Blog: Life of Sophie

I may be in the minority, but I've enjoyed keeping up with this World Cup way more than the men. I suppose it could just be because our ladies are pretty good. Anyways, congrats to Sweden and England both

 

Au revoir Nice, Bonjour Lyon!

Hi from Lyon,

Right England vs Sweden.
Respect to Sweden, definitely the best team won!
England had a slow start, the first Swedish goal was a rookie mistake by England.
Two defenders standing there by like passengers by, when England did wake up they up
they showed some signs of the best of England in this Tournament, but they just didn't carry
it home.

Ok it was the 3rd place Game, but even if you're worn out, even if your heart
is breaking, they need to have to adopt the USA's team attitude, "Be Mean, Be focussed
and get out there and kill it", my biggest criticism of England they need to tougher up
and go out there and take it, they have the talent, they win on possession & passing against
other teams, now they need to mean up in their attitude.

Ellen White Vs VAR, its there its the Game from now on, VAR exists, i personally think it was
body contact rather than hand ball or as my mate said "Tit Ball".

I agree!

But this isn't a "Lucky" team, there not there out of any luck (even as France has shown
winning Tournaments in the last 30 seconds luck can play a part) they are there on Talent,
you don't get to the 3rd place play off on three consecutive occasions by luck, now the job is to make
sure next time its not the Third place but the final.

England has done so much for the Women's Game (hopefully calling it the Game soon, its not called
the "Men's game"), now if the rumours are true and the Premiership do take over the "Women's" game that is going to make such a difference.

Agreed!

Today: I want it to be a battle, I don't want it to be a USA walkover (even if I'm supporting them),
Its the World Champions versa the Euro Champions, I want a battle out there!

 

Cant tell from the replays i was shown on the TV, Soph. The ball clearly touched something it could be the chest, arm, shoulder or even the swedish defender. But i have to trust the 50 experts in the war room. Im a bit sarcastic as im not entirely fond of VAR.

 

Congrats USA!!!! Well deserved Win!
Great battle, respect to the Netherlands!
Congrats to the UK born USA Head Coach Jill Ellis, delighted for two things, it was decided on a goal and delighted it was Megan that scored the Penalty!

Respect to the Dutch Goalie who is ex Arsenal Women's Goalie.

Great Tournament, I'll miss it, now I'm going to get really drunk.

 

I'm sure they will immediately get an invite to the White House congrats to the U.S., they were definitely the best throughout but I notice a lot of their best players are north of 30 already which makes me think there will be opportunity for other teams during the inevitable changing of the guard within the team in the coming years. I know, there is plenty of talent in the pipeline but there can still be growing pains as you shift from 1 era to another. Congrats to all.

 

Cant wait to see Trump giving Rapinoe a firm handshake.

Congrats US.

 

Had to work during the game, celebrating now

 

Some morning-after thoughts...

Ok there have been a total of eight Women's World Cup Tournaments, the U.S. Men's National Team last won the World Cup in .... 1930.
Yesterday the U.S. Women's Team won its 4th World Cup title today, each player will earn 1/4th of what a member of the US Men's Team
would earn if they won the World Cup, that's 25% for the same feat - $250K versus $1 Million

The men’s team didn’t QUALIFY for the last World Cup, so tell me again why the U.S. Women's National Team is paid less?

Do the men get more money because they have a penis?

The predictable retort here is something about how the USMNT generates more money
and therefore “deserve” to be paid more; however, the Wall Street Journal reveals the
USWNT has generated more revenue than the men’s team.
https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2019/7/7/20685239/uswnt-world-cup-pay-equality

 

The 1930 mens world cup was won by Uruguay, team USA has never won the mens cup.
They did finish third in 1930 though...

 

Well, seeing as the US men's team did not participate they did not make more than the women, they made nothing. Maybe not the best way to go about that comparison.
The real answer is probably the profitability of the sport worldwide is not on the same level as the men's. It should be different, but the event also needs to be profitable to exist.

