Will
Leitch, writing in New York Magazine, makes the point that
the political activism of the USWNT means their win was all the
sweeter.
They spoke up, they stood their ground, they taunted, they
danced, they sipped tea, they were joyously defiant from the very
beginning. And that’s why they’ll go down in history in a way that even
previous Women’s World Cup champions won’t. Previous generations have
found activism, or even simply stating your viewpoint on matters of the
world, a detriment: Something that got in the way of the game, of
winning, of earning, of thriving. But this team and Rapinoe are legends
now — and, even better, are role models now in a way that athletes
actually should be role models, an investment that will only bear more
fruit in the decades to come – because they demanded to be heard on the
issues they cared about and then went out and kicked everybody’s ass to
boot. They will be more beloved, and richer, and more successful, having
spoken out than if they hadn’t. Activism was bold, but more than that,
it was smart. This was so much more fun because of it.
