Moments before disaster, families watch their televisions as Spain’s women’s soccer team clamors and cheers at their victory over England for the coveted Federation Internationale de Football (FIFA) Women’s World Cup. As the award ceremony commences, Spanish players line up on stage to receive their medals and trophies from members of the soccer federation board – but just along the way to that prized trophy, the inconceivable happens.

On Aug. 20, a day of victory and pride for Spain suddenly became a day of outrage and disrespect. Media fire raged at Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales over his inappropriate actions with the players during their walks up to the stage — specifically, his indecorous kiss on the lips to midfielder Jennifer Hermosa as she passed by her congratulators from the federation. Hours later, headlines blasted Rubiales over the encounter as the world began to contemplate the publicity behind this act.

The public controversy around the encounter fueled a great debate and court exchange as Spanish prosecutors opened an inquiry into a charge of sexual aggression on Rubiales. Rubiales initially issued an apology, but soon after, repudiated his words by accusing his critics of using ‘false feminism’ to target him and his position. In the aftermath of Rubiales’ actions, footage was released by the Spanish federation that showed the extent to which the embrace occurred, shutting down Rubiales’ defensive claims. 

Rubiales’ refusal to accept criticism of his actions has made the case much more difficult to handle, as the situation becomes a question of misunderstanding or blatant sexism. However, with the addition of Hermosa’s fireback report declaring that she did not give consent for Rubiales to kiss her, the public and Spanish officials all began to come to the champion player’s defense. Even more so, many players began to speak out in interviews with personal experiences in the sports world, leading the current Spanish women’s football team — along with 58 former players — to refuse further participation with the national team if Rubiales was not reprimanded for his actions in forms of role removal or legal prosecution.

What leaves this scenario with greater distraught amongst the athletic community is its commonality: the unconsented kiss is one among many misconducts endured by female athletes. In 2010, U.S. Swimming faced several sexual misconduct cases against coaches — most notably, a sentence of 40 years in prison to former coach Andy King for abusing dozens of teenage female victims. In 2016, significant charges were filed against Larry Nassar, the team doctor for the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Olympic team, for sexual abuse and assault against many of the athletes. 

The exposure of these situations left the nation shocked to see that internationally acclaimed teams would face such horrors behind the scenes. Seven years later, we watch as female players continue to face misconduct – this time, on international television – while lacking proper acknowledgment through the retribution of perpetrators. The absence of progress is startling; more so, we have reached a point where misconduct toward women is not as unexpected or surprising as it should be because of how often it continues to occur within professional spaces. Despite gaining the greatest international title within the realm of the soccer world for women, these players continue to be mistreated, invoking a fear that if this happens to the best, it will only continue to happen to everyday women in work as well.

“Had that been a man, I, one hundred percent, believe that [Rubiales] would not have kissed them,” senior and Feminist Club co-president Lacy Roberts said. “Women are, even in the sports world, treated as objects. If they win, [people think], ‘I’m gonna give them a kiss’. If a man wins, it’s just a trophy. If a man had won, they would have given him much more of a mutual sense of respect. There’s a huge difference.” 

This inferior view of women as objects, as opposed to equals, is why unprofessional and abusive misconduct upholds a long history of sexism within the female sports world.

In the early years of the most basic forms of competitive sport, myths surrounded women about the harm that could ensue in their reproductive organs if they competed, which would make them unattractive to men. In other words, women’s athleticism was always denoted to male validation from the beginning of sports time. In the 1950s and ‘60s, the passing of Title X secured equal opportunity in sports for women by law. Despite this nominal safeguarding, women continued to face discrimination through the years in the professional athletic space. In fact, it was during this time that many professional female athletes were subjected to gender confirmation exams, where testosterone levels were examined to prove fair play as a woman; meanwhile, men were never demanded to fulfill these exams. The public view of women as incapable of success in sports led to the belief that women could not accomplish these physical feats on their own, again minimizing their efforts to the looming superiority of male athletes.  

While time went on and textbook discrimination of female sports decreased, the sexualization of female sports heavily increased. As the brief professional history of female sports caused a step back at the starting line for women in terms of viewership, with some of the public still finding women to be incapable of physical competition, the sports industry began to look for other ways to promote women’s sports. To the 76% of males that watched sports the most, the easiest way to gain interest in female sports was to push the emphasis on female over sport. Sports Magazine covers featured female athletes in swimsuits while male athletes were posed in uniform, typically in dominant stances toward the camera. Female athlete uniforms began to feature less function-based clothing and more appearance-based clothing, seemingly in order to cater to the male gaze. This superficial representation of female athletes plays a large role in the current misconduct cases in the sports world; the media promotes the sexualizing of female athletes, affirming the belief that women are meant to be seen that way. 

