by Megan Cleary
Once again I found myself idling in the car waiting to cross back into the United States. Vehicles started to pile at the border and I quickly went through the impending scenario in my head.
Border Guard: Where are you from?
Me: Portland, Oregon
Border Guard: Why were you in Canada?
Me: Women’s World Cup
Border Guard: How long were you up here?
This question always took me a minute. I had already crossed over the border five or six times
by this point and I was starting to lose track. Before I had added up the days in my mind I found myself being waved forward by a younger guard with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
Border Guard: Where are you from?
Me: Portland, Oregon
Border Guard: Why were you in Canada?
Me: Women’s World Cup
He paused and took a moment to look at me and my passenger, along with our corresponding
ID’s.
Border Guard: Who are you rooting for?
Well that was different. Up until this point the majority of the guards, from either Canada or the US, ignored the Women’s World Cup piece and continued with the normal scenario. In fact, when I crossed over the first time the Canadian guard didn’t realize any of the games were taking place in Vancouver.
Me: The U.S.
He paused again and smiled. I hadn’t interacted with anyone at the border this long and I began to wonder if this was a lead-in to getting my vehicle searched.
Border Guard: Then why were you up there? Didn’t the US already play here?
Another surprise. He actually knew the women’s team had played. I come from Portland, a city with a mighty affection for soccer. The low average attendance for our women’s professional team is in the 13,000 while our men’s team is almost always at capacity in the stands. I would expect another Portland native to know about the World Cup schedule, but in my experience hardcore soccer fans only appeared in pockets across the country.
Me: I like soccer. It’s a big tournament. Don’t you like sportsI like soccer. It’s a big tournament. Don’t you like sports?
Border Guard: Yah, I love sports!(another calculated pause) But it’s soccer. I watch real sports.
Me (and my passenger): Ouch!
He smiled and handed back our passports. My friend and I shook our heads and moved along
towards home.
Believe it or not, that was a step up from the comments I have heard while attending past World Cups (men’s and women’s). At least he hadn’t said, “I don’t watch women’s sports” or “The real skill is on the men’s team”. His was a new kind of comment. He disliked soccer, not women’s soccer. Whether or not soccer is your game, there’s no doubt that anyone who can sprint across a field for 45 minutes without a single break must have some athletic prowess. Talent goes beyond gender lines.
In the last few years the world has witnessed a spike in popularity for the women’s game.
Although leagues continue to battle low attendance, the athletes themselves have had a chance to collaborate with talent from across the world at their club levels. The level of talent has always been there, but now confederations that typically ignored their women’s teams have begun to show them their support. As a result, the showing in Canada has been the best ever for the Women’s World Cup. Debut nations like Switzerland and Cameroon, 19th and 53rd respectively in FIFA rankings, challenged countries with embedded soccer programs. The English Lionesses moved on to the semi-finals for the first time in their country’s history.
Canada set an attendance record for the largest show of support of one of their national teams. When the home team fell to the English over 54,000 people came to their feet chanting “Canada”. Now that’s love. England, whose local club attendance for their women’s teams is usually in the hundreds, showed their support when citizens tuned in by the millions for their latest match. Prince William was rumoured to be heading to Edmonton for the semi-final, while back home fellow fans headed to bed in the afternoon so they could get up at midnight to catch the kickoff live.
During any of the matches played at this World Cup supporters could be seen in their country’s colors, whether or not their team was playing, to let the world know they’re here for their women’s teams.
I’ve made my way back into downtown Vancouver. I sit at a café surrounded by people who are here for various reasons, most of which I am unaware of, except for the five young girls sitting next to me. They wear matching soccer warm-ups and have spent the last ten minutes talking about either Jesus or soccer. They start focusing solely on soccer and highlight the different players and the moves they’ve learned from watching them. “Thank you Vero!” One says with a giggle.
What I’ve learned over traveling the past 17 years is that you don’t have to fit in a box to play the game or to support it. You can be Christian, Muslim, single, married, young or old. None of these factors impede your ability to enjoy a show of athleticism and skill. You are not indulging women by supporting women’s soccer. You’re recognizing abilities and are supporting world class athletes.
I saw a Major League Soccer player at a professional women’s soccer game once. He was
holding his daughter and pointing to the women warming up on the field. Though I don’t know what he actually said, I like to imagine it was something like, “You can play professionally just like me.” Whatever he said, what matters is that in this day and age we are starting to realize that anyone with talent deserves recognition. The daughters along with the sons. It’s time to tune in.
The Women’s World Cup final is this Sunday, and whoever you support, it will be worth
watching .
