United States women's national team star Sophia Smith controls the ball during the second half of the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer match between the United States and Vietnam last summer. A reader marvels at the surging popularity of women's professional sports.
Abbie Parr/Associated Press
If you have watched the U.S. women’s soccer team over the last few years, you will recognize many players now working for the National Women's Soccer League. Many Latinas and Europeans who played for their national teams are also in the NWSL, astonishing fans in stadiums all over the country.
From 1977 through 1992, I coached a mixed club team of high school soccer athletes, and I spent 1982-86 coaching a team of varsity girls in the North East Independent School District. By 1986, I decided that my own three children needed more of my time, so I resigned from coaching professionally.
I still watch a lot of soccer on TV. Ion Television broadcast two NWSL matches Saturday and one on Sunday. The players are much faster than any I coached. There are a lot of hard tackles.
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Unlike the many men’s soccer games I’ve watched, most of the women players seem to enjoy the tough plays and run to see if teammates are hurt after a referee halts play. There are many hugs and smiles after each game.
Just as in the Women's National Basketball Association, female soccer players get far less pay than their male counterparts.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert made an insightful comment about such comparisons. She pointed out that the NBA teams had been playing and gaining financial support for more than a century while the women had played professionally for a few decades.
Outstanding college players such as Caitlin Clark have grabbed headlines outside the sports section of the newspaper. They will help the WNBA gain more investors and perhaps grow from 12 to 16 teams in the near future.
Likewise, Trinity Rodman, Barbra Banda and Sophia Smith have earned their teams a national fan base for the NWSL.
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You go, girls!
Bill Gisler
Opt for nuclear power
About our electrical generation, I suggest the use of nuclear power.
It generates clean electricity. It would be very easy to replace coal-powered generation because everything is there (cooling and power lines) except the power generator.
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If you disagree, then tell me what the problem would be.
Charles Beatty
