The Ferocious Girls: The U.S. Women’s Water Polo Olympic Triumph Outside the Rio Spotlight

Outside the Rio Spotlight, #11

After winning a gold medal in London and medaling in every Olympics since water polo for women had been established, you'd think the U.S. women's fight another gold would have garnered some notice. You'd think that a sport which combines soccer, swimming, and mixed martial arts—all popular American sports—might have caught people's attention. Instead, the women's water polo team play was relegated to the back cable channels in the wee hours of the day. Captain Maggie Steffens and goalie Ashleigh Johnson went about their business anyway, preparing to take on the cheerful Brazilians, feisty Italians, and bruising Hungarians—until tragedy struck. After that, the Rio 2016 Olympic water polo tournament became about something more. (8500 words)