US women’s soccer tries to overcome past lack of diversity

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FILE - United States' Megan Rapinoe lifts up a trophy after winning the Women's World Cup final soccer match between U.S. and The Netherlands at the Stade de Lyon in Decines, outside Lyon, France, July 7, 2019. The House has passed a bill that ensures equal compensation for U.S. women competing in international events, a piece of legislation that came out of the U.S. women's soccer team's long battle to be paid as much as the men. The Equal Pay for Team USA Act, passed late Wednesday night, Dec. 21, 2022, now heads to President Joe Biden's desk. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Women’s soccer in the United States is trying to improve its diversity.

The effort starts with the sport’s pay-to-play model, which can exclude talented kids from communities of color.

Even U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone has lamented that soccer is seen as a “rich, white kids’ sport.”

U.S. national team defender Crystal Dunn has seen the national team become steadily more representative, but she says there’s still work that needs to be done.

That starts with making sure young women of color feel welcome all the way down to the youth level.

Read the full story on AP News right here.

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

1/11/2023 3:53:10 PM (GMT -6:00)

Categories: Sports
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