The final game of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup filled the Rose Bowl to capacity – so much so, it still ranks as the most-watched women’s sporting event in human history. But, upon further review, the “victory” recorded by Team USA needs to have an asterix next to it. Why’s that?
Well, YouTube, in Its Wisdom, just referred me to this video from ABC that somebody uploaded a few years back – check out 2:15 when Team China lost the match because the American goalkeeper launched herself yards past the goal line before the ball was touched during the penalty-kick tiebreaker.
Should the American goalie have been penalized? Of course. Was she? No. There’s your asterix right there.
Leaving aside the issue of handing out asterixeses to 16-year-old gymnasts who weren’t yet 16-years-old, all we can do is look forward next month’s Vancouver Olympics. That’s where a ridiculous new figure skating scoring system (which itself is a knee-jerk reaction to the scandal-plagued 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City) promises a fresh new flurry of asterixii.
Oh well.
Anyway, due to unquestionable YouTube evidence, and on behalf of America, sorry about 1999.
Better late than never…
