After the U.S women’s FIFA World Cup win against China in 1999 midfielder Brandi Chastain whipped off her jersey and dropped to her knees. That moment was splashed all over media outlets and heralded as a game changer for women’s sports. Everyone was supposed to start caring and supporting women’s sports. But did they? A decade later has anything changed? Mainstream sports reporting barely registers when women’s teams have a big win. The WNBA can barely keep their doors open. What happened to the energy and passion everyone felt when Brandy Chastain ripped her shirt off? And will the latest women’s soccer win change the ambivalence that so many feel for women’s sports?
Was the women’s soccer win of 1999 really a game changer?
The most famous sports bra in the world - Brandi Chastain of the US celebrates after kicking the winning penalty shot to win the 1999 Women's World Cup final against China 10 July 1999 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The US won 5-4 on penalty kicks.
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Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
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