USWNT World Cup Performance Demonstrates All That Is Good with Sports

The US Women's National Team performance against Brazil on Sunday was a breath of fresh air for American sports. Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and the rest of the team are the personification of everything sports should be about: courage, determination, heart and never giving up. This team deserves some time in the limelight and a page in the history books.

These women stand out amongst the current wreckage of the American Sports landscape. The NFL athletes and owners are arguing how to divide up a pot of money larger than the economies of many developing countries. NBA athletes and owners are bickering about multi-million dollar contracts when unemployment numbers remain at record levels. And then there are the court cases, issues of underperforming and getting into trouble. It makes you wonder why we care so much about these silly games in the first place.

Except there is no off the field issues with this team. These women won with class and without me-first glitz that oozes from many other professional athletes. Most of this team plays in the Women's Pro Soccer League, a league that gets less attention than the WNBA.

This team earned respect. It is an extreme discourtesy to these women's talents that most of the pregame buzz surrounded the team's sex appeal, and not their play on the soccer pitch. Fortunately, the post game analysis will revolve around the team's hustle, class and ability to overcome terrible setbacks. The team played a player down for nearly half the match. That's true teamwork.

It is unfortunate that women's sports will continue to remain on the bottom rung of the US sports ladder. As football and basketball fans already know too well, sports are really about money, and women's sports do not make money. But this team did something greater than making money today, they made history (and on the 12th anniversary of Brandi Chastain's iconic goal nonetheless).

I hope the USWNT wins the World Cup. And even if they don't I hope the memory of this game burns in the mind of every sports fan when they hear about lockouts, DUI's and "Decisions."

The USWNT is writing a beautiful story for the history books. Respect them for it.