editor’s note: Becky Sauerbrunn announced that she will miss the 2023 World Cup due to a foot injury
Who said that to be a leader you have to raise your voice?
That’s not the case for Becky Sauerbrunn, the captain of the United States women’s national soccer team.
Sauerbrunn, 38, has been in the sport a long time, even before his college years at Virginia in 2003.
Two decades later, the St. Louis native continues to play for NWSL club Portland’s Thorns and the national team. Had it not been for a foot injury that kept her out of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, this would have been her fourth World Cup, a testament to her longevity.
Her absence will be a significant loss for the United States given her consistency and experience as a central defender, though her leadership off the pitch is just as vital as well.
And he does it in a unique way.
Gender inequality is unfortunately still a recurring theme in life and sport is not immune.
For Sauerbrunn, her journey to speak out against gender inequality and create meaningful change began when she was a high school student and athlete.
“I found out in high school,” Sauerbrunn said on NBC’s “My Favorite World Cup” podcast. “I didn’t really know what words to use but watching men’s soccer games as opposed to women’s games, I thought why are there more people in the men’s games and not the women’s games?”
Sauerbrunn then managed to debut in the national team in 2008 after rising in the ranking of youth teams. In 2016 she was named captain alongside Carli Lloyd of the team at the Rio Summer Olympics.
Her time with the national team helped open her eyes, Sauerbrunn said.
“I started the process of unlearning everything by being around women who had already been through that kind of revelation, that this is not okay,” she said. “Why do I believe in these things?”
“I remember going to the national team’s matches and we managed to attract between 8,000 and 10,000 people in our matches, while 25,000 or 26,000 people attended the men’s matches. And I didn’t understand why that was happening, not understanding about investing early and seeing if there’s a profit later. And I thought, no wonder men earn more than us, because more people are going to see them”.
Sauerbrunn then began to speak out against inequality but said he didn’t start until he played for the national team for a while. She started talking to more women who had worked with older generations of players, like Julie Foudy, Michelle Akers and many more, to spark the conversation about earning a living wage doing what they love.
Through conversations with the US Soccer Federation, Sauerbrunn and other women realized that they needed to use their platform more often to lobby and give women more space in their fight, as talks stalled.
When the historic equal pay agreement was reached in September 2022, Sauerbrunn felt pure joy at what she and other women accomplished, as well as great gratitude to those who helped.
“It felt really good,” he said. “And it was amazing that she was in DC and before a crowd. We had just won a game. We had all these unionists, leaders from baseball, football, NWSL, our senators, people who had invested in the fight. And signing it that same night in front of so many people and being able to thank the people was very good”.
Sauerbrunn also believes that her introverted nature is a superpowered weapon, especially considering how she is surrounded by extroverts. And she highlights a book that helped her in the process, called “Quiet,” which addresses introversion, which gave her a fresh perspective on her life and helped her find a balance with her team.
“Quiet helped me explain why I am the way I am but also the fears I had about being a leader. They kind of started to have less of a hold on me in my mind because with so many extroverts, you need someone to take a step back and bring those ties together into something unique. And that I think is my superpower.
You don’t need to have a powerful voice to be a leader or to generate change. Being an extrovert shouldn’t limit anyone when it comes to fighting for something they believe in, and Sauerbrunn led the way.
Listen to the full conversation with Becky Sauerbrunn on NBC’s “My Favorite World Cup” here.
