We Did It, Joe
This is Issue #5 of Seeing the Present, a newsletter about my thoughts on current global trends in soccer, with an eye toward what they might tell us about the future of the beautiful game.
Last week, Gotham FC became the first team in NWSL history to be recognized at the White House as league champions. It was an incredible honor to attend the ceremony as a member of Gotham’s championship-winning team, partly because visiting the White House is such a special occasion and partly because it was amazing to hear the President of the United States talk so proudly about the club’s achievements.
For this issue of Seeing the Present, I want to offer three takeaways from Joe Biden’s brief remarks, which I thought did a good job of capturing not just this exciting moment in women’s soccer but also why the moment matters beyond the sports world. You can watch his remarks on YouTube by clicking on the video link below.
Click here to read the full transcript of President Biden’s and Ali Krieger’s remarks on the White House Briefing Room website.“Everyone watches women’s sports.”
“What’s really important is your championship win also set an attendance record. I think it’s fair to say everyone — everyone watches women’s sports. (Applause.) It’s about time.”
Gotham’s White House invitation did not fall out of a coconut tree, as they say—it exists in the context of all in which we live and what came before. The context is that women’s sports have exploded in popularity over the last few years and are growing at an exponential pace that shows no signs of slowing down. A few examples: NWSL valuations have increased as much as 100x in four years; the WNBA is expanding for the first time since 2008 to not one, not two, but three new markets; and the women’s March Madness final had more viewers than the men’s final for the first time ever this year.
“Everyone watches women’s sports” has become a rallying cry among those who want to celebrate the fact that women’s sports have gone mainstream in a way that seemed unimaginable just a few years ago, and what could be more mainstream than the President himself acknowledging that women’s sports are here to stay? While the growth of women’s sports is undeniable regardless of who says what, it was still very powerful to hear Joe Biden repeat those words out loud, just as it was an important milestone to extend the NWSL champions the same White House recognition that’s awarded to champions of major men’s leagues.
Sports are a catalyst for social progress.
“Look, and when fans watch you play, they also see the power of the example off the field as well. It matters. And I really mean it. You lead the way in providing sports medicine and health care focused on women. My wife is deeply involved in trying to make sure there’s enough attention paid and research done on women’s diseases as men. As a matter of fact, we’re going to the United Nations after this to make that very case.
You helped establish the Players Association fighting for the dignity of work all across the league… I get categorized as the most pro-union president in American history. I am, and I approve of what you’re doing, man. (Laughter.)
You know, and your teammate Midge came to the White House with the U.S. Women’s National Team to highlight the campaign… for equal pay.”
If you know me, you know that I love soccer not only as a game but also as a high-potential vehicle for social impact. That’s why I found it reaffirming to hear President Biden frame the importance of what’s happening in women’s soccer in terms of how sports can impact society more broadly.
The player-led, union-facilitated struggles for better conditions and better pay in both the NWSL and the USWNT have implications that transcend sports, as Biden pointed out. To put in perspective how soccer’s cultural relevance can influence conversations on social issues like gender equity, look no further than the fact that global Google searches for the phrase “equal pay” peaked the week the USWNT won the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Sport can be a catalyst in bringing about what can be, unburdened by what has been, and it’s incumbent on those of us who work in sports to recognize that and leverage that force to make people’s lives better.
We did something really, really cool.
“You know — (applause) — one thing is clear: This organization is no stranger to adversity. In 2022, Gotham placed last in the entire league. There were doubts about turning things around. But you never gave up. You never gave up. And you kept the faith, as my mother would say. You retooled the roster, hired a new coach. Something clicked.
And after a tough season, you were… the final team to make the playoffs. But as the saying goes, winners simply win. Back-to-back playoff wins holding North Carolina and Portland scoreless and then beating Seattle to win it all.”
This isn’t insightful commentary—it was just awesome to hear the President of the United States praising the story of our season and acknowledging the work that Yael Averbuch West and I did as GM and Chief Soccer Officer, respectively, to turn the worst team in the league into champions. Last place! Adversity! Doubts! But also faith! Determination! And victory! This is what dreams are made of, and that’s why sports are often so compelling: because they offer an authentic reflection of the human experience.
Excellent commentary and perspective. Love the Harris references too. Congratulations on your win and recognition!