The Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF) and its president Luis Rubiales are not backing down.

Rubiales, who has come under fire for kissing Spain defender Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the team’s World Cup win, a gesture that Hermoso has said was non-consensual, has said he will not resign despite massive outcry for his removal.

In a statement, the federation said it was prepared to take “necessary legal action,” adding that “playing for the national team is an obligation on any member of the federation called upon to do so.”

Eighty-one players signed a letter Friday stating they would reject playing for the national team until RFEF leadership is changed.

“The evidence is conclusive. Mr. President has not lied,” the statement read. “The RFEF and Mr. President will demonstrate each of the lies that are spread either by someone on behalf of the player or, if applicable, by the player herself.”

The statement also included pictures of the medal ceremony, alongside descriptions of Hermoso and Rubiales’ body language, meant to invalidate Hermoso’s claims. Rubiales has referred to the incident as an example of “false feminism.”

“I feel obliged to report that Mr. Luis Rubiales’ words explaining the unfortunate incident are categorically false and part of the manipulative culture that he himself has generated,” Hermoso said in a statement. “I believe that no person, in any work, sports, or social setting should be a victim of an impulsive-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part.

“Simply put I was not respected.”

The movement around Jenni Hermoso has reached the NWSL.

In the wake of Hermoso being forcibly kissed by Luis Rubialies, president of the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF), during Spain’s World Cup gold medal ceremony, players on the San Diego Wave and the Orlando Pride wore wristbands of support for Hermoso during their game.

“Contigo Jenni,” read the wristbands.

San Diego forward Kyra Carusa said the gesture was an act of solidarity.

“We wanted to show our support and standing with the Spanish national team and what they have been having to go through,” Carusa told the media. “Having to face what they have to face right now and being brave and strong enough to say something. We want to stand with them.”

After the game, Wave players held up a white T-shirt that read: “We stand with Jenni.”

The gestures echoed a statement earlier in the day from NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman.

“As leaders of leagues, federations and governing bodies, we must protect our players. The actions by the Spanish federation are unconscionable and a reminder that there’s still work to do,” Herman wrote on X. “We stand with Jenni Hermoso and any players who face inappropriate behavior or abuse.”

The Wave also took the game in Florida as an opportunity toprotest the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” policy. Players arrived in Orlando wearing shirts that read “Just say” on the front and “Gay” on the back. Wave coach Casey Stoney, one of the most outspoken voices in the league, was also wearing one of the shirts.

The Wave won the game 2-1, after Carusa’s 75th minute goal broke a tie.

Jenni Hermoso is done keeping quiet.

After Spain’s victory in the World Cup final last week, Hermoso, Spain’s all-time leading goal scorer, was kissed on the lips by Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF). Hermoso downplayed the incident at first, but not anymore.

“The situation shocked me given the celebrations that were taking place at the moment, and with the passage of time and after delving a little deeper into those initial feelings, I feel the need to report this incident because I believe that no person, in any work, sports or social setting should be the victim of those types of non-consensual behaviors,” Hermoso said in a statement. “I felt vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part.”

The gesture quickly sparked widespread condemnation, prompting Rubiales to apologize in a video disseminated to the media, and insisted it was “consensual.”

In her latest statement, Hermoso denied “his kiss was ever consensual.”

“I have been under continuous pressure to make a statement that could justify Mr. Luis Rubiales’ actions,” she said. “Not only that, but in different ways and through different people, the RFEF has pressured my surroundings (family, friends, teammates, etc.) to give a testimony that had little or nothing to do with my feelings.”

Hermoso added that she will join her teammates in refraining from playing for Spain while “the current leaders remain.”

“I do not have to support the person who has committed this action against my will, without respecting me, at a historic moment for me and for women’s sports in this country,” she wrote. “Under no circumstances can it be my responsibility to bear the consequences of conveying something I do not believe in, which is why I have refused the pressures received.”

Angel Reese became a household name this year when she led LSU to the national championship, and she has capitalized on that fame with partnerships with Amazon and Merecedes Benz, among others.

Reese has a name, image and likeness (NIL) valuation of $1.6 million, according to On3, the sixth-highest among all amateur athletes and second to just LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne ($3.2 million) among women.

The rising senior at LSU plans to bring those deals with her when she eventually joins the WNBA.

“WNBA players don’t make as much money as they should,” she said in an interview with Teen Vogue. “Being able to grow this now, while I’m in college, and doing this now can help me when I get to the WNBA.”

The maximum annual salary for a WNBA player is $234,936. Arike Ogunbowale, Diana Taurasi and Jewell Lloyd are all earning that much in base salary this season. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, meanwhile, is set to make a base salary of $51.9 million for the 2023-24 season.

Professional women’s basketball players have long played overseas during WNBA offseasons to supplement their earnings. The New York Times reported in 2015 that Taurasi was earning about $1.5 million per season for Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg.

