In one of the least-dramatic, most celebrated sporting events in recent memory, the United States Women’s National Team defeated The Netherlands 2-0 Sunday to claim the World Cup. I’m far from a soccer expert but even I knew the Americans winning was a foregone conclusion.
I still watched it, though. I get very patriotic every three or four years and I support female athletes every day. In fact, I’ve been supporting women and girls in sports for most of my life. It’s a passion of mine.
I’ve heard every negative stereotype one can imagine when it comes to female athletes. They simply can’t win. They’re either too masculine or too big or not attractive or, ask Anna Kournikova about being too beautiful.
So, when the many non-sports fans started seeing the soccer women on their television screens, I knew it wouldn’t be long before they found something to criticize. People complain about the WNBA because they don’t find the women feminine. The LPGA women are foreign and the female tennis players scream too much.
What is the great complaint about our women’s soccer team? That’s right, they’re too damn confident. Or, cocky. Or, arrogant. Whatever word that fits the best is fine. They all, basically, mean the same thing.
I’m not going to get into the Megan Rapinoe stuff. I’ve never been a huge fan of her as a player. It has nothing to do with her political beliefs or her stances on social issues. I just felt she was a bit overrated. Even in this tournament, half of her goals came on penalty kicks.
I’m a Christen Press fan.
But it wasn’t just Rapinoe that had the critics singing. It was the overall team’s attitude. They celebrated after each of the 13 goals scored against helpless Thailand. When criticized about being too joyful in that win, they toned it down with golf claps in the next game. Finally, Alex Morgan felt the wrath of the world when she mimed sipping a cup of tea after scoring the game-winning goal against England.
I find this just so silly and, yes, sexist.
First, no one becomes one of the best in the world in their field without being super confident, perhaps even, dare I saw, arrogant. Confidence is what separates elite athletes from all the others. If you don’t have supreme belief in yourself, you’ll never be as good as you could be.
Second, what the women did was not even close to the arrogance shown by their male counterparts. Shaquille O’Neal has the Superman emblem tattooed on his arm. LeBron James has “The Chosen One” tattooed on his back. Mike Tyson once told an opponent he wanted to eat his children.
Alex Morgan sipped tea. Has no one seen a Conor McGregor press conference?
And no, this isn’t me saying, “If the men can do it, why can’t the women?”
Wrong is wrong. But, none of these people did anything wrong.
O’Neal called himself Superman and then he backed it up. Tyson said he wanted to devour his opponent’s children because, A, he’s a bit insane and B, he meant it.
When Alex Morgan taunted England with the tip sipping gesture, she did it during the game. If her opponents had a problem with it, they would’ve had no trouble finding her.
One of the great things about sports is, no matter what you say, eventually, you’ll have to back it up. I despise this politically correct era which asks athletes to lie or sugar coat their words. If I hear one more loser preaching about sportsmanship …
Remember when the cheerleaders use to chant, “U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi. You ugly?”
I want those days back. That’s when sports were fun. That’s when athletics was still a game. Play as hard as you can. Talk a little bit of noise, laugh and then do it again.
Now, you have to be careful what you say. Don’t score too much. Don’t act so happy when you win.
Say what you want about the soccer women, they had fun. All the critics around the world didn’t appear to dampen their celebration. And yeah, they’re kind of cocky. They worked their butts off to become the best at what they do. They’ve earned the right to have a little attitude.
If you don’t like to see the best athletes in the world enjoying what they do, watch a movie. Not that the actors are any less arrogant but at least they can pretend to be something they’re not.
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