Scoring in Life: Key Takeaways from the 2023 Women’s World Cup

The Women’s World Cup. It’s one of the premier sporting events in the world with the highest level of athleticism on display. So yeah, it’s a pretty big deal. This year’s Women’s World Cup delivered record-breaking viewership, attendance numbers, and revenue. It’s about time we give these women the credit they deserve (although there’s still more work to be done).?

Sports and competition and winning are all fun. But it’s more than just a game. Here are some of my highlights and lessons learned from the 2023 Women’s World Cup:

The Power of Creativity (& CGI)

If you haven’t seen France’s promo video, stop what you’re doing and watch it now. Trust me. Not to be dramatic, but I still get chills every time I watch it. In a sport dominated by men, this ad is clever, inspiring, eye-catching, and most importantly, thought-provoking. It takes the stereotypes around women’s sports -- too slow, not exciting & less physical -- and flips the script.?

What makes this extra genius is that the French national men’s team had a riveting run to the final in the 2022 World Cup. Star players like Griezmann, Giroud & Mmboppe became even more dominant and liked not only in France but around the globe. It was a perfect opportunity to capitalize on the success of the men’s team from the year before and generate worldwide excitement leading into the women’s tournament.?

Key Lesson: Take the header! Address the stereotype, pain point, or hesitation head-on. Sometimes no extra fluff or words (but a little bit of creativity and talent) are necessary to get your message across.

You Have a Team for a Reason?

In sports, there’s a starting line-up. There’s also an entire team full of more-than-capable athletes ready to jump into action, too. As the reigning World Cup champions, Team USA had a pretty disappointing run this year. Are there a handful of things that could’ve been done better? Sure. But I would argue the biggest missed opportunity was the head coach not utilizing his team.?

Team USA barely squeaked out of the group stage (guaranteed first three games for all World Cup teams) then lost in the Round of 16. During those games, there were little to no substitutions. This meant the starters played nearly all 90+ minutes when there was an opportunity to bring in fresh and energized bodies. The end result? USWNT had its worst World Cup finish ever.

Key Lesson:? A team is a group of people coming together to achieve a common goal. Not everyone is on the starting lineup, but everyone serves a purpose. Trust your team. They’re there for a reason.?

Step Out of Your Zone

We all have a comfort zone. An area we feel safe and we know how to navigate. A place where we can take responsibility for mishaps and celebrate the wins. For Team USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, her zone is the goalie box. Her main priority every single game is to protect the net. But what happens when that’s not the case??

In the Round of 16, the USA vs. Sweden match went into penalty kicks -- which means the team with the best score after five shots wins. But after five shots, the score was still tied. And Team USA needed another player to take kick number six. That player was none other than Naeher, who just came off an incredible save to keep the team’s hope alive. Literally stepping out of her zone, Naeher rose to the occasion and became the first keeper in World Cup history (men’s or women’s) to score a penalty kick. Talk about #GOALS.?

Key Lesson: Whether you’re being called upon or want to take initiative, it’s good to step out of your comfort zone. Chances are you might do something you never thought was possible, but more importantly, you’ll constantly be growing and learning.?

The final takeaway? Support women in sports. Give your favorite women athletes and their teams a follow on social media. Attend or tune into their games. If you’re a business owner or decision maker, become a sponsor or explore opportunities to partner with student-athletes via NIL. The opportunities are endless. And the time to invest is now.?