There is also the aspect of substitution and leverage which plays a part. The men can afford to not play if the prize money is unacceptable, as they have their professional contracts to fall back on. At least in the first world countries or those with most of their players in major pro leagues. If they choose not to participate the event loses its notoriety, so they have a lot more leverage than the women do at this point. It is a lot more complicated than just gender discrimination.

 

And what the differences between the Prize Women in Women's and Men's Tennis?

According to (The Failing) New York Times, there was $30 million in total prize money for the 2019 Women's World Cup.

The 2018 Men's World Cup had $400 million in prize money.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino discussed the possibility of expanding the field & doubling prize money for the Women's World Cup in 2023.

So $60 vs S400? Million by 2023

Megan Rapinoe has said
"Money from FIFA, money from federations. Money from advertisers, sponsors, rights-holders, TV. All of that.
And obviously not just blindly throwing cash at things, but investing in infrastructure, in training programs
or academies for women, in coaching for women. All of it."
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/07/06/sports/soccer/ap-soc-wwcup-rapinoes-criticism.html

In 2019, the U.S. Women's National Team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer over pay
disparity with the men's national team and working conditions.
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-womens-national-team-world-cup-pay-vs-men-2019-7?r=US&IR=T

As I mentioned its often thought that the USMNT generates more money than the Women's Game, according to the Wall Street Journal,
the USWNT has generated more revenue than the men’s team.
https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2019/7/7/20685239/uswnt-world-cup-pay-equality

TV Viewing for this Tournament across the World has increased bringing in Advertisers and that's record ratings across the World.
In Brazil, more than 35 million people tuned in to watch Marta & the Brazilian team.

In the U.K. the Lionesses saw a peak audience of 11.7 million viewers, the most watched programme so far this year on British television.
Combined viewing figures for the Tournament in the UK comes to 28.1m.

Yes the Women's Game is smaller, Sponsors make more out of the Male Game, maybe now in Britain, things will begin to change with talk of the Premiership forming a Women's Premiership league.

This in the UK context will see a lot more money coming into in the Women's Professional Clubs/Players Wages/Prize Money.

This is positive, as long as the money is reinvested into the Women's Game & promotes the next generation in the Women's league in England.
Not as in the Men's game with the Clubs making money with Players recruited outside of England.

Before the Premiership steps in? the WSL England’s Women’s Super League has begun a £10 m ($12.5 m) title sponsorship deal with Barclays.
This is the first in the England Women's Game and includes £500,000 worth of prize money.

As I understand the Women's US Game is all about the National Game, with the Women's domestic game really underdeveloped compared to the UK/European
game. This could lead to problems for a future 2023 US team, many of the current team won't be available having retired, new blood will be needed.

Millions of girls play sports in the US, but very few do so in the sort of structured fashion that can produce professionals.
What structure that does exist is a pay-to-play system that means only a small subset of potential competitors will ever even enter.
The coaching levels are poor, the sophistication of play is low. College soccer is a great opportunity for an education, but it’s a pretty
poor way to train the top players in the world.
https://www.allforxi.com/2019/6/26/18759474/2019-womens-world-cup-europe-ascendant

Hope Solo told the BBC. "I think the US could go backwards if we don't start investing in our domestic game, that's how you develop players and train players and we're cutting corners in the US because we've put everything into this World Cup and into the national team.

I've seen for myself that FIFA has not done a good job of promotion or ticketing this Tournament.
Often we were told the ticket allocation was sold out and when you get there there's row after row of
empty seats, with FIFA having last minutes sales to non-supporter French people looking for
tickets.

Next summer’s Olympic will be interesting and see where the Women's Game goes from here.

Especially with a combined Great Britain team.

I hope sometime in the future, we'll be talking about the Game, not the Men's or Women's Game.

But the Game.

 

Thanks, last time I listen to a mate with facts and figures

She was being kind to the US then.

