Written by Cory Collins at Goal.com
The retired forward’s arrest could swing public opinion in the U.S. women’s national team’s legal disputes with the federation, which doesn’t make much sense, writes Cory Collins.
If you are a woman in the world of sports — or in America — the pay isn’t the same. And neither are the standards.
Abby Wambach has retired. Her Sunday-morning DUI, theoretically, should not have an impact on the U.S. women’s soccer team and its players’ fight for equal pay, for respect, for a fair chance at spreading their game through a viable professional league, sponsorships and visibility. And hopefully it won’t.
But the platform for women in sports is precarious, and as Jane McManus of ESPN pointed out, the seat at the table of fairness can quickly be pulled from beneath the best female athlete.
Wambach’s misstep may be common (more than 1.1 million drivers were arrested for DUI in the U.S. in 2014), but it is also poorly timed. U.S. Women’s soccer is garnering headlines in a non-World Cup year. Not just for its world dominance among women, but for its place among men. Part of the pitch for equality: These women have been incredible ambassadors for both country and commerce. Easily cast as role models and into marketable roles.
Hope Solo’s history already was a stain. Now Wambach — arguably the greatest player in the team’s history — leaves a blemish.
And unfortunately, unfairly, that matters. Women in sports, like their peers in boardrooms, in dorm rooms, in newsrooms, are given no margin of error, especially if they are outspoken. Especially if they are so good that their merit, alone, demands equality.
These women are not just World Cup winners. They are pioneers who hoped to lead their sport’s next revolution. And though Wambach stepped aside from soccer, she did not step aside from the cause. She’s promising her brain for concussion research, remaining an active voice in her teammates’ corner as they ask for equal care from U.S. Soccer.
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