Where this was said
Sports as a Holdout — and How Rubiales United a Nation
At 23:05 · chapter starts 20:00
Lane Greene draws a distinction between Spain's progress in political and civic life and the slower evolution in sport and corporate culture, which he identifies as the last remaining holdouts of unreformed machismo [1] — Lane Greene "The backlash against Rubiales was striking not just for its size, but its political breadth. In a country with its own culture wars, the ne…" 15:20 . Crucially, the reaction to Rubiales has been nearly unanimous: barely a voice in the Spanish media defended him. One television presenter mused whether men were now even allowed to help a woman with her luggage — and was immediately met with a chorus of commentators saying, 'Yes, if you ask first. You just don't kiss employees without their will.' Greene also highlights the remarkable scale of Spanish women's sports: the Barcelona women's team set the world attendance record for any women's sporting event when 91,000 fans packed Camp Nou for a Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg [2] — Lane Greene "91,000 fans at women's Champions League semi: Barcelona's women's team set the all-time attendance record for a women's sporting event anyw…" 20:55 . The contrast is stark — a country that fills stadiums for women's football, yet whose federation president acts as if the rules of consent don't apply to him.
Barcelona's women's team drew 91,000 fans to Camp Nou for a Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg — the largest crowd ever recorded for a women's sporting event anywhere in the world. Spanish women's sport isn't ignored; it's a mainstream phenomenon.
Barcelona's women's team set the all-time attendance record for a women's sporting event anywhere in the world, packing 91,000 fans into Camp Nou for a Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg.
#SeAcabo — 'it's over' — became Spain's answer to MeToo. Lane Greene argues it will be remembered alongside Harvey Weinstein and George Floyd as a moment that marked a permanent shift in how Spanish society tolerates sexism, not just on the pitch but in every workplace.
The hashtag #SeAcabo ('it's over') went viral in Spain after the Rubiales kiss incident, with commentators comparing it to the US MeToo movement and Harvey Weinstein reckoning.
