Fact check: No world record has ever been broken in women’s sports

A Feyenoord fan in 1963. Photo by Erik Koch during National Archives

The volleyball match was held between the Universities of Nebraska and Omaha and was played at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. There were several hundred more spectators than last year for the Women’s Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg. There are already quite a few, but the record has not been broken yet. Not quite yet, even.

Social history

Historically aware sports organizations are good, but independent research into sports history is even better. This case clearly illustrates that, because it is not entirely clear what the new world record claim is based on. After all, just king The history of sport, which took place within the formal organizational structure of international sport.

This obscures the view of the social history of women’s sports, because it has been around for a very long time the outside played by the official sporting world – especially in football. All developments are kept secret before the official acceptance of men’s sporting directors, mainly to make their role larger and more impressive than it actually was.

So we’re seeing it happen again in USA Volleyball, where organizers are blowing themselves up – just like what happened with FIFA last year. In fact, it has nothing to do with independent historical research. Unfortunately, the likelihood of an ordinary sports editor noticing this is very slim, because knowledge of sports history there is so limited.

Mexico 1971

For example, the 1971 Women’s World Cup in Mexico was ignored, one year after the Men’s World Cup was held in the same country. The difference between these two events was that the first was organized by FIFA and the second was not.

The women’s event was in the hands Independent European Women’s Football AssociationFIEFF for short. Neither FIFA nor the Mexican Football Federation wanted to hold a women’s world championship at all, and thus caused as many problems as possible for FIFA. It’s all in vain, because never before has such an audience come to this extent. This in turn generated a lot of interest from the international media.

During the final match at Aztec Stadium, the crowd was packed. This will mainly be because the host country played against Denmark. Not all journalists were equally enthusiastic about this. “Emancipation has already advanced that far,” he reported Polygon World News For example, she was very sarcastic in her reporting, making no effort to hide her distaste for women’s football, with extensive use of diminutives. Amid great cheers, the Mexican women rushed out. But the Danish girls scored first. Denmark eventually won this final, just as they had done a year earlier at the World Cup in Italy.

International record

The 1970 World Cup final in Italy actually attracted 40,000 spectators, a huge number for international women’s football at the time. That was nothing compared to Mexico in 1971. On August 15, 1971, 100,000 (a hundred thousand!) people watched the host country, which beat Argentina 3-1. In the semi-final against Italy, 80,000 to 90,000 were counted. The highlight was the final, with 110,000 to 115,000 spectators in attendance – at least according to the BBC.

This means an increase of about 20,000 visitors from the so-called new world record. That volleyball game at Memorial Stadium isn’t even in the top three! The fact that FIFA and other sporting organizations do not officially recognize the FIFA World Cup is completely irrelevant – at least to an independent researcher. Otherwise, this World Cup will be for second It has been expunged from history once: first in 1971 itself, and now again.

Sports history is not written on the tables of federations, although they themselves may think so. Therefore, the 1971 World Cup final is the most attended women’s sports match ever. With any luck, USA Volleyball women are now in fourth place at most.