“In some worlds, [women’s sports] are respected, but in other worlds, they are still not. It takes time for people who never did respect [women’s sports] to learn how to respect them and why they should,” health teacher Katelyn Arenos said.

As a whole, career sexism and sexual misconduct has been an issue for centuries. The first mention of protection against sexual harassment was Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, back in 1964, before the term ‘sexual harassment’ was even coined. The act prohibited employment practices that discriminated based on race, color, nation, religion and sex — including sexual harassment. However, it was only in 1991, when a pivotal sexual harassment accusation by Anita Hill to Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas kickstarted a period of strength and retaliation for women who had been taken advantage of, that the law began to hold an effect on social justice. Years later, the #MeToo movement was born through a heavy presence on social media, uniting women into the largest social movement related to sexual harassment in history.   

But despite this progress in recent years, sexual harassment continues to play a large role in the career field. 42% of women in the U.S. continue to face discrimination at work due to their gender, with 30% of women saying they have received unwanted sexual advances from a man at work. Even past the physical hardship, this repetitive issue has led to a staggering pushback for women to advance in their careers. 38% of women reported the decision to leave their jobs early due to workplace harassment, consequently abandoning leadership and mentorship opportunities. 

“There’s a bias that because men have been in so many roles in the past for leadership, men would be the better option for future leadership roles, but they should be treated equally. Women should be offered the same opportunities in the world that men get without as much backlash,” Roberts said.

Whether by intention or not, the magnitude of Rubiales’ unconsented kiss has overpowered any celebration for the women of the Spanish football team. Directing public attention to the actions of Rubiales has diverted from the most laudable achievement in these women’s careers, playing into the general fallback in career opportunities for women to reach success. 

“Oftentimes, women’s sports are very undermined and don’t receive the recognition they should for playing a sport in the exact same way that a man would,” Roberts said. “They’re much less respected than men’s sports, especially by men.”

To avoid the next version of the same encounter, whether it is hidden behind the scenes or out in plain sight, the system itself must change. It is through the ignorance of career sexism that the continuance of these incidents is enabled. With such a low percentage of women getting the chance to play in a major league, let alone becoming crowned champions of the world, we must protect the ones who make it. Suspending Rubiales may seem, to some, a drastic measure, but it is the message sent with his suspension that truly reconciles with anguished women athletes and the public. It is an act of protection and prevention, a step in the right direction, toward a future where women can finally work in peace.

Generational problems like sex-based abuse can seem immensely difficult for us to bring change to, but there are ways to begin the steps toward equality for women everywhere. It is with the time and dedication of sports audiences that these efforts can build up to a future of equality. Through increased media coverage of women’s sports, increased salaries for female athletes and uniform changes, it is possible to reverse the negative and condescending image associated with women’s sports. 

“It really wasn’t that long ago that women’s sports became a thing. There used to be no women’s sports. My mom wasn’t even able to play sports in middle and high school. It’s going to take time; the people have to buy into women’s sports,” Arenos said.

As of Sept. 10, Rubiales has resigned from his position as federation president after weeks of backfire against his actions and a suspension from his role. This itself is an immense achievement in the world of career sexism; the consequences for Rubiales go to show the increasing level at which signs of gender-based misconduct are intolerable in our modern society. The outcome of this public scandal serves as a platform for equality in sports – hopefully, a message that will echo across the athletic sphere for years to come. 

Additionally, the public’s intense aversion to Rubiales and his actions has created a platform off of which Spain’s women’s national team has gotten the chance to demand a wage increase. In light of their recent efforts at striking for equal pay, the team has been granted an increased minimum wage of about 5,000 euros for their next season. 

The prioritization of female empowerment in the general labor force can also help to establish equality between all workers regardless of gender. Sexual harassment prevention, such as company-led training and the establishment of trust to communicate with leaders, will consequently make women and men feel more comfortable in the workplace. Minimizing sexual harassment at any workplace creates a path to equal opportunity for leadership and connection.

“It would be really great to increase the numbers of women working in jobs where there aren’t a lot of women. That way, they have a sense of security in numbers,” Roberts said. “Oftentimes, it’s a lot easier to talk to a woman if something’s happened; then you have people to back you up, especially other women, so there’s a lot more of a chance to get something done.” 

If we can learn anything from the unfortunate events of this scandal, it is how relevant conversations surrounding equality are, even to this day. The casual passiveness of dismissing women under the authority that men can do something better continues to divert from and prevent the success of hard-working women. Equality is necessary, and it begins with conversation about the treatment and opportunity provided to every accomplished individual. 

“There’s a lot that goes into the perspective of why men are better, when really, we should be looking into an equal representation of women and men in every role,” Roberts said.