Reese has 5.1 million followers across her social platforms, but she is deliberate about the companies she works with because she says she believes in the power of authenticity.

“Everything I post on my Instagram or TikTok is stuff that I actually like or stuff I like to eat or stuff I like to do or wear,” she said. “All money isn’t good money. I had to realize that early on.”

Four former Butler women’s soccer players are suing the university for alleged sexual assault by an athletic trainer while they played for the team.

The lawsuits allege a culture in which trainer Michael Howell “was close with one of the team’s coaches” and “wielded influence over athletes’ treatment and playing time,” according to a report in The Athletic. Howell allegedly often exposed players’ intimate body parts during massages, an occurrence players nicknamed “the breeze.”

The first three lawsuits were filed against Butler in U.S. district court in Indianapolis in July, with the fourth filed last week. They are suing the school, athletic director Ralph Reiff and Howell for negligence, battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The fourth woman, identified as Jane Doe 4, said that Howell rubbed his erect penis on her hand and touched her breasts, labia and groin, in addition to pressing his groin against her buttocks.

The woman also alleges Howell gave players treatment in his and their personal hotel rooms in the spring of 2021 during a tournament in Rhode Island. He required some players to take ice baths in his room, indicating “this was non-negotiable.”

A Title IX investigation, in which a panel of outside attorneys presided over a five-day hearing, found that Howell had “sexually assaulted and harassed” players on the team.

Butler said it removed Howell from campus and suspended him after learning of his alleged misconduct in September 2021. He was fired in 2022.

“After a thorough investigation and hearing, the trainer was found responsible for violating university policies, and he was then terminated in summer 2022,” the university said in a statement. “Butler looks forward to the opportunity to show the high integrity and responsiveness of the coaches and senior personnel. Because the complaints do not name the plaintiffs and they have not waived federal student privacy protections, Butler is limited from further comment outside of the legal process.”

An attorney for Howell told The Athletic that Howell “flatly denies the claims in these lawsuits.”

The U.S. women’s national team has long dominated international soccer – the program has won four World Cups, two more than second-place Germany – but after the team’s early exit in the 2023 tournament, conversation has shifted to the future of the game.

Midge Purce, for instance, is “concerned” about the USWNT’s youth system. The U-20 USWNT failed to get out of the group stage at the 2022 World Cup.

“I think we should be concerned, about our approach, our tactical approach, and what kind of system and style and identity as American soccer players we are instilling into our youth teams,” Purce said on “The 91st,” the Just Women’s Sports podcast she co-hosts with Katie Nolan. “We really, really need to think about, long-term, what change needs to happen.

“To be fair, I think they’re thinking about it. I don’t think anyone is looking at the youth programs and saying, ‘Yeah, we’re cool. We’re good with that.’ No. It’s very obvious. You don’t have to be smart to see it, and I think everyone does.”

Megan Rapinoe, who played in her fourth and final World Cup this year, expressed a similar sentiment in an interview with The Atlantic.

“From an overall federation perspective, it is worth at least a deep-dive look at our structure. We haven’t done that well in youth tournaments,” she said. “I think a more consistent style and a more consistent philosophy from the younger teams all the way up through the senior teams is necessary.”

She noted that European countries have a more sophisticated academy system than the United States.

“It’s a lot more difficult in America,” Rapinoe said. “They’re honestly better set up for a more holistic approach. It’s going to be more difficult here.”

In the wake of the U.S. women’s national team’s shootout loss to Sweden in the World Cup Round of 16, critics jumped to celebrate the defeat, including disgraced former President Donald Trump, who has been indicted four times since leaving office.

Trump particularly delighted in Megan Rapinoe’s missed penalty kick on his Truth Social platform, which is ranked among the least downloaded social media apps. For Rapinoe, Trump’s glee provided just another example of a trend she has seen forming for some time.

“Everybody on the right—and everybody who was using hateful language and these tropes—it’s like they have just been waiting since, I don’t know, 2016? 2019?,” Rapinoe said in an interview with The Atlantic. “They’ve been waiting for this team to stumble. But when we are perfect, then we are accused of thinking that we’re perfect.”

Fox Sports commentator Alexi Lalas also chimed in after the USWNT’s loss.

“Politics, causes, stances, & behavior have made this team unlikeable to a portion of America,” Lalas wrote on X. “This team has built its brand and has derived its power from being the best/winning. If that goes away they risk becoming irrelevant.”

Rapinoe said a “huge backlash” against women is happening in the country.

“I think we see that with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We’re seeing that with the trans argument in sports,” Rapinoe said. “Does Alexi know exactly what he’s saying? If I was saying stuff that anchors on Fox News are also saying … I would be worried about the cosign.”

