If you wanted to put the popularity of women’s football into figures then the most impressive one is 11.7 million. That’s the number of people in the UK who watched England’s World Cup semi-final against the USA on TV. In these days of multi-channels and platforms that is properly large, suggesting that, at least at the international level, women’s football has captured not just the public’s attention but also its imagination.
Of course, that is not to say that it is going to rival men’s football anytime soon, but it does say a few other things. From being viewed as a joke or a kind of pathetic imitation of the men’s game, women’s football has gradually gained respect among women and men. Having ranked as an obscure curiosity, it has established mainstream appeal. And from being subject to the casual and sometimes premeditated sexism that has dominated the sport, women’s football has forged a basis for equality.
Written by Andrew Anthony
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/21/novak-djokovic-men-women-equal-pay-tennis-womens-world-cup-football under the title “Novak Djokovic’s epic final reveals flaws in a two-set stroll meriting an equal purse | Andrew Anthony”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
