Double Standard for Women's (Sports) Teams

[Bloodshot Scott]

When men lose, we don't pat them on the back and say, 'We're so proud.' We do with women -- and that's an insult.

They blew it. Can we show a little respect for women’s sports and for the U.S. World Cup soccer team by being honest, and not treating them like darlings?

“Couldn’t be prouder of the women of the #USWNT after a hard-fought game,” President Obama wrote.


Prouder? They were 22-0-3 against Japan all-time, and had gone 3-0 against them this year alone. They had the lead twice on Sunday in the World Cup Final. They were sloppy. They melted down in the shootout, with one kick going over the net entirely.

They choked.

Don’t pat them on the head for it. That’s an insult. It’s condescending. It’s what you’d say to a 7-year old because you don’t really expect much and don’t want to hurt feelings.

Well, these women deserve more. They worked hard. They are serious athletes and they deserve serious criticism. But there are an awful lot of cowards out there in the media and in the public who just don’t quite have the nerve to take the same shots at a women’s team that they would at a men’s team.



This team was supposed to win, then lost to Japan by 3-1 on penalty kicks, after blowing the lead twice for a 2-2 draw.

When the U.S. men’s basketball team loses in the Olympics, we don’t send them messages about how proud we are that they just tried really, really hard. We wonder what the heck is the matter with these people, what’s wrong with American basketball and the sport’s mentality.

And until we can say that about women’s teams, there will always be a major gap to close.

So this is about how we look at women’s sports in general in this country. We get all worked up and excited to see them for a few minutes every few years. People gathered in Times Square on Sunday to watch. And then we love these teams briefly, and go back to our normal lives. These things are like sparks that can’t quite get the fire started.

The WNBA, the women’s pro soccer league, the women’s pro softball league. Be honest, they don’t really catch on. UConn women’s basketball has its moments. But the only women’s sport that has sort of broken through in the U.S. is tennis, and — being honest again, a lot of that has to do with sex appeal — and domination by the Williams sisters.

This could have been one of the biggest moments in U.S. women’s sports history.

According to ESPN, the final game had an 8.6 overnight rating, reportedly ESPN’s most-watched women’s sporting event. It’s higher than the U.S. men’s first-round World Cup game against England, though not nearly as high as the women’s final game in 1999, which was on ABC.

Still, this team caught U.S. attention again. I’m not going to pretend to be a soccer expert, but am also not a soccer-hater. Instead, it always seems like a great party that I’m missing, seeing from across the street at a neighbor’s house. This game got that sports-excitement going and served as the invitation to soccer’s party.

Then, the team absolutely threw away a chance for this thing to take off, especially when so much focus is on NFL and NBA labor issues. Add that to the tough times of a terrible economy, and you find that people are looking for something to cheer for.

If this team had won, they would have been corporate favorites, the early buildup to the London Olympics, which are 12 months away. They could have been in commercials, on cereal boxes and God knows where for an entire year. And Olympic gold would have prolonged their popularity.

Instead, they won’t last till Tuesday.

A few hours after the game, Darren Rovell, CNBC’s sports business reporter, had already said on Twitter that he knew of three companies that were going to take a shot at using U.S. women’s soccer players as endorsers.

“Now they say they are out,” he Tweeted. “Good as your last goal.”

Twitter announced that at one point during the game, a tweet record had been broken: The game had led to 7,196 tweets per second. By contrast, the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl victory over Pittsburgh led to a high of 4,064 per second. News of Osama bin Laden’s death hit 5,106.

Of course, those soccer tweets weren’t all in the U.S. But plenty surely were. And the game crushed the British Open in U.S. TV ratings.

There will be more moments for women’s sports in the U.S., more sparks. But for now, unfortunately, it’s just a missed moment and a pat on the head.

Show them some respect for their hard work, and just say it: They whiffed.


s

The comments are good^. Women don't seem to agree with this sort of talk. I think guys do. Whatever - Mars and Venus.


http://aol.sportingnews.com/sport/s...sm?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl4|sec1_lnk3|78585

 

[Straight Shooter]

We let them vote and this is how they repay us?

 

[STDiva]

They weren't favourites going into the tournament were they? 2nd place is damn good if you ask me. Nothing wrong with being proud of them considering the teams they beat. This isn't a Patriots level upset.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

They weren't favourites going into the tournament were they? 2nd place is damn good if you ask me. Nothing wrong with being proud of them considering the teams they beat. This isn't a Patriots level upset.

