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JubeltheBear t1_ixen7oy wrote

That does explain the mens team underachieving. But it doesn't explain the womens team success.

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Iohet t1_ixenf9u wrote

I figure it's mostly because the women's team gets to pick from the top athletes in the US. There's not a half dozen other sports that top athletes gravitate to, and collegiate sports have a lot of money to throw around because of Title IX. You're basically talking basketball, softball, and soccer, for the most part, maybe gymnastics and other Olympic sports as well

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Dr_thri11 t1_ixf3pj8 wrote

It probably is the most popular women's sport in the US vs being 4-5th. There isn't really a women's version of American football of any size worth mentioning anyway, softball isn't popular, and the WNBA is niche at best. So soccer actually does pull the best women athletes to it in the US.

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