Earlier this month, Germany had hosted the Women's World Cup!
Germany was favored to win it all in front of the home crowd!
But as we all know, it wasn't meant to be.
They lost to the eventual champion - Japan.
Japan was the sentimental favorite, due to the tragedies that country faced from the earthquakes and tsunamis on March 11th of this year.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/20110718_Lifting_Cup__country.html
All tournament long the teammates poignantly reminded the world they were playing for their battered country, still reeling from the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Did they ever.
They held the gleaming trophy high above their smiling faces as confetti swirled around the podium, flecking their hair with gold.
"Before we went to the match tonight we had some commentary on television and we heard comments on the situation in Japan," coach Norio Sasaki said. "We wanted to use this opportunity to thank the people back home for the support that has been given."
This was Japan's first appearance in the final of a major tournament, and they had not beaten the Americans in their first 25 meetings, including a pair of 2-0 losses in warm-up games a month before the World Cup. But the Nadeshiko pushed ahead, playing inspired soccer and hoping their success could provide even a small emotional lift to their nation, where nearly 23,000 people died or were reported missing.
After each game, the team unfurled a banner saying, "To our Friends Around the World — Thank You for Your Support." On Sunday, they did it before the match and afterward they had a new sign to display: Champion — the first Asian country to win this title.
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In the championship game, Japan played the USA - a country they have never beaten in women's soccer in all of the previous 25 times they played!
The first half of the game was filled with close calls, but no goals.
However, things heated up near the end of regulation time! USA scored first! Japan answered back with their own goal.
Now for over-time. USA scored! Then Japan scored again!
The game can't go on for ever, but there needs to be a winner for the championship game!
So, it was on for the penalty kicks. While Abby Wambach scored a goal for the USA, most of her team-mates missed! Now, it was time for Saki Kumagi to score! She made it, and now Japan are the world champions!
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It was the first time an Asian team won the Women's World Cup!
There has been a common stereotype that "East Asians are at a disadvantage in sports due to their lack of height". But soccer is more about speed, ball-handling, and team-work than size! Sweden's team was very tall, but that meant nothing when playing against smaller-sized Japan.
On the men's side, South Korea and Japan have been the only Asian teams that have a consistent record of success in international competition. They usually make all the Men's World Cup tournaments, and South Korea even came close to making it to championship game back in 2002.
The Japan's women's team will most likely inspire more Asian teams (men's and women's) to excel in international competition!
After all, East Asian teams already do well in baseball and softball, and China has had some success in basketball!
Future shall be brighter for other Asian teams to step up and prosper in the big stages of sports!
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USA's women's soccer team did very well, except for the 1st round game against Sweden, and except for the championship game against Japan.
However, it has been seen as a disappointment to many Americans, since the last time the USA won the Women's World Cup was in 1999. That was the legendary game against China, that took place at the Rose Bowl. It was also the game in which Brandy Chastain scored the penalty kick, and most of us remember what happened after that!
Well, there's always the next tournament!
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After every other World Cup (men's and women's) there has been a debate over how popular soccer will be!
Soccer has been growing in popularity, but this is a slow process. These things take time!
Some say that soccer hasn't been popular because "the low scoring game isn't exciting". But it sure is more exciting than baseball, in which 1/2 the game is just waiting for something to happen!
It's got nothing to do with "low scoring" and everything to do with habits!
Most people just don't have the time to follow every sport that's out there! So people just follow the sports they grew up watching! In the USA, it's tackle football, basketball and baseball.
Since most of us don't have time to follow every sport, and we just follow the sports we grew up watching, many US Americans aren't going to spend much time following soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, cricket, rugby, water polo or the other sports. Nothing personal, but most people just follow the hype and those sports just don't have the level of media hype that is given to tackle football, basketball and baseball!
However, I do think soccer will grow in popularity in the USA, just not to level of tackle football and basketball.
The growth factors include the increasing Latino population. That is true with my family, with my Mexican father being a big fan of soccer! He loves to watch international matches! He loves to watch teams not only from Mexico, but also from England, Spain, Italy and even the US's own Major League Soccer. Growing up in that household got me interested in following the World Cups, probably a lot more than those growing up in non-Latino households that focus more on tackle football, baseball and basketball.
Also, with the many cable channels out there, many Americans are exposed to games showing professional teams from England, Spain and other games. You even see US Americans wearing jerseys from foreign teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and FC Barcelona!
Interest in women's professional teams will also face a slow growth. It took a few decades for college women's basketball to have the popularity it has now! The WNBA has also gained some increased popularity! It will also take some time for people's habits to go towards watching women's pro teams in softball and soccer too!
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And with anything dealing with women's sports, there is the usual whining about women athletes who posed for sexual photos.
The Nation's Dave Zirin is a good example of that whining
http://www.edgeofsports.com/2011-07-18-636/index.html
Yes, it’s been a marvelous month for soccer but any assessment of this triumph would be incomplete without taking stock of the raunch culture that stalked the tournament’s every step. In the sporting context, “raunch culture” is when women athletes buy into the idea that it’s somehow empowering to display their naked bodies for men’s magazines. These great athletes put themselves before the photographers’ lens in positions both seductive and prone. They claim that they are not only promoting their sport but also proving to the world that their attractiveness and (straight) sexuality is not to be questioned. After posing for their country’s edition of Playboy, five players were kicked off the German under-20 World Cup team. Player Kristina Gessat made plain her motivation, saying, "With these photos, we want to disprove the cliché that all female footballers are butch.”
Here is my response :
sex & sports
Dave Zirin,
I respect the athletic talents of any athlete, male or female, who can win on the big stage!
But I'm tired of you & the Radical Feminists who go ballistic when female athletes pose nude!
(by the way, I haven't heard you or the Radical Feminists complain about the covers of Dennis Rodman's book, or the male soccer stars posing in their undies in a well-known fashion magazine around the same type as the Men's World Cup!)
Look, women, like men, are multi-dimensional people. Even the athletes.
So yeah, a female athlete can have a serious side, a fun side, a risk-taking side, a vulnerable side, an intellectual side, a spiritual side, a compassionate side and a (oh my god.......nooooooooooh!) a sexual side too!
It's unrealistic for you and the Radical Feminists to expect female athletes to act asexual just because they're athletes!
I'm NOT saying we should force female athletes to pose for sexual photos! However, if they CHOSE to do so, either 1) lighten up and enjoy the ride or 2) ignore it and get a life!
Oh yeah, by the way, if you're wondering why many young women don't call themselves "feminists", IT IS NOT a desire to be oppressed! It is because TOO MANY WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS FEMINISTS are the same ones who go ballistic when a female athlete pose for sexual photos!
The reality is that many young women would LOVE to be the female athlete who poses for sexual photos. It's got nothing to do with patriarchy or capitalism or whatever! Most young women love to see themselves as tough and sexually attractive. Those female athletes represent that!
You want a world in which women don't want to pose for sexual photos? You might as well start a genetic engineering project, because your Radical Feminist rhetoric will NEVER over-ride evolution, will NEVER over-ride women's desire for an image of "tough and attractive".
If feminism is about "respecting people's choice regardless of gender" THEN START RESPECTING women athletes who pose for sexual photos! They're just doing something fun on the side! You shouldn't expect them to be serious all the time! Lighten up!
Sincerely,
Pablo Wegesend
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Well, anyways, I'm looking forward to next Women's World Cup in 2015, which will take place in Canada! Hopefully, the USA can win in it's northern neighbor's territory!
