through a television. Women's sports arrived at that moment when the United States was the best at the world's most popular sport because of its women athletes. It should matter to all men too, because I hope that my daughter (if I should ever be blessed with a daughter) plays sports and that there are many opportunities available to her as a girl, teenager, and woman.

Surprisingly, the United States hasn't won the World Cup since Chastain stripped down to her sports bra. Only two World Cups have passed by since then, but 1999 sure seems like a long time ago. This is especially true considering that the U.S. women's team has been the "Brazil" of women's soccer. In between 1999 and 2011, they've won two Olympic gold medals and a silver medal in 2000. Luckily, the rest of the world has gotten better, and the "immortal" American soccer women have long since retired, I'm talking about Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Kristine Lilly, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Tiffeny Milbrett, and Chastain. Since then, they've given way to more incredible players like Abby Wambach (a Gator alum), Heather O'Reilly, Stephanie Cox, and Shannon Boxx.

The newer wave of players has been successful, but only Captain Christine Rampone has won a World Cup. I'm hoping that this group can again take the United States to the top of the sport. I'll be watching because unlike back in 1999, there are so many other countries that have invested in their women's sports, particularly in soccer, and every game is now a tough matchup for the U.S. I'm excited to see how this year plays out, and hopefully Wambach and almost all of her teammates can win their first World Cup. Hopefully the rest of the United States and the world will be watching too.