KANSAS CITY. Mo.— When I lived in Kansas City as a young journalist, I was obnoxious about my love for Houston.
I bragged that our downtown skyline was bigger. Our culinary options were more robust, and our cultural diversity far outweighed anything in the Midwestern city known for jazz and barbecue.
Kansas City has bragging rights now. While I was visiting family there during spring break, the city unveiled a $120 million stadium built exclusively for a professional women's sports team. The 11,500-capacity CPKC Stadium, which has been touted as the first stadium in the world built solely for women, is home to the Kansas City Current team of the National Women's Soccer League. The team is co-owned by KC Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany.
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This may not seem like a huge deal if you are not into soccer. But in a climate in which women's reproductive rights are being stripped away and diversity efforts cooled, this is a major win for women in an industry in which they have historically been paid less and faced tremendous gender discrimination. It's a symbol of a commitment to equality and inclusivity.
Women's professional soccer has inspired girls across the nation, yet female players have fought hard for fair treatment.
In 2019, the U.S. women's soccer team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation, arguing that women players were paid significantly less and had inferior working conditions despite the players doing basically the same job as the U.S. men’s national team. The suit cited that members of the men’s team could earn an average of $263,320 each, while women’s team players could only earn up to $99,000 maximum.
Soccer players at the 2023 Women’s World Cup earned an average of just 25 cents for every dollar earned by men at their World Cup last year, according to a CNN analysis. And that is an increase from the 8 cents per dollar at the time of the suit in 2019.
Alex Singer, general manager of the Houston Dash professional soccer team, said there wasn't much investment in the league a decade ago when she played for the Washington Freedom, which was part of the now defunct Women's United Soccer Association.
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"We played in stadiums that didn't meet regulations, were the wrong size or even located on a baseball field. There were two (women's) leagues prior that failed," she said. "Now, every club is finding ways in their market to contribute to the trajectory of the league, and I know in Kansas City that's huge."
In Houston, women's soccer has seen significant growth. In 2022, the Dash sold out the 22,000-seat Shell Energy Stadium for the playoff match. The team also has garnered impressive corporate support from companies like Chevron. The increased resources included additional staffing. Singer was hired in late 2022 as the team's first general manager.
The Dash is celebrating its 10-year anniversary and has released anniversary and Space City Blue jerseys to commemorate the moment.
"Every player is motivated to play when they run out into the stadium and feel the support of the fans," Singer said. "We can see after the game the fans, many of which are kids, come up to the players. We see their faces when a player signs their jersey or takes a photo with them. You see how much it means to them."
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In Kansas City, the new red and teal CPKC stadium sits on the banks of the Missouri River, with the quaint downtown skyline, which seems endearing to me now, in the background.
It represents a real investment in women's professional sports and sends a message to girls that equality is the standard, along with their own locker room.
Kansas City's $120M leap for women's sports equality is a win here
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28.03.2024
KANSAS CITY. Mo.— When I lived in Kansas City as a young journalist, I was obnoxious about my love for Houston.
I bragged that our downtown skyline was bigger. Our culinary options were more robust, and our cultural diversity far outweighed anything in the Midwestern city known for jazz and barbecue.
Kansas City has bragging rights now. While I was visiting family there during spring break, the city unveiled a $120 million stadium built exclusively for a professional women's sports team. The 11,500-capacity CPKC Stadium, which has been touted as the first stadium in the world built solely for women, is home to the Kansas City Current team of the National Women's Soccer League. The team is co-owned by KC Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany.
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This may not seem like a huge deal if you are not into soccer. But in a climate in which women's reproductive........
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