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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Beau Dure

USA 1999 transformed women’s soccer. Can Beijing 2022 do the same for ice hockey?

United States Olympics Canada ABL
The US celebrate their victory over Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics
The US celebrate their victory over Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Photograph: Larry W Smith/EPA

In 1996, the US women’s basketball team won Olympic gold in Atlanta, providing a solid foundation for two professional leagues. The WNBA, which had the backing of the NBA and better marketing, outlasted the ABL and continues to this day.

After their victory on home soil at the 1999 World Cup, the US women’s soccer team seized the spotlight and parlayed that attention into a professional league. That league collapsed, but waves of publicity over the next decade have yielded a solid fanbase determined to keep professional women’s soccer running.

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