Crystal Dunn, the veteran defender on the U.S. women’s national soccer team heading into the Olympics, says it’s about time people are taking notice of women’s sports.
“Finally,” she told NBC News on the eve of the WNBA draft. “What you see is just what happens when people pay attention. People are like, ‘Oh, women can ball.’”
The highly buzzed-about draft came after a gripping women’s NCAA basketball tournament, during which it seemed all anyone could talk about were superstar players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese or coaches Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey.
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Though they don’t play the same sport, Dunn and her teammates on the national team and in the National Women’s Soccer League have been tireless in their quest to make sure that women athletes are treated with equity — especially given how beloved the team has been since its iconic 1999 women’s World Cup victory.
“I think the biggest thing is investment,” said Dunn, who plays for the New York/New Jersey Gotham Football Club during the regular season. She’s talking about the big bucks being funneled into women’s teams by other professional athletes who are betting on women. Her own team is backed by retired soccer pro Carli Lloyd, NBA player Kevin Durant, retired NFL player Eli Manning and retired WNBA great Sue Bird, who also happens to be the partner of recently retired soccer legend Megan Rapinoe.
“All of these people have achieved so much in their own sports, but at the same time are now giving back to the women’s game, and I think that’s really exciting,” said Dunn, 31.
Earlier this year, the team prevailed over Canada at the SheBelieves tournament, which Dunn said had been helpful in getting the national team gelled before heading to Paris this summer.
“I think the team is in a really good…
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