I promised something on this

I remember promising that I'd talk about some of the insane conditions that the first women's national soccer team had to deal with...this is from a book on the 1999 Women's World Cup by Jere Longman. It's a good read if you like sports.

Here are some highlights from the stuff I've read...

Flew to Italy in 1988 on a Cargo Plane...

Trips to China in the late 1980's meant living on Snickers bars and Pop Tarts and weight losses of up to 10 pounds per player. Also meant barren hotel rooms that flooded or were so grungy that players slept in their clothes. The players sometimes took photos of their food before they ate it.

They'd stay at some of the worst hotels...One hotel they stayed at only had running water for an hour or two a day. One place was so dirty that no one would take their shoes off and would lay on top of the covers fully clothed.

The team once slept under mosquito nets in China.

Thankfully things have improved.