This summer, headlines have often focused on off-field issues surrounding the United States women's soccer team.
U.S. women's soccer team inspires
World Cup victors lead on and off the field.
July 8, 2019 at 10:29PM
But the squad's 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in Sunday's Women's World Cup final was itself a final, emphatic confirmation that those controversies should not obscure the team's on-field excellence.
Throughout the quadrennial competition the U.S. squad outscored its opponents 26-3 and established itself as not only the best tournament team but among the best collection of athletes in any sport.
And the athletes did indeed win as a group, with key contributions from several players. But chief among them was Megan Rapinoe, who won the "Golden Boot Award" as the World Cup's top scorer and the "Golden Ball Award" as the competition's best player.
Rapinoe, whose controversial comments regarding rejecting a potential White House invitation reflected America's polarized politics (and drew the Twitter ire of President Donald Trump), was a unifying figure on the soccer pitch, and looks to be off it, too, with her and her teammates' pitch to secure treatment, including pay, equal to their male counterparts.
Given the team's success in French stadiums and U.S. living rooms (overall TV ratings set records, and the final-game ratings were 20% higher than the Men's World Cup final between France and Croatia last year), that case should be closed, in favor of the now back-to-back World Cup champions.
During the tournament Rapinoe also advocated for inclusivity, including LGBT rights, and was unabashed about celebrating her team's success, joining several teammates in on-field scoring celebrations that also sparked controversy.
"So much of what we have to shoulder all of the time is heavy," Rapinoe told the New York Times prior to the final match.
"It's no secret," she continued, "that we're sort of the leaders in the women's game in a lot of different issues — equality, pay quality, gender issues — and at large our team has been great and very open and willing to get in any equality fight."
Indeed, they're true off-field leaders — and once again on-field champions — and are inspiring in both roles.
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