Brandi Chastain on the evolution of the business of women’s soccer

July 10, 2025

When Brandi Chastain scored the winning goal of the World Cup for the 1999 US Women’s National Soccer Team during penalty kicks, she celebrated by taking off her jersey and falling to her knees. It didn’t take long before her celebration became an instantly recognizable moment in sports history.

The USWNT star was subsequently courted by brands like Nike, Gatorade, and Bud Light, and she appeared in commercials for those brands in the years afterward, but even then, she recalled, she was the exception, not the rule.

Chastain spoke with Marketing Brew about the business of women’s soccer in the US and the state of its sponsorship and fan landscape. Marketing Brew