Truth Bomb Tuesday: Not every nation has a team like the Matildas. Not every nation even wants to.
Watching the Matildas run over the past few weeks has been pretty exciting.
And look, I’ll be honest. I’m not really a soccer girl, so I’m not going to pretend to jump on that bandwagon.
But it was still electrifying and something that has made me deeply proud to be Australian.
And it’s not that it did happen (though all the Matildas should feel hugely proud of what they’ve done), but that it could happen.
That it could happen – a world class sporting event, the most-watched sporting even in Australian history, and iconic moment of bringing the country together on par with the Olympics or winning the America’s cup.
It happened and it happened here, in Australia.
It was something that I kept coming back to – this wasn’t something that could happen in every nation on Earth.
In many places of the world, women are still second-class citizens. In some places they’re not even allowed to play sport at all. In other places, they’re allowed to play sport, but women’s sport is underfunded and ridiculed – like it was in Australia until pretty recently.
I know it’s been a long road. I know the road’s not over. But we’re making progress.
And what is the point of freedom if not progress?
Seriously, this is what’s amazing about living in a free and functioning democracy like Australia.
It’s that we’re able to make life better and better for everyone. We have the resources and the continuity needed to make that happen.
Not every country is that lucky.
And so what I see in the Matildas is two beautiful things coming together at once.
The first is the iconic Australian value that everyone deserves a fair go. That there are no opportunities in life that are available to some and not others.
This is the value that has driven the rise of women’s soccer in Australia. It is the value that has driven the thousands of people that have invested their time and energy in the sport.
And it’s a value driving the fans. I really don’t think I’ve been more proud to be an Aussie than to watch the entire nation rally around the girls these past few weeks. It really has been amazing to watch.
But values alone aren’t enough. We need the economic freedom to make these changes happen. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but Australia is still one of the most economically blessed nations on earth.
So the Matildas run has left me feeling extra grateful to be an Aussie, and extra proud to be an Aussie.
This truly is one of the best nations on Earth.
Thank you girls for reminding me of that.
And thank you for all you’ve done. You played your guts out and did us all proud.
DB.