The 1999 US Women's World Cup team : short term popularity or lasting impression? : an honors thesis [(HONRS 499)]

Abstract

The Women's World Cup in 1999 is one of the most surprisingly successful events in American sports history. With charm and athleticism the US women's team transformed a nation otherwise largely indifferent to the game of soccer into fans overnight. This paper examines the careful planning and marketing that went into the Cup, how the Cup was used as a springboard for a women's professional soccer league in the United States and the lasting and short term effects of the hype surrounding the Cup.