When the U.S. women’s soccer team was knocked out of the World Cup, losing to Sweden in penalty kicks, many Americans were understandably disappointed. Not Donald Trump.
This week, the former president somehow tied the loss to liberal policies, creating culture war fodder. He took to social media and wrote “woke equals failure” and criticized team captain Megan Rapinoe for missing her penalty kick, saying, “Nice shot Megan, the U.S. is going to hell.”
But as a new article in Forbes points out, the U.S. women’s team has become previous world champs and have amassed a huge following precisely because of our policies supporting equal rights.
“Some people are making the argument that focusing on equal rights and fair pay is a distraction from athletic success, but it is in fact this very activism that has created the ecosystem for a dominant U.S. Women’s National Team—and the growing popularity of women’s sports globally,” ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath told Know Your Value.
The piece by Forbes contributor Richard McGahey noted such advocacy led to the passing of Title IX in 1972. The landmark civil rights law banned sex discrimination in education and activities, including sports.
And according to a Rutgers Business School analysis, it is because of Title IX that today, three million more high school girls and 200,000 more college women have access to athletic pursuits.
“This matters because participation in sports can lead to the development of ‘soft skills’ that translate to the workplace or entrepreneurship—teamwork, improvisation, grace under pressure—and it can also help build a market for the watching and consumption of women’s sports,” said McGrath.
McGahey also noted in his piece that the U.S. women’s soccer team’s advocacy for fair pay and gay rights makes them role models on the world stage—and that their very presence can motivate and inspire other women around the world.
This isn’t the first time Trump – and other conservatives – have taunted the U.S. women’s team. Rapinoe and her team have been targets of right-wing media for years, for taking the knee to protest for racial justice and for saying they would not visit the White House if they won the World Cup in 2019.
“The players on the U.S. women’s soccer team represent both athletic excellence and real inspiration to girls and women all over the world and that is exactly what is so threatening to Republicans like Trump. And that threat is women’s power – these women’s very ability to effect social, cultural and economic change,” said Huma Abedin, an MNSBC political analyst and vice-chair of the Forbes and Know Your Value’s 30/50 summit.
Abedin said Trump’s latest rhetoric is an opportunity for Democrats and more moderate voices.
“We need to be celebrating the Megan Rapinoes out there, not denigrating them. And we also need Republican leaders calling Trump out instead of staying silent and acquiescing to what has become an all too familiar pattern,” said Abedin. “But given his recent poll numbers and the fact that we are going into an election year, I am not surprised that his words have been met with silence. We need to keep reminding people this language and behavior is unacceptable and hopefully that silence can be broken with action --- with women showing up and voting in the next election in their own best interests.”
Separately, McGrath noted it’s not just the U.S. women soccer players who are paving the way for so many up-and-coming athletes. In fact, several women in sports made Forbes and Know Your Value’s third annual “50 Over 50” U.S. list.
This includes:
Jill Smoller
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Smoller, 58, is considered a pioneer for women in the industry. She is best known as the longtime agent to tennis star Serena Williams. Smoller had been an athlete herself but was forced to end her athletic career early due to a series of knee injuries. She started her career by joining the mailroom at ICM and soon became responsible for representing many of the firm's athletes. She has negotiated industry-leading deals with brands like Nike and Gatorade, and her star clients include the most decorated U.S. track athlete ever, Allyson Felix, WNBA Draft pick Sabrina Ionescu, and Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin.
Tracy Marek
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Marek, 53, became U.S. Figure Skating's first female chief executive officer in 2023, the national governing body for figure skating in the U.S. She came to the job from the front office of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers; she worked for the organization for 19 years.
Micky Lawler
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Lawler became the president of the Women's Tennis Association in 2015, at 53, after serving on the organization's board of directors for the prior 11 years. As head of the WTA, the organization founded by Billie Jean King in 1973, Lawler oversees an organization representing more than 1,600 athletes across 85 countries and hosting more than 50 annual events and four Grand Slams. Lawler is credited with expanding the WTA Tour in China and Asia more broadly. This expansion has included forging broadcast deals, setting record prize money and creating new tennis events.
You can check out the entire list here.