Pretty sure we are rated currently #1 in the world.

 

[tiger1977]

We let them vote and this is how they repay us?

And drive.

 

[Neutron66]

I'm confused. What's this about? Is it that soccer game this weekend nobody cared about? More people saw the new Harry Potter movie on Friday than gave a shit about womens soccer all weekend.

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

They don't want us to hold the punches? Fine.

Ladies, you fucking blew it. Big time. Japan outplayed you, period.

But at least you still did better than my girls. Goddamn Canada. Sixth in the world my ass.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

They don't want us to hold the punches? Fine.

Ladies, you fucking blew it. Big time. Japan outplayed you, period.

But at least you still did better than my girls. Goddamn Canada. Sixth in the world my ass.

I would definitely say they were not outplayed. They really did choke. They hit metal I believe 3-4 in the first half. Then they miss three, yes THREE PK? They should have easily won that game.

 

[Straight Shooter]

I'm confused. What's this about? Is it that soccer game this weekend nobody cared about? More people saw the new Harry Potter movie on Friday than gave a shit about womens soccer all weekend.

You can't compare a soccer game to the opening of a blockbuster film. Nobody cared? I think the TV ratings disprove that statement
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/ratings-gold-everyone-tuned-us-vs-japan-world-cup-final

 

[Christa]

The USA played well, Japan Won the game. The End

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

I would definitely say they were not outplayed. They really did choke. They hit metal I believe 3-4 in the first half. Then they miss three, yes THREE PK? They should have easily won that game.

No, they were outplayed. That's what choking is. Really, the bottom line is that if you allow your opponent to come back like your girls let Japan, you do not deserve to win. You could tell throughout the game that Japan was playing with a lot more heart and passion than the Americans were. I said the exact same thing earlier this year when the Canadian juniors were up 3-0 against the Russians and we let them come back in the third to win gold.

 

[STDiva]

Pretty sure we are rated currently #1 in the world.

If they were ranked #1, why was everybody making such a big deal out of beating Brazil and France? :dunno:

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

If they were ranked #1, why was everybody making such a big deal out of beating Brazil and France? :dunno:

Maybe trying to hype them up or something. But we are #1:

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/lastranking/gender=f/fullranking.html

Big, big upset by Japan, considering we were 23-0-3 against them.

 

[bustybbwlover]

i honestly don't know anything about this and my post is both pointless and meaningless

 

[Neutron66]

You can't compare a soccer game to the opening of a blockbuster film. Nobody cared? I think the TV ratings disprove that statement
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/ratings-gold-everyone-tuned-us-vs-japan-world-cup-final

lol

It finished 5 points lower in the ratings than a game from 12 years ago.

Yip-fuckin-ee!!!

 

[JacknCoke]

meh who watches soccer?

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

meh who watches soccer?

No one. Anyone who tells you the reason they watched the final was because of the game and not Hope Solo is a liar.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

lol

It finished 5 points lower in the ratings than a game from 12 years ago.

Yip-fuckin-ee!!!

Funny because I don't go into rugby threads or any other shat sport threads that I don't like and opine. Clearly you show some sort of interest (what/why/how I don't know).

If you don't like it, more power to you. I really could care less. I'm more a hockey and tennis guy anyway but I can say playing soccer was some fun ass shit and no doubt some of the best workouts you will ever get, just playing a game.

My thoughts are that if you've never played it then you havev no idea the complexity of the formation and development of plays and how unbelievably fit you have to be to play the game. You will never, EVER see some cheesy fat ass on a soccer field anywhere. You see 'em everywhere in football, some in baseball and basketball and even a few in hockey. Never on a soccer field. I can respect that. Moreover, the way the Europeans go ape shit over clearly is enticing to me as well, because they eat, sleep and and die soccer.

 

[Straight Shooter]

lol

It finished 5 points lower in the ratings than a game from 12 years ago.

Yip-fuckin-ee!!!

An 8.6 is pretty good considering the fact that it was on cable, the 1999 Final was on ABC so it's not shock it got high ratings

 

[Patrick_S]

meh who watches soccer?

Just about everyone who´s got the slightest interest in sports (i´m excluding north americans of course, because for some reason they like to watch people throw an egg shaped object at each other instead).