Sinclair’s biggest goal is equal opportunity
EXPOSURE KEY FOR GIRLS TO GAIN INTEREST
Christine Sinclair scored the tying goal to secure a draw for her Portland Thorns team last weekend. That’s what she does: score goals. She netted a hat trick a game earlier, pushing her past 200 in her club career, to go with the 186 she has scored for Canada, more than any man or woman in FIFA play.
Sinclair, 37, had barely had a kick in game action since Olympic qualifying in January, but put her back on the pitch and, boom, four goals in two matches.
Still, it’s far from normal. “Honestly, it feels like we’ve been in pre- season since February,” Sinclair says over the phone from Portland. “It’s been training for large chunks of time, playing a couple games, then training for large chunks of time and playing a couple games. But yeah, it is nice for those 90 minutes to play.” The NWSL has been playing regional matches to cut down on travel and limit risk, but those will be finished this weekend.
A number of high- profile players in the NWSL have jumped to Europe for the rest of the Women’s Super League season. Alex Morgan of the United States has joined Tottenham Hotspur, while her teammate Tobin Heath will play with Manchester United. But Sinclair says once it became clear that there would be some sort of NWSL play this fall, she was happy to play on this continent and then recharge for whatever next season might hold.
This was a curious year for the NWSL. Like all leagues, it was disrupted by the pandemic, but because it came back earliest with a tournament in Orlando, it managed to get major television exposure, particularly in the U. S.
It plans to add two teams next season, then a Los Angeles franchise owned by a large group of Hollywood celebrities and athletes. It’s no longer a question of whether the league will survive, says Sinclair, who has played in Portland for eight seasons, but of how big it can become.
It’s the question that remains with all professional leagues for women, from the more successful like the WNBA to the failed like the Canadian Women’s Hockey League to the rapidly growing WSL in Europe: can they offer viable professional careers for players who aren’t necessarily superstars? Can they become a place that allows girls to have the same professional- athlete dreams as boys?
Sinclair and I are speaking as she is promoting a new campaign from the Canadian Women’s Foundation, called Show Up for Girls.
It highlights the specific problems that girls face due the ongoing pandemic, from mental health challenges to increased isolation.
As one of the best athletes that Canada has ever produced — but one whose exploits are rarely seen widely unless she is playing in an Olympics or a World Cup — Sinclair knows well that women’s sports have an exposure deficit. It has also long been a chicken- oregg problem: broadcasters have shown little interest in women’s leagues because they are small and often have few fans, but it’s that same television exposure that would help drive fan interest.
“I know there’s big fights for equal pay ( in sports), but I want equal opportunities,” Sinclair says. “You know, I can turn on the TV and watch, like, cornhole competitions that men are playing in, or some random boat racing. So it is hard to accept that they can’t put women’s basketball or soccer on the TV. And it would mean so much to young girls. You need to see it to believe that you can do it.”
When Sinclair was growing up in British Columbia, she says she never imagined that soccer could be a career until she was literally training alongside members of the national team.
She notes, too, that advocating equality through organizations like the Canadian Women’s Foundation is not just about sports.
“Girls in every aspect of life deserve the same opportunities that the boys get,” she says. “Whether that’s sports, whether that’s mentorship programs or leadership programs. Of course, I lean toward sports because that’s what I’m comfortable with … but for a lot of people, it isn’t.”
“I know that the issues that women face in professional soccer, I can guarantee, women in every walk of life face the same challenges.”
Oddly, the pandemic has provided an opportunity for a bit of a breakthrough for women’s pro leagues. There is both a demand for live programming and a dearth of live sports, with all kinds of secondary and amateur sports that would normally take up television time not operating. TSN gave a noticeable bump in attention to the WNBA to fill the void, while Sportsnet signed a deal to air WSL matches. It’s a start, even if it came a year too late to save the CWHL.
“Women’s sports just need to be given a chance,” Sinclair says. “Now, being in the U. S., I can turn on ESPN and the NWSL shows upon the ticker on the bottom (of the screen). That would have never happened in the past. So we are making small steps.”
Will a significant change come while Sinclair is still playing? It feels like she could be scoring goals forever, so ... maybe.
“For me, to have young girls see, ‘Oh my God, there’s basketball players or soccer players that look like me that are on TV, that’s cool.’ They just need to see it.”
WOMEN’S SPORTS JUST NEED TO BE GIVEN A CHANCE.