Initial Publication Date: November 29th, 2023; Revised Publication Date: December 3rd, 2024.

So this post is in response to the interview held between Abby Wambach and Yaba Play. I want to use it to address a larger issue that Women’ Soccer and Women’s Sport is going to have to deal with; drawing a line in the sand about who is welcome and who is not welcome into the emerging and growing community of Women’s Sport and Women’s Soccer.

These discussions have been ongoing, specifically in cases of trans athletes competing with non-trans athletes; but I don’t mean just that. The guest from the interview, Yaba Play, makes the following statement: “white people, your money will not assuage your way out of guilt. You can not pay your way out of this. There are not enough reparations in the world.” Abby’s response was: “that’s awesome.”

This is racism and the refusal of Abby to call a spade a spade speaks volumes about how influential this ideology already is, not just in Women’s soccer and sport, but also throughout the United States. The refusal to call out and take a stand against such racism and narcissism is dangerous for the future of women’s soccer and dangerous for the United States, in general.

Yaba and people with similar ideologies do not seek to heal or productively resolve any form of legitimate discrimination that is ongoing or has occurred. On the contrary, their goal is to use the pain and emotion created from these injustices to manipulate people into acting against their own best interests and to instead promote the narcissistic, self-serving interests of people like like Ms. Play, which often are extremely harmful.

Why are these ideologues so pervasive and dangerous? Because of the legacy and history of discrimination in this country, e.g., against women, which makes women, and those within the U.S. Soccer community, much more amenable and susceptible to manipulation from ideologues claiming to fight on behalf of the oppressed and marginalized.

Historically speaking, ideologues like Ms. Play, who I label ‘Marxists,’ are drawn to various emotionally charged and sensitive movements, e.g., activist and civil rights movements, with the aim of using these communities for their own personal ends and means; the emerging community of Women’s soccer and Women’s sport is no different.

When I was watching the REcap show, a podcast hosted by former USWNT players Tobin Health and Christen Press, Tobin Health would start each show by saying, and I’m paraphrasing here, “we want to define what the culture of women’s soccer would be.” Following this idea, I think the women’s soccer community has to think deeply about what this culture will be and subsequently who they allow into this burgeoning community. What ideologies should the community stand for and represent? What ideologies should the community oppose?

This is what we all must think on and cultivate. It’s imperative for the protection and growth of what we all love and cherish; the USWNT and US Women’s Soccer.