"... over the last month it has been impossible not to notice an undercurrent of something approaching opprobrium, a sense that while the United States must be praised for winning, it can be condemned for not winning, somehow, in the right way.... Individually, all of these incidents fall somewhere on the border between trivial and laughable. Taken together, though, they indicate a pattern; their frequency suggests a trend toward the policing of the behavior — and particularly the joy — of the American players. There is no question that this United States team is revered for its efficacy, its talent, its history; nobody would deny its claim to be the best in the world. It does not, though, seem to be especially well-liked.... This United States is the dominant force in women’s soccer.... That comes with the inevitable consequence that rivals and challengers and usurpers tend to want to see it fall, to take pleasure in its perceived failings, to start to feel resentment alongside their reverence. Perhaps, then, there is a compliment hidden in the criticism...."
From
"With No Argument on Substance, Critics Take Aim at U.S.’s Style/Attempts to police the joy the United States has taken in rampaging through the Women’s World Cup only confirm what should be clear: the team is different from everyone else" (NYT).
I read that shortly after reading this, from Equipment Maintenance in the comments to one of yesterday's posts:
"I didn't root for Spassky but I will be rooting for The Netherlands today."
UPDATE: Poll results:
Posts
242 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 242 of 242So the unsportsmanlike obnoxious team won. I'm not obligated to cheer just because they have U.S. on their uniforms. A lot of Americans are jerks and a**holes. I don't have to cheer for them either.
For those who poo-poo women's sports and thus feel no need to support the national team, you need to examine yourself a bit. So the girls are slower, weaker and lower in testosterone. They train as hard and they compete as hard as the men and they have a lot better results in their games than the men do.
We simply have different viewpoints. I don't care how hard anyone works, all that matters is the product on the field - to me. If you care about women's soccer, because of the hard work, why not Teenage soccer? They have world championship too. Why not over-50 soccer? Those Seniors work their buns off! I don't think my attitude is unreasonable. Its why the US Open outdraws the US Women's Open and the US Senior Open by a factor of X4. Its why everyone knows who Michael Jordan is, and no one knows who the Queen of the WNBA all-stars is. Anyway, Khesahn if you like the USA Soccer team, you're a lucky man, because they look like an unstoppable dynasty.
Except for the first one, it seems that the refs played an awfully big part in a lot of the U.S. wins.
"With No Argument on Substance, Critics Take Aim at..."
It must be "privilege." Perhaps their "color." Witchcraft? Why so Pro-Choice, NYT?
Blogger stevew said...
Rather like my New England Patriots; they hate us 'cuz they ain't us.
or we hate your Pats asterisk title after Brady fumbled away the game to the Raiders Defense. Tuck rule my ass.
Rapinoe is a 34 year-old with purple hair who loves attention. She's a very good soccer player but I predict an unhappy life going forward.
If you insist, KheSanh, go team. But I really dgaf about soccer period. I would care the same or less about women's, unless they were sexy, like with volleyball. And if they don't go to the White House, are they really America's team?
But yay, more furriners gritted their teeth once again listening to The Star-Spangled Banner, so, thanks for that, girls. Now quick, better find a man before you age out.
It certainly is nice of these gals to remind us that the Orange Man is Bad. I had just about forgotten.
I enjoy watching some soccer, if played by well-matched men's teams at the highest levels. But simply as soccer, the women's WC was painful to watch--most of the players were technically inept, most of the teams had no discernible tactics, and of course in terms of speed and power the women are inferior to even mediocre men. Did the Dutch team connect on even one decent forward pass in the final? Elementary mistakes piled up. As I said: painful.
Which brings us back to that old hot Althouse commentariat topic: in which sport is women's performance closest to men's? Easiest to judge in straight time trials, where the very best women (Katie Ledecky et al.) tend to be at the level of men's WRs of 40-50 years ago. In soccer, the gap is just too vast to get close to the half-century mark. Just as in tennis the weaker women play only best of three, compared to the five-set marathons even mid-level men's players sometimes endure, maybe the women should just play on a smaller field, even if only to prevent obvious exhaustion like that of the WC women at the end of the final.
"...doing calculus problems."
@MichaelK - for leisure or teaching? I'm teaching AP Calc BC this year for the first time. I'm realizing how much I've forgotten since undergrad many yrs ago.
"I wonder how many failed Civics in 8th and 11th grade. This is basic knowledge."
**********
If they are older than thirty-five/forty, they didn't take Civics in the first place.
The lefty Teachers Union made damn sure of that.
Why do we like this game or that one? I dunno. I don't get cable so I end up watching
soccer on Spanish language stations. Happened on to Copa del Oro, or maybe Copo de Ora games
the past week. I've been looking forward to the USA Mexico final tonight at 8. In Nashville?
Univision guys are gonna have to contain themselves if Mexico trounces.
Video now of Rapinoe, Krieger and Long celebrating themselves by throwing the American flag on the ground and stepping on it.
Just exactly the kind of patriots you want in a foxhole with you.
At least they didn't light it on fire.
They were no-name nobodies before this. Now they can go back to being no-name nobodies.
Say one of their names in a couple of months, and folks will say, "Who?"
“They train as hard and they compete as hard as the men “
Coaches say that they hate cutting a guy you trains really really hard and does everything asked to do, but you know what they hate more? Losing. That’s why they cut the guy.