The 38-year-old forward is set to retire at the end of the 2023 NWSL season. Yet while her final World Cup did not end the way she would have wanted, she’s proud of the legacy she’s leaving behind.

“We’ve understood for a long time that being one of the best teams, and being one of the teams that [has] been invested in the most—[although] not enough—it is our responsibility to continue to push the game forward,” she said. “And I take a lot of pride in the World Cup being what it is today versus even four years or eight years ago.”

On Tuesday night, A’ja Wilson made history.

The Las Vegas Aces forward scored 53 points to tie the WNBA single-game scoring record in the team’s 112-100 win over the Atlanta Dream. Even teammate Kelsey Plum, also an elite scorer, was floored by Wilson’s performance.

“I really feel like we’re watching just a generational talent,” Plum told reporters afterward. “What we’re seeing right now is historic, and it’s just beginning. This is one of the greatest players of all time.”

Wilson shot 16-for-23 from the floor and 20-for-21 from the foul line in the win.

She matched former WNBA center Liz Cambage, who scored 53 points for the Dallas Wings against the New York Liberty on July 17, 2018. Before Cambage, guard Riquna Williams became the first WNBA player to score at least 50 points in a game when she scored 51 for the Tulsa Shock against the New York Liberty in 2013.

Wilson’s tour de force pushed her points total this season to 735, the most in Aces history, surpassing Plum, who scored 726 in 2022. The outburst came just 11 days after the two-time MVP set her previous career high of 40 points.

Aces coach Becky Hammon echoed Plum’s sentiment when speaking of Wilson.

“She runs like a deer, jumps like a cat and catches as if she were Spider-Man,” Hammon told reporters. “She is just special. Her real gift is in her humility and grace and how she handles herself and her teammates. She is a phenomenal superstar.”

Wilson and the Aces are in the midst of a four-game road trip, which continues Thursday against the Chicago Sky. Las Vegas holds the best record in the league at 29-4 with seven games remaining in the regular season.

The 2023 World Cup is over, meaning the world’s best players are all returning to their club teams. And in the NWSL, the race for the Golden Boot is heating up.

Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith extended her lead over the weekend in her return from the World Cup. But with plenty of soccer left to play, there are several star goal-scorers who could make up the gap.

Leader

Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns (11 goals)

Smith wasted little time in her return to the NWSL from the U.S. women’s national team. The reigning NWSL MVP entered the Thorns’ game Sunday against the North Carolina Courage in the 68th minute and, in the 69th minute, found the back of the net.

On a run, Smith passed the ball to teammate Morgan Weaver, who quickly passed it back to Smith. The right-footed goal proved to be the difference in Portland’s 2-1 victory, even with the team being down a player due to a first-half red card.

Trending upward

Messiah Bright, Orlando Pride (6 goals)

The rookie scored twice in the Pride’s 5-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, marking her first professional brace. It was her first time scoring since July 7. The No. 21 pick in the 23 NWSL Draft, Bright has picked up right where she left off at TCU, where she set the program record for all-time goals.

Other top scorers

8 goals

Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit
Kerolin, North Carolina Courage

7 goals

Lynn Williams, Gotham FC

6 goals

Messiah Bright, Orlando Pride
Debinha, Kansas City Current

5 goals

Bethany Balcer, OL Reign
Savannah DeMelo, Racing Louisville
Crystal Dunn, Portland Thorns
Cece Kizer, Kansas City Current
Tyler Lussi, North Carolina Courage
Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave
Ashley Sanchez, Washington Spirit

The U.S. women’s national team players have attracted criticism in recent years for their political activism. Some have urged them to “stick to soccer.”

For Midge Purce, who has played for the team on and off since 2017, the controversy surrounding Spain’s World Cup win – after which Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), kissed star player Jenni Hermoso on the lips – proves that refrain is off-base.

“When everyone was talking about the U.S. national team players, and how they’re not likable because they use their platform to speak on so many political issues, and basically (telling them to) stick to playing soccer — I think, in light of what we just witnessed on the World Cup stage, it just reiterates that there is not a space at the moment to just play soccer,” Purce said on “The 91st,” the Just Women’s Sports podcast she co-hosts alongside Katie Nolan.

Purce added: “You don’t think people just want to play soccer?”

Rubiales has since apologized for the incident, but he continues to face criticism. On Tuesday, Spain’s acting prime minster Pedro Sánchez said Rubiales’ apology “wasn’t sufficient.”

“Mr. Rubiales needs to continue to take steps to clarify what we all saw,” Sánchez said.

Purce also said Spain’s win should not count as proof that embattled head coach Jorge Vilda is the right fit for the team. Before the World Cup, 15 players wrote a letter to the RFEF criticizing his management style.

“I don’t really see this line of reasoning, which is, you win, you must stay. I think it prioritizes the values of society really, really poorly,” Purce said. “What a dangerous message to send to not just young women, but young men as well.”