USA Women’s Soccer Drew Biggest Olympic Audience In 20 Years Without Rapinoe, Morgan

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For the first time in 16 years, the United States Women's National Team (USWNT) took the field at the Olympics without Megan Rapinoe. 

Not only did the squad capture Olympic gold for the first time since 2012, but Americans watched on television in record numbers. 

It turns out that eschewing the America-hating Rapinoe, biology-denying Becky Sauerbrunn, and newly-minted left-wing crusader Alex Morgan meant more interest from American viewers. 

Who would have guessed?!

According to Sports Media Watch, "the United States-Brazil women’s soccer final averaged 9.0 million [viewers]… the most-watched soccer final since 2004." 

The USA Women's National Team (USWNT) won the gold medal at the Olympics without Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan and did so in front of a massive television audience.

The USA Women's National Team (USWNT) won the gold medal at the Olympics without Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan and did so in front of a massive television audience.

(Carl Recine/Getty Images)

That team in 2004 didn't feature Rapinoe, either. In the only Rapinoe-led Olympic gold medal victory, in 2012, 4.35 million Americans tuned in to watch, or less than half of the number from Sunday. 

Of course, we can't compare that number to the more recent gold medal matches since the Rapinoe-led USWNT failed to even reach the final at either of the past two Summer Olympics.

As OutKick wrote last week, "It's been hard for many Americans to root for the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) in recent years, since they have had so many players who openly and regularly bashed the United States. The ring leader, of course, was Megan Rapinoe." 

I penned a somewhat controversial column during the 2023 World Cup asking a simple question: "Is It Un-American To Root Against The US Women's National Team During The World Cup?" 

Unsurprisingly, many OutKick readers said that they would not root for the USWNT as long as players like Rapinoe continued to don the Red, White and Blue while simultaneously criticizing the country at every turn. 

The USA Women's National Team (USWNT) won the gold medal at the Olympics without Megan Rapinoe (pictured) and Alex Morgan and did so in front of a massive television audience.

The USA Women's National Team (USWNT) won the gold medal at the Olympics without Megan Rapinoe (pictured) and Alex Morgan and did so in front of a massive television audience.

(Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images)

Well, the 2024 USWNT that competed at the Olympics didn't have any of those players leading the charge. 

Instead, it was a team effort led by players who have a lot more "we" and a lot less "me." Remember, you can't spell Megan Rapinoe without starting with "Me." 

And Americans responded extremely positively to the new roster, which seemed much more concerned with winning and representing the United States than making ridiculous and baseless political arguments. 

Following the miserable failure at the 2023 Women's World Cup, the USWNT started looking for younger, hungrier players more interested in soccer than left-wing politics. 

The results speak for themselves. The U.S. Women captured the gold medal and outscored its opponents 10-2 and did not allow a single goal over its final 330 minutes of Olympic play. 

The new era of women's soccer in the United States is here, and it couldn't have come soon enough. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.