GUEST COLUMNIST: Women's soccer deserves a league of its own

This past weekend, I was watching the World Cup women's soccer final in a sports bar. At one point, the poor soul operating the giant screen decided to divide it into four sections, to show a baseball game and a golf match as well as the Cup game. He quickly faced the wrath of more than 100 screaming fans -- mostly American, mind you -- loudly chanting, "change it back!" He swiftly met our demands. It was weird that the Budweiser-drinking crowd chose to watch soccer over the national pastime. But what made the experience surreal was that it was women's soccer. Let me note this isn't an appeal to feminism. I admit that I don't think that men and women match up in many team sports. For example, I am a huge basketball fan and I would never be caught dead at a WNBA game.When you're fed a steady diet of world class men's basketball, it's hard to find the women's game exciting. But this soccer game, this victory, was a game I enjoyed watching, not because the players were "good for girls" but because the U.S., as well as China, truly played the game the way it's supposed to be played. And they were damn good at it. The women's movement in sports has been progressing for decades. Today one in three high school girls plays a sport compared to one in 27 in 1972, when Title IX legislation was passed. But this hardly means that men's and women's sporting events are equally attended or supported by the public. And female athletes are hardly as visible to the public as male athletes. Many of the 90,000 fans -- a record for a women's sporting event -- at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Saturday were young girls hoping to be the next Mia Hamm. But while it is great that women's soccer inspires young girls to athletic achivement, I don't believe the success of our women's soccer team simply means young athletic girls suddenly have role models in team sports. The bottom line is that our team played an incredible game, by any standard, and they deserve all the media attention and kudos they're currently recieving. Now, I'll admit, I knew little about the women's game before the final. But unlike most Americans, soccer isn't foreign to me. As the son of a former NCAA coach, every big game was a major event in my house growing up. Soccer is by far the most popular sport internationally, with passionate fans cheering it on across the globe. Over the years, I've seen some great soccer and some that was really mediocre -- like Major League Soccer, the rather poor American version of a professional men's league. But this women's game ranked up there with the great ones. Now, there's talk amongst the team members and other experts of creating a women's soccer league. Sure it is a long shot, but perhaps not a bad idea. Granted, it'll be hard to sustain the enthusiasm created by this year's Cup. In fact, the MLS failed to do just that after the 1994 World Cup -- which introduced many Americans to the sport for the first time -- was held in the US. But consider this: The current league is mediocre largely because the best American players play "football" professionally in Europe. A women's league, though would attract the best players in the world because there isn't a market for it in Europe. Then there's the ongoing argument that soccer can't be popular in America because there isn't enough scoring. If that's the case, were those hundreds of people in the sports bar glued to the screen throughout the entire two hour scoreless game? Despite the lack of an actual goal -- the game was decided by penalty kicks -- the women kept it exciting by continuously pushing the action, stopping the audience's hearts several times with near misses. By contrast, men'steams are known for playing defensively in scoreless games. And the Americans, though already the home team, seemed to win over the crowd of multiple nationalities. For instance, 33-year-old Michelle Akers, the team's oldest player and considered the best women's player of all time, is now known as the team's warrior and emotional leader. Not unusual? except that she has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome for the better part of a decade. If the guys out there still need more reasons a women's league is worth the trouble this time, here are five: 1) U.S. forward Mia Hamm is not only the leading scorer in international soccer of all time, male or female, but she could be the covergirl of a dirty magazine (or, for that matter, a clean one). 2) Defender Brandi Chastain practically IS on the cover of dirty magazines, as she stripped down to her sports bra after scoring the winning penalty kick in the final game. 3) Soccer is the only team sport where the American women are comparatively better than the American men. 4) Unlike basketball, in which the Americans dominate the international competition, our women's soccer team survived tremendous challenges from its competitors. As exciting as it is watching the NBA all-stars in the Olympics, Croatia and Yugoslavia simply never have a prayer. 5) Did I mention Mia Hamm? So, when and if the powers that be do create a women's league, I highly recommend you go to a game. And ladies, if you have no interest, but you're intrigued by my sensitivity? by all means, feel free to look me up and give me a call.

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