Press Box: The Aftermath of World Cup exemplifies misogyny is still prevalent in sports

Thailon Wilson, Sports Editor

After Spain won their first ever Women’s World Cup, Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales kissed Spanish forward Jennifer Hermoso Fuentes without consent. Many people are supportive of Rubiales which shows how backwards this situation is being viewed.

England and Spain went down to decide who will be the champions of the world during the women’s World Cup Final on Aug. 20. 

Spain defender Olga Carmona scored the first goal of the game at the 29-minute mark which would ultimately seal the game for the Spanish national team.

After the final whistle blew, Spain celebrated their win by hugging and cheering for the championship they got for themselves and for their country.

Rubiales was among the people celebrating when he kissed Hermoso without consent.

This should’ve been a simple investigation considering the video footage of the assault happening, but in reality it was the beginning of something else. Rubiales walked up to Hermoso, grabbed her face and kissed her.

Uproar from Spanish players and football fans everywhere poured through the airwaves, timelines and feeds.

However, Rubiales announced on Aug. 25 during the federation’s general assembly that he will not be stepping down from the position and that the kiss was consensual, according to CNN.

“I will not resign” and “Fake Feminism” were amongst the quotes that Rubiales would shout during his 30-minute speech, according to CNN. 

His speech garnered support from fellow members of the Spanish Football Federation to the point that the SFF threatened to sue Hermoso over “lies” about the kiss, according to the Guardian. 

Rubiales has also been criticized for his actions by football players across the world.

Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who is an international teammate of Hermoso, expressed that Rubiales’ speech at the assembly was unacceptable, according to CNN.

Spain’s Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz said that Rubiales should resign immediately, according to CNN.

FIFA suspended Rubiales for 90 days on Aug. 26 so that they can investigate and come to a ruling on a full termination, according to ESPN.

Tension is building in the legal world, as well as the social media world, between those who are standing with Rubiales and those who are standing with Hermoso. 

This incident brought into light a nasty side of sports that has been under the veil because of the entertainment of the games.

Hermoso was a victim in a situation that would be typically seen as a time for celebration, and many watchers aren’t grasping the severity of the incident. 

On Instagram, commenters labeled the situation as “not serious” and “absolutely ok” because Spain had just one their first women’s World Cup.

Sexual harassment is still a serious problem in the United States. Women made up 78.2% of sexual harassment charges filed between 2018-2021 in the workplace, according to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

This is only accounting for cases that are reported to Human Resources and filed to police stations, so the data could be skewed.

This is eerily similar to the backlash USA women’s gymnast Simone Biles faced when she stepped away from the sport to focus on her mental health. 

Comments flooded news outlets’ posts about Biles calling her “exaggeratory” and “not patriotic” due to her decision to step away.  

These instances of downright awful behavior remind me that even though progress has been made for women’s empowerment within sports, many people still hold misogynistic views in their heads and see women as a commodity of entertainment. 

Rubiales might face consequences for his actions, as he is currently under investigation by the Spanish High Court, according to Reuters, but his tirade during the federation assembly already did damage. 

Women are seen in sports all over the world. Many fans love them when they are representing their country like Hermoso, or when they show dominance in their sports and win the World Cup like Alex Morgan.

However, when female athletes bring up issues like mental health, abuse or they simply stop winning, many fans stop seeing them as people they love watching and instead start feeling a sort of hate.

Rubiales is the most recent glaring example of a theme that many fans, sports teams and the sports world sees: Women athletes are objects of enjoyment but are never seen as people.