The Waves: Gender, Relationships, Feminism · Slate Podcasts

The Forced Kiss Seen Round the World

·34 min·3 clips

Tamara Griffin reveals how Jennifer Hermoso could only clap her hands in protest as Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed her on live TV.

This episode of The Waves focuses on the non-consensual kiss Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales gave player Jennifer Hermoso after Spain's 2023 Women's World Cup victory. Host Sachi Cole, in her final week, is joined by The Athletic's Women's World Cup reporter Tamara Griffin to analyze the incident and its context. The kiss occurred on the medal podium as Rubiales grabbed Hermoso's face; Griffin describes Hermoso's immediate reaction as a bodily protest, clapping her hands against his waist. FIFA suspended Rubiales for 90 days, and Spain's World Cup-winning players have refused to play until he is removed from his post. Rubiales's mother began a hunger strike in a church, with his cousin defending him and questioning Hermoso's account. The Spanish football federation published a fabricated statement attributed to Hermoso claiming the kiss was mutual. Griffin explains the Spanish women's national team had been in a long-standing protest against their federation, with 15 players previously withdrawing over toxic conditions under coach Jorge Vilda. Rubiales, elected president in 2018, had previously been accused of assaulting a female architect in 2020, a case he won. The episode notes a moment of solidarity when Spanish players consoled Zambian players, whose team was also dealing with allegations of an abusive coach. Griffin characterizes the kiss as a violent, calculated act by a man threatened by a woman's power and success, comparing it to Jimmy Kimmel interrupting Quinta Brunson's Emmy acceptance. The power dynamic is emphasized, with Rubiales being Hermoso's boss's boss; Hermoso later said in an Instagram live, "What could I do?" Griffin states that women's sports, particularly soccer, are inherently an act of protest due to systemic sexism and lack of professional treatment. The episode's tone is conversational, analytical, and sharply critical, blending news analysis with feminist commentary. Listeners interested in the intersections of sports, gender politics, and workplace power dynamics would find this episode compelling. Those seeking only light sports commentary or who are sensitive to discussions of sexual assault may choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A sports scandal becomes a sharp conversation about labor, power, and womens visibility.

The episode turns Spain's 2023 Womens World Cup win into a search for power, protest, and the cost of speaking plainly. It follows the forceful kiss, the federation politics around Jenny Hermoso and Luis Rubiales, and then opens into a labor story about how womens sports are…

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Why you'd press play

You want the scandal, the stakes, and the power dynamics behind the headline.

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