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USWNT Celebrating in NYC
(NBC News)
A ticker-tape parade was held today in NYC for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) for winning its fourth World Cup trophy in France.
For the team’s most recent World Cup trophy, the USWNT defeated the Netherlands — a women’s national team on the rise — 2-nil in the World Cup Final played on July 7. The red, white and blue won thanks to goals from Megan Rapinoe (61st-minute PK) and Rose Lavelle (69th-minute laser from outside the 18-yard-box).
The 2019 Women’s World Cup, including the years leading up to this summer’s tournament — was an incredible journey for the USWNT. Whether people want to continue to refuse to acknowledge the reality that soccer is a popular sport in the United States, Alex Morgan, and her teammates will continue to play their part in the sport’s clear popularity and growth domestically and abroad.
As reported in the LA Times article titled “Viewership of Women’s World Cup final exceeds 14 million on Fox.”
Fox’s audience of 14.271 million made the U.S. victory the most-watched soccer match on English-language TV in the country since the record-setting 2015 Women’s World Cup final audience that recorded 25 million viewers in prime time. The 2019 audience peaked at nearly 20 million.
In addition to the team’s triumphant victory, the big issue being pushed by the USWNT and its fans — including today during the post-parade ceremony — is the call for equal pay, which seems to be building momentum. Between now and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, it will be interesting if changes will be made with this issue. FIFA will ultimately play a definitive role in this ongoing debate.
Once again, congratulations to the USWNT for winning its fourth World Cup trophy and earning its fourth star!
Never Forget
Sixteen years have passed and yet that day will never fade from memory. And that goes for everyone who lived through the day that felt like the end of the world. While part of me wants to write endlessly about 9/11 recalling every detail and memory, the greater urge today has been to look back into the sky.
On September 11, 2001, I looked up into the clear blue September sky thinking how everything I knew had changed. A paralyzingly eerie feeling overwhelmed my entire body in this surreal gaze. And as a sophomore in high school, I was old enough to process what had happened. The tragedy of the day, with its heart-wrenching imagery, the heroism of the first responders and passengers on United 93 and the ever-lasting, sinking feeling that the world would never be the same will last forever.
The fact that my dad was almost in New York City, specifically the World Trade Center, on the morning of 9/11…Luckily, he got the last flight out of New York City back to Columbus on September 10th, completely unaware of what would happen just hours later.
RIP to all the victims and their families from the plane crashes in New York City, Washington, D.C. and the United 93 flight that heroically crashed in Pennsylvania.
Never forget and “let’s roll.”
Pushing Towards that Whopper of a Dream
Viktor Navorski’s preference for Burger King aside, his passion for working hard for what he wants makes for a perfect Throwback Thursday.
The Terminal was a 2004 Steven Spielberg-Tom Hanks collaboration that cleverly told the story of a man from a war-torn nation stranded in New York’s JFK terminal desperate to visit the United States. Bustling during the day and eerily lonely at night, the JFK terminal proved an opportunity and a prison for Viktor. He cannot leave the terminal and enter the United States because of his status as the man without a country. In what’s revealed as his charming character trait, Viktor befriends the blue-collar workers of the airport and evolves from a peculiar foreign nuisance into an inspirational tour de force.
No matter what your goals and dreams are for today and tomorrow, we should all embrace the spirited resolve of Viktor Navorski.
Only Steven Spielberg could’ve framed and transformed a mundane activity into an endearing exercise of the human spirit.
Happy Throwback Thursday!
