USWNT – earliest exit

[rogpodge]

I, for one, am sad for Sophia Smith (could have iced it), and Kelley O’Hara (couldn’t hook the ball in, hitting the post). Sophia Smith will be back. Kelley O’Hara, I assume, won’t because she came off the bench.

Seeing a lot of these takes online….

The dumbest people online: the USWNT lost because they are Too Woke! maybe if they focused on soccer instead of talking about politics they wouldn’t have lost

The team they lost to: pic.twitter.com/12615OoEIg

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) August 7, 2023

To be clear, I don’t think most conservatives have an issue with LGB advocacy but the USWNT (or US Soccer). It’s the protesting of the national anthem, which leads to the team looking like / acting like they don’t want to be there and aren’t a team, but a collection of individuals, that conservatives had an issue with. The Swedes sang their national anthem, together, with arms around each other. The US has a sprinkling of individuals, mostly with their hands behind their backs. Those that did sing had hands over their hearts, which is fine.

I did not like Naomi Girma’s dismissive response to why they didn’t respect the national anthem. It sounded like playing the national anthem was a distraction from on the field play. Tell that to all the other national teams. Don’t get me wrong, Girma was the USWNT’s best player, and played well. But if you can’t focus because of something that should be instinctual and ingrained, and that has been part of your matches throughout your career, then it comes across as ungrateful and dismissive, and you and your teammates don’t want to play for national pride, but for yourselves.

Which brings me to the difference between 2019 and 2023. In 2019, the team still had Carli Lloyd, who was a competitor and kept the team focused on winning, and Tobin Heath. Don’t forget that the 2020 Olympic team, captained again by Rapinoe, fluffed its way to a bronze in Sydney. This season, Megan Rapinoe not only lied, bullied, and manipulated everyone into a new compensation deal, but made her narcissism the culture of the team. (Whether she should even have been on the team is a whole ‘nother discussion.) The debutantes followed the lead of the strongest personality, and other veterans didn’t stand up to her. Hope Solo warned of this in 2017, and Carli Lloyd made veiled references to this during the broadcasts. That’s why, in my opinion, Girma, and Sullivan fell into line with the whole “we just want to focus on the match” b.s., which follows Rapinoe’s lead.

Don’t forget that Rapinoe won accolades in 2019 because they gave her 3 penalties, which was ridiculous. Rapinoe made some brilliant assists, but she is not one of the USWNT’s greatest players.

I hated the pre-World Cup ad campaign. https://people.com/megan-rapinoe-uswnt-fight-world-cup-challengers-exclusive-7509915

It reeked of arrogance. The round of 16 exit was appropriate, given the team’s performance. That being said, link arms, sing the national anthem, say you take pride in being an American, and you won’t only be likeable, you will probably be more united on the field and perform better. Sports psychologists would agree that even saying and showing a sense of pride and unity would translate on the field. THAT’S the point, not straw man arguments that assume that those rooting against this team are simply bigots.

• This topic was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by rogpodge.

[Mick1]

Excellent post. The drive for I’m-out-for-me narcissism reeks of anti-Americanism, the kind of anti-Americanism that sounds like it comes from a petulant teenager. Megan Rapinoe is destructive, and watching her laugh off a missed penalty kick just cemented it for me.

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[cardcrimson]

Ah well, we’re all misogynistic homophobes. I’ve never like Rapinoe. I couldn’t  care less about her orientation, it’s all about her look at me histrionics. Didn’t realize the National Anthem boycott by much of the team. Disgraceful. Found it especially ironic that Rapinoe sailed her kick that would have pretty much clinched it for the US. Just a few weeks back, after being the lead for equality in pay for women’s soccer players, she supported trans women (biological men) playing women’s sports. I hope a reporter has the testicles to ask her “I understand you support transgenders playing women’s sports. Do you think a transgender wouldn’t have sailed the cross bar like you did?”

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