 

I can tell you that both the mens and womens games here are falling behind in terms of structure and development, more so the women though; lots of political infighting and other BS in the leadership. It's almost a microcosm of U.S. mentality in general; we reach the top and just decide it will always be like so we no longer need to put the effort in, yet forget to acknowledge that the rest of the world sees us at the top and is motivated even more to get better as we rest on our laurels. Now this isn't an indictment on the actual players, it is an indictment on the lazy leadership. And then there's a country like England, if the talk of a Premiership league for the women happens, that should scare the U.S as that would develop even more great female talent and not just English ones too as I would assume they would be coming from all over Europe. Look at the money already invested into the womens game over there and then realize there's more on the way very likely. Look at the viewership numbers there and in Brazil for example. The world is catching up with us, and in the case of actual investment into developing a strong pipeline and future have surpassed us in some places. Making a bold prediction 4 years out, but I don't think the U.S wins the next one. A lot of talent will either be on their last go-around or retired, since so many key pieces are over 30 already and in a few cases in their mid-30s. I'm not saying we're in danger of not qualifying or anything close to that, but much like basketball the world has seen us be dominant and were thus motivated to be like us and play the sport more and as a result more talent began springing up from other countries to the point where there were some NBA Drafts where it seemed like half the picks were foreign-born lol.

 

So we could win Olympic gold at something else consistently!
The primary feeder for women's soccer in the US is the NCAA, which does not have to be profitable thanks to title IX and the overly lucrative Mens football and basketball programs which fund all the other athletics at most university and colleges.

The MLS (US mens soccer) has managed to keep itself afloat despite the general disinterest of the American public outside of small pockets. I have no idea if a women's professional league has been attempted, if so it gets no publicity.

Mainly on the coat tails of Women's Olympic Hockey there is an American Women's Hockey League, but it always seems to be on the verge of folding.

Women's professional Basketball is the one that seems to be doing well. NCAA women's basketball is also very strong, and gets national and regional television coverage due in part to the NCAA not offering Men's basketball programming without those networks also picking up some women's game as well.

 

Well it was quiet a party here in sweden in the countries second biggest town when the ladies came home. They didnt expect the support to be that big. It was several thousands waiting for them at the square where the party was held.

 

Thanks for the background! It's good that the Men's game help's to fund other Sports.

Will that model in the future is enough to fund the Women's Game to help it fully develope into leagues that will feed new talent into the National Team?
Especially with the UK/Europe getting their act together, this may lead to a talent gap for the 2023 USA Team.

In the Men's Game (think back to the last men's World Cup) when big name successful Countries fielded teams that retained players that were past their best.

I love the positivity and goodwill that this Tournament has had, now the different Football Associations need to capitalise on that.
Following London 2012 there was the same feeling, but a lot of it slipped away when the funding didn't materialise to build on it.

Meanwhile


I think Megan Rapinoe is such a positive role model, plus she's putting forward a positive body image.
She's also showing you can front issues without being preachy and dour (hello Emma Watson).

and her partner


Finally
If Trump is upset and won't do business with the British Ambassador after the Ambassador gave an unflattering opinion of him and his administration.
He really doesn't want to read what Churchill and FDR (and the US officials said of Churchill) said of each other in WWII.
This when they were Allies, working together on a daily basis, someone needs a reality check.

 

Back in London

Observation
I'm well aware that living in London has its drawbacks, but for the most part I feel fairly safe in London after dark.

In Nice (in France) after dark as a Woman you're aware the attitude and things change. I don't mind guys trying to talk to me, its when they realise I'm not interested
and don't go away. Daytime Nice is lovely, as was Lyon, but last night in Lyon (and especially after the World Cup crowds had left) being out after dark was not pleasant.

Guys following us, not talking no for a answer, shouting at us.

We finally said this is not fun and we want back to the hotel room and I watched "Stranger Things".

Back to work tomorrow and a mega busy day (I may be missing) then I'm off work for a week.