Hope Solo: Why Star Goalkeeper's Exposure Is Good for Women's Soccer

After having not won a World Cup since 1999, the US women's soccer team was an afterthought in the minds of the American public. After a magical run in the 2011 World Cup that saw them fall just short of winning it all, however, the American women were once again the darlings of the nation.

The team ultimately fell short of its goal as it agonizingly lost to Japan on penalty kicks in the final, but they still managed to capture the hearts of many Americans. At the forefront was star goalkeeper Hope Solo, whose combination of skill, determination and beauty has made her the face of women's soccer.

She appeared on a number of early-morning and late-night talk shows upon arriving back in the States and has garnered a huge following. She even received an offer from the hit show Dancing With the Stars and will be competing this season.

While one might think that all this extra exposure would go to Solo's head and take away from her focus on soccer, I think that getting her out into the public eye will be great for not just American soccer, but women's soccer in general.

For the most part, women's sports simply don't have the same following as men's sports. Tennis is an example of a sport where the ladies match the men in terms of popularity, thanks in part to the mainstream exposure of stars like Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters.

Solo's appearance on Dancing With the Stars will make her a household name in this country and people who didn't follow her or women's soccer before might be inclined to after seeing her perform. Athletes generally fair well on Dancing With the Stars, so Solo and her competitive nature will seem likely to go a long way in the competition.

In many ways, Solo is being marketed as much as a sex symbol as she is a soccer player, but any kind of press is certainly good press when it comes to a niche sport like women's soccer. If people want to watch the US women play simply because they think Solo is pretty, then it's all the same as somebody who is watching because they enjoy the game.

The US women don't receive the exposure that men's sports receive in this country, so if Solo and other players like forward Alex Morgan have to use their feminine wiles to get men interested in the sport, so be it.

The women's World Cup was absolutely riveting television this year and the sport can be as entertaining as the men's game if the right two teams are pitted against each other. If Solo's increased exposure can get more people to watch, then they'll see how great of a sport women's soccer can be.

Sometimes it just takes a beautiful woman to draw you into the beautiful game.