'Winning, not singing' - USWNT national anthem debate is ridiculous with World Cup stars subject to different expectations to everyone else
GOAL takes a look at the latest USWNT controversy and why it really shouldn't be one at all...
The buildup to the World Cup was somewhat quiet by U.S. women's national team standards. There was no equal pay lawsuit looming over everything, no ongoing war of words with the sitting U.S. President. It seemed like this summer's tournament would just be about the soccer.
Well, maybe we shouldn't have been so naive.
The USWNT once again finds itself at the center of a political tussle — one that, at least for one summer, they looked so likely to avoid. This one, of course, centers around the national anthem, which, even seven years after Colin Kaepernick's protest, remains a fiercely debated topic for whatever reason.
This time around, though, the USWNT isn't being criticized for kneeling or protesting. Instead, a section of the country is upset that the team is...not singing together. They are sending no messages, making no displays, but there is still a group out there that believes that U.S. is failing to respect their country. No matter what they do, the USWNT can't seem to win when it comes to to this stuff, can they?
So how did we get here? What have the USWNT done to remain such a divisive team, and why are we all, once again, debating something this ridiculous in the middle of a World Cup? GOAL takes a look...
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