European-style football, which here in the United States is known as soccer, is not exactly the majority sport, as is the case in Spain.
As much as Messi and his success in Miami are now talked about, the popular recognition of this practice came from the legs and intelligence of women.
In a society so dependent on success, where calling someone a "loser" is more derogatory than remembering their mother, male soccer players, quite gray by the way, lack international pedigree, while women have been two-time world champions ( 2015 and 2019) and have become a social model.
So his influence goes far beyond the pitch. Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, two-time champions and survivors in the recent World Cup of the most glorious era, have earned the role of benchmarks. It is no coincidence that they have been the two who have commanded the support for Jennifer Hermoso and her companions with a severe criticism of Luis Rubiales, not only for the sexual assault on the Spanish striker, but also for the victimized reaction of the protagonist of the incident .
"I am upset by the public actions of Luis Rubiales," Morgan, the US captain, published on the networks after learning of the president's allegation now suspended by FIFA. “I am with Jennifer Hermoso and the Spanish players. Winning the World Cup should be the best moment in the life of these players and, instead, it has been overshadowed by the assault, misogyny and the failures of the Spanish federation”, stressed this veteran of the bars team and stars.
Previously, Rapinoe declared her criticism of this matter to The Atlantic. According to his words, Rubiales' action shows a deep level of misogyny and sexism. "Look how much the Spanish team carries on their shoulders: some of the players who protested last year against mistreatment are still not in the team," said the American star, who announced her retirement after the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. "Maybe that protest gave them courage to win the championship, but it shouldn't be this way," she continued.
“This makes me think about what we have to put up with,” he insisted. You know what she's talking about. She and Morgan have been the focus of American dandruff (there is also some), led by Donald Trump and the former president's hooligans. The outbursts for returning from the World Cup ahead of schedule focused on the two. And it is that Rapinoe and Morgan have put their voice at the service of the protests against racism, discrimination of the LGBTQ collective and the demand for equal pay, land in which in 2022 they managed to be paid the same as men for defend the united states t-shirt.
That soccer has gained traction thanks to them can explain the enormous media repercussion of the Rubiales case in this country. You have to go back to the turbulent days of the process to find something comparable in terms of references in the press.
One thing is clear in all this: the image of Spain is badly off. The image of the stolen kiss was already negative, but Rubiales' words to defend himself caused astonishment. "The controversy is a reminder that, despite the women's team's top-level trajectory, the show has been dogged by sexism and other scandals," notes The New York Times.
