Today on June 11 we are one year out. Just one year until the world comes to the United States for the FIFA Men’s World Cup. I’m looking forward to being glued to my TV for a whole month following all the games and when everyone, even the ones you least expect have something to say about the beautiful game. And I fully expect there to be an extensive Nike ad campaign with enough humor and star power to instantly go viral.
Did you event catch that. The “men’s” world cup.
I grew up hearing about the “World Cup” and knowing already it would be men playing on the field. In two years we’d have the “Women’s World Cup.” There is a movement now for both to marked the gender of the players. A lot of this push has come from people who want to support women’s athletes. For them, the language change is about signaling a support for equality. Officially though, if you search for “men’s world cup,” you continue to get hits for the “2026 FIFA World Cup.” FIFA hasn’t made that change, but maybe they should.
These are two distinct products. It doesn’t hurt to increase clarity for the consumers. These are also very expensive event to host, regardless of who is on the field. A name change could signal that investment, that they value both events equally. And most importantly, it would be a signal to build goodwill to those pushing for change, especially in the wake of many athlete strikes for fair pay.
But I wonder, would FIFA ever one day make that change?
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A Wren Says 
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