Legacy of USWNT '99ers is so much more than iconic World Cup title

HARRISON, N.J. — The ‘99ers text chain has been a little spicy in recent months.

The World Cup champions always knew there was a market for women’s sports. That tournament in 1999, played in sold-out NFL stadiums across the country and watched by millions at home, was proof, and the players hoped their thrilling victory in front of a packed Rose Bowl would be a catalyst for more investment and support.

To see it finally happening, 25 years later, delights them to no end.

Irritates them, too.

“It’s like, FINALLY! Thank God,” Julie Foudy said Friday. “There is a very robust ‘99ers text chain celebrating Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and all these things that are happening, not just in soccer but in other sports. We celebrate it like it’s our own. It’s a very maternal feeling.

“We played a small part in this, but to see it actually take off 25 years later, it’s just great to see,” Foudy added. “It just took way too long.”

The entire 1999 team will celebrate the 25^th anniversary of their World Cup title at the USWNT's game against Mexico on Saturday, and the timing could not be more perfect. These women — Foudy, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Briana Scurry, and all the rest — set in motion the gains women’s sports and the women who play them are seeing unfold in real time.

Without the ‘99ers, there is no Clark and Reese and blockbuster ratings for their games, both in college and in the WNBA. Without the ‘99ers, there is no explosion in the values of women’s sports franchises and investors, sponsors and broadcasters clamoring to get a piece before they get priced out of the market. Without the ‘99ers, there is no landmark contract that gives the USWNT equal pay with the USMNT, a deal that has had ripple effects across the world.

Without those ‘99ers, their own sons and daughters would not be growing up in a society where it’s simply assumed that women can do, be and play anything they want.

“They don’t even think twice about wanting to do something,” said Hamm, who has twin girls, now 17, along with a 12-year-old son. “That’s what’s really encouraging, how they approach life.”

The ‘99ers were the product of Title IX, the first generation to benefit from the federal legislation that forced open the doors of higher education and athletic complexes to girls and young women. But their opportunities were still limited. As Hamm recalls, the first World Cup, in 1991, wasn't even allowed to be called the World Cup. Their compensation, both in salary and benefits, wasn't anywhere close to what male athletes got. There was little, if any, attention given to their games outside of the World Cup or Olympics.

The '99ers had a sense during the 1999 World Cup they were making an impact — how could you not, looking out at those packed stadiums? — but didn’t fully comprehend how widespread it was until years later.

"It's only now that I'm able to take in the whole scope of the moment that changed and brought us here. This door that opened because of that World Cup," Michelle Akers said.

Women once again make up more than half of the U.S. squad for the Paris Olympics, and they’ll probably win the U.S. medal count again, too. There are now thriving women’s professional leagues in soccer, basketball, hockey and volleyball. Salaries are rising and facilities are improving.

New USWNT coach Emma Hayes might be English, but the ‘99ers were her role models, too.

“I have this really cool picture I use with the team, which is the (’99) team on the podium and that ridiculous crowd. Unbelievable. Across it I put, 'People don’t remember time, they remember moments.' That's what I remember,” said Hayes, who is now the highest-paid women's coach in the world.

As the '99ers see a stadium built solely for an NWSL team and men and boys wearing Clark jerseys, as they see women’s sports become a normal part of the conversation in this country, there is no doubt what their legacy is.

And it’s so much more than that 1999 World Cup title.

“I think we always hoped it would have been sooner than it is. But I’m not going to complain about where we are and the optimism and the excitement around women’s sports,” Hamm said. “For a lot of us that have been a part of it, it’s like, it’s about time. We welcome you and let’s continue to grow this together.”

This weekend is a celebration not only of what the '99ers accomplished but what they've inspired. And that party is just getting started.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.