It's a controversial topic: women's sports. Women's sports are highly underrated, and are judged by many people as inferior. Some people are ignorant enough to say women's sports are not worth the time.
There are some people, like Andy Benoit, that make sexist comments about women's sports. Then teams, like the U.S. Women's soccer team, go and show how epic women's sports really are.
The 2015 USWNT's performance was extraordinary, but the fact is we've had a lot of amazing women's sports performances over the years.
1999 Women's World Cup Victory
This was a true battle — the U.S. women's soccer team was hosting the World Cup. It was a match between U.S. and China, and the U.S. won, in overtime, in a penalty shootout. It was the second time the U.S. had won since the first Women's World Cup in 1991. It set a record for attendance at a women's sporting event and created one of the most iconic pictures in women's sports — Brandi Chastain's roar of victory.
Missy Franklin Reigns at 17
At 17 years old, Missy Franklin took the world by storm in the 2012 Olympics in London. She is gained stardom at the Olympics by swimming in multiple events over the course of a few days, winning four gold medals and one bronze and setting two (TWO) world records.
Serena and Venus Williams
Serena and Venus Williams have taken the tennis world by storm. The pair have done nothing but set and break records and dominate the tennis world for over 15 years. As sisters they've made history — they were the first sisters to win titles in the same week, the first to meet in a tournament final and the first siblings to rank top two at the same time.
Serena Williams was the first woman to win the season-ending championship in her debut, the first African American to win the Australian Open and the first woman to win between $6 and $60 million dollars in prize money in a single year (in 2009, 2013 and 2014). She is also the first woman to win over 50 matches in four Grand Slams.
Venus Williams holds the record for the fastest serve in three out of four Grand Slam tournaments, she won the first two women's doubles titles, and she was the first African American to hold the world No. 1 ranking.
Kerri Strug Performing Flawlessly with an Injury
Kerri Strug was an Olympic gymnast at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She needed near-perfect scores to bring home the gold for the U.S. team. While performing her first vault routine, Strug injured her ankle in the landing and limped her way back to the start of the runway. She then proceeded to perform her second vault, landing on one foot and was then carried off by her coach. She managed to perform through the pain of her injury and still acquire the scores needed to bring home the gold medal.
Mo'ne Davis First Girl to Throw Shutout In Little League World Series
Mo'ne Davis was the first girl to participate in the Little League World Series and win in a shutout. The 13-year-old can throw a 70 MPH fastball and is better than most male pitchers. She broke stereotypes and set records.
Mary Lou Retton Olympic Win
Mary Lou Retton was gymnast that set records in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. During the time, there was still political turmoil due to the Cold War and Russia boycotted the games. Retton was edged out by a Romanian gymnast and needed to get a near-perfect score to win and bring nationalistic pride back to America. She pulled off a perfect score to earn the all-around gold medal. She also won one silver and two bronze medals in individual events, plus the silver for Team USA.
Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh Dominate
Misty May Treanor and Kerry Walsh are quite possibly the best beach volleyball team ever. The pair have captivated audiences across the U.S. and around the world. They have won gold medals in three Olympics and won numerous championships.They won every single set of every match on their way to winning gold medal in 2004 and 2008.
2015 Women's World Cup Victory
The U.S. Women's soccer team won the World Cup on July 5, 2015, beating Japan 5-2. This game consisted of a hat trick by Carli Lloyd — the fastest hat trick in World Cup history — scored in the first 16 minutes of the game. The game broke television viewing records, and was an epic rematch between Japan and the U.S.; the U.S. had lost in the 2011 World Cup facing the same competitor. This was also the first time the U.S. had won in 16 years, thus extending the Fourth of July celebrations into the fifth of July.
Women's sports and female athletes set records, break stereotypes and are role models for young women everywhere. Women play sports just as well as men, and sometimes, they can play the game better. Women's sports play an underrated, important role in the sports world.
