Aly Wagner has heard the critiques. When, in the course of calling a televised women’s soccer game, she points out that a defensive player is not marking the man in the box, inevitably a viewer will object, “But they’re not men.”
As a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup bronze medalist with the U.S. Women’s National Team, Wagner is well aware of that fact – and she also knows how female soccer players actually talk during games. “It’s not sexist, it’s just quick. It’s functional,” she says.
Challenging assumptions is nothing new to Wagner. Since retiring as a player for the USWNT and the Los Angeles Sol, she has worked as an analyst for Fox Sports and ESPN, becoming the first woman to call a FIFA Men’s World Cup game on U.S. television. In an era when media coverage of women’s soccer still includes sexist gaffes (exhibit A: the 2018 Ballon D’Or awards) she is known for an ability to break down the technical aspects of the game and zero in on performances from players who often go unrecognized.
And while she is undoubtedly a barrier-breaking icon for women’s sports, Wagner believes that the greatest sign of real parity will be when gender is no longer a consideration. “I may be the odd one out on this, but I’m for ‘who’s the best person for the job,’” she says. “If it’s a woman, then so be it, but prove that you’re the best.”
Having said that, she also knows the importance of having female voices in media. “We see things differently in so many ways. You don’t want the same narrative being painted in every single game. Of course, there are experiences that I’ve had with the women’s national team that give me a greater understanding of what’s truly going on and what these women have gone through.”
The second act of Wagner’s soccer career started with a last-minute opportunity to be part of the 2015 Women’s World Cup. She had done some analysis for college games but had no aspirations to join the media. “I had no idea if I’d be any good,” she says. “I went out there and took a shot with it and really enjoyed it. I’ve embraced it ever since.”
Both as a player and while viewing games post-retirement, Wagner noticed gaps in the commentary. “When people would cover our games for the national team, the details weren’t being discussed,” she explains. “Someone would make an amazing pass and I’d think, ‘Why aren’t they talking about that? Why are they only talking about things that are at 30,000 feet when that one pass just opened up this whole play?’ It bothered me. My passion for the game is so deep and I love the layers and nuances of it. I wanted to share that with the audience.”
Once she began commentating, Wagner understood that it isn’t always possible to highlight the plays she wanted to due to the constraints of the format and flow of the game. Still, her goal is to bring a greater level of awareness to viewers. “I want to get down to the details that can either make or break a play or highlight a player who seemingly is innocuous but really, they’re doing amazing things,” she says.
Later she began calling men’s games, uncharted territory for a female analyst. Wagner expected criticism, but the viewers surprised her. “It hasn’t been a big issue,” she says. “It was literally one person that made completely silly remarks about me being a woman. Being in studios, you’re always going to have those negative voices on Twitter, but it’s been fine.”
Wagner and JP Dellacamera will be the lead broadcasters for Fox Sports coverage of the 2019 World Cup, which will include all 52 games aired live, an unprecedented level of coverage. Twenty-two will air on broadcast television and 27 on FS1. “The resources being poured into it are a big deal,” says Wagner. “There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to paint the picture and provide the graphics for the analysis.”
That investment needs to be highlighted and celebrated, she contends. “It takes brave people to recognize the value that is intrinsically here with women’s soccer and women athletes. It’s brave, but it’s also just good business. These are the people who will make the sport in America and worldwide, who are taking a chance to say, ‘We’re going to go against what has been the norm over the past 50 years.’”