Women, rejoice. You can now play soccer in the digital world.
FIFA ’16 announced in May that female players would be included in the game, and it received positive feedback— for the most part.
Three countries even had females voted the most popular cover for the game’s release.
I was ecstatic when I heard that women would finally be represented in the video game.
After its release, however, my Twitter feed was full of sexist remarks. Many accounts would make memes of the game showing women on the field ironing or cooking instead of playing.
The women’s Unted States soccer team has three World Cup titles, and the men’s team has never won.
The women played their World Cup games on turf fields while the men played on actual grass, even though there was a petition with thousands of signatures from around the world saying that women shouldn’t be FIFA’s guinea pigs— especially not during such a high level of competition like the World Cup.
The women’s World Cup championship broke American records, becoming the most-watched sporting event on national television.
It was bigger than the NBA championship.
When these women came home they were treated almost like royalty. Taylor Swift even brought them on stage during one of her shows.
These women have overcome every obstacle thrown at them, and they were being rewarded by being the first females in FIFA video games.
Small-minded, sexist people are belittling the accomplishments of these women by saying their accomplishments mean nothing or that they need to go back to ironing.
No. These women are strong. These women are warriors. These women are heroes in the fight to end sexism in sports.
Serena Williams is the best tennis player in the world. When the announcers are commenting on a tennis match in which she is playing in, they discuss what skirt she decided to wear that day and how it makes her thighs look.
When Roger Federer plays, they discuss technique and his athletic ability— nothing about how his choice of shirt.
Women athletes should not be looked at just as fashionable objects, but as true, strong athletes. They’ve dedicated their lives to strive for nothing less than excellence, and to be held at a lower standard than men is unacceptable.
Women soccer players aren’t as popular as men, so growing up playing soccer my idols were players like David Beckham or Landon Donovan. My most prized possession though is my Seven Wonders of the World poster featuring women like Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain.
I want my future daughter to see Alex Morgan and Amy Wambach as her idols, and I hope men do too, because they are incredible athletes.
Brittany McClintock can be reached at [email protected] or @B_McClintock17 on Twitter.
