Soccer, Professional

Traditionally, soccer has always been identified as the “world's game” because of its universal popularity, recognition, and access. Pettus tells us that soccer is also known as the “people's game” because it is the only game that can be commonly found in a large arena being watched by thousands of cheering fans, as well as on local parks and recreation fields being played by 5-year-old children.

Although men's soccer teams have received a tremendous amount of media attention, accessibility, and continual growth, the rise in popularity of women's soccer is only a few decades old. Not until the success of the 1999 U.S. women's soccer team, with players like Mia Hamm and Brandy Chastain, did women's soccer become recognizable and acknowledged in the male-dominated soccer world.