Japan won the FIFA Women’s World Cup yesterday over the U.S. 3-1 in penalty kicks after ending overtime tied at 2-2. The U.S. team “missed an opportunity to give the women’s game in the U.S. a real boost.” There is “no denying that interest in women’s soccer is greater now than before the World Cup, but a U.S. win would have done so much more” (FOXSPORTS.com, 7/18). However, USA TODAY’s Christine Brennan writes the “raw, awe-inspiring athletic moments from this tournament will not soon be forgotten, and will bring more girls to the game around the world” (USA TODAY, 7/18).
Below is a round-up of front-page reactions to Japan defeating the U.S. in yesterday's FIFA Women's World Cup final:
USA Today: "Japan Stuns USA"
Wall Street Journal: "Japanese Women Squeak Past In World Cup Thriller"
Boston Globe: "No Celebration For The Americans"
Indianapolis Star: "What A Great Ride"
L.A. Times: "More Than A Game For Japan"
N.Y. Times: "Japan's Cup Of Joy"
Oakland Tribune: "Certain U.S. Win Slips Away"
Portland Oregonian: "From Devastation To Inspiration"
Seattle Times: "Japan Ends U.S. Dream"
Washington Times: "Hope Extinguished For Americans"
The Japan-U.S. game set a new record on Twitter with a peak volume of 7,196 tweets per second at the end of the match. Several other sporting events have held the Twitter tweets-per-second record, including the '10 NBA Finals and men's World Cup last year. But the Women's World Cup beat out New Year's Eve '10/'11 in Japan, which most recently held the record with a peak volume of 6,939 tweets per second. The Women's World Cup game beat Super Bowl XLV in February, which at one point held the No. 2 Twitter volume slot with 4,064 tweets per second, by a whopping 77% (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
Coca-Cola runs a full-page ad in this morning's USA Today promoting its sponsorship of the FIFA Women's World Cup. The ad shows two glass bottles and the copy, "Cheers! To The FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 Champions and all the other amazing women who played this year" (THE DAILY).