How do any of you thin-skinned couch potatoes watch any sports at all? Or any movie, television show, marching band, or pantomime for that matter?
Colin Kaepernick disrespected the flag. And police officers. I'll never watch the NFL again.
Megan Rapinoe supports Colin Kaepernick, doesn't put her hand on her heart, and doesn't like Donald Trump. I'll never watch women's soccer again.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos made the black power salute at the Olympics. I'll never watch the U.S. Olympic team again.
Barry Bonds is a cheater. Mark McGuire is a cheater. Eddie Cicotte was a cheater. I'll never watch Major League Baseball again.
Some players are not the best players. I'll never watch minor league baseball, college basketball, college football, any US soccer team, any non-US basketball league, any tennis match that isn't a final, any sport with weight classes, every again.
Or it could just be that women’s soccer is boring and yet ESPN et al are trying to ram it down our throats every day as if it were on a par with the NBA athleticaly.
What's your point Henry? Your post sounds like teenage snark without the teenage part.
People shouldn't watch sports - they should be playing them. If they want to watch, they should watch what they like. What's so hard to understand?
"Congratulations to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team on winning the World Cup! Great and exciting play. America is proud of you all! - Donald Trump"
Well said. Except America is not proud of "all". Rapeione for instance. Hopefully, she and another couple of left-wing oddballs will refuse to visit the White House. Better for everyone.
How do any of you thin-skinned couch potatoes watch any sports at all?
Henry is going to wow us and, along with low index Chuck, show us how to play sports instead of watch TV.
Go for it, Big Guy. How many trophies have you won, Henry ?
"Some players are not the best players. I'll never watch minor league baseball, college basketball, college football, any US soccer team, any non-US basketball league, any tennis match that isn't a final, any sport with weight classes, every again."
Yeah apparently we're not allowed to enjoy watching most any sport. Minor league ball is unacceptable. So is any women's sport anywhere at anytime. Seems like if one finds joy in any sport, it's a problem for some.
"If they want to watch, they should watch what they like."
That's not how your message is coming across. It's coming across like, "No one must ever watch anything but what I deign to approve." And, "You all have horrific taste if you enjoy watching women's soccer or women's b-ball."
Looking forward in the TV guide, I see there is something coming up on ESPN that will be infinitely more exciting than U.S. women's soccer -- a cornhole tournament.
"Or it could just be that women’s soccer is boring and yet ESPN et al are trying to ram it down our throats every day as if it were on a par with the NBA athleticaly."
This is similar to when Althouse was upset people were watching Game of Thrones. It's once every 4 years. Ignore it. You don't have to watch, think about it, or comment about it on blogs.
"No one must ever watch anything but what I deign to approve."
Go ahead and watch what you like, but don’t expect not to get pushback when something is shoved down our throats by a media campaign to tell us that black is white.
There was a comment here that actually claimed that the women’s game was as fast and athletic as the men’s game. Dream on. It’s mostly boring to me. Maybe you like it, great, watch it, but don’t hector me to watch it and hector me because I think it’s, to put it kindly, not compelling.
I notice this with football. Women get all excited by the Super Bowl, but it’s generally more about who wins and loses, and not so much about the actual game that’s happening, played out by highly skilled and highly talented athletes, physically gifted athletes. It’s about the uniforms for women, or so it seems to me.
“Ignore it.”
Turn off your TV. Good advice, and that’s basically the only way to “ignore it."
we admire talented players, that's what irks us about Kaepernick, now the fact they get up on their soapbox to denounce this administration, is the annoying part,
I didn't even know the US had won until about an hour ago and still don't give a shit. Soccer is boring as hell.
If tonight's US Mexico game goes as per usual the US team will be a cuppa del oreos. Licked but not broken.
Tour de France replay on now. Day 2.
They are actually riding in Belgium this stage.
From "With No Argument on Substance, Critics Take Aim at U.S.’s Style/Attempts to police the joy the United States has taken in rampaging through the Women’s World Cup only confirm what should be clear: the team is different from everyone else" (NYT).
A better story would earn the headline "We portray the most powerful team in the sport's history as victims because we're so enthralled by identity victimology we can't escape the narrative in even the most absurd circumstances".
"No one must ever watch anything but what I deign to approve." And,
This reminds me of that commenter who lectured others on how to discuss Date Lab as if we must all discuss things as she prefers.
"That's not how your message is coming across. It's coming across like, "No one must ever watch anything but what I deign to approve." And, "You all have horrific taste if you enjoy watching women's soccer or women's b-ball."
I can only write it, I can't make stupid people understand it. And here's an idea. If someone disagrees, they should write an intelligent rebuttal and not a bunch of dumb teenage snark, or cryptic comments about their hurt feelings.
Colin Kaepernick disrespected the flag. And police officers. I'll never watch the NFL again.
I was huge into the NFL. I watched three to five games a week, was in six fantasy leagues and followed the sport year round.
Since the whole kneeling thing....I haven't watched a game, including the last two Superbowls and I'm still in two fantasy leagues on autodraft for old times sake. I don't even know how the two teams did last year.
The kicker for me was the Betsy Ross thing. We were told for years that it wasn't about hating America or disrespecting the flag and anthem....it was about protesting police brutality against Black people. What the fuck does Betsy Ross have to do with police brutality?
rcocean said...
Rapinoe is obnoxious.
She's a terrible teammate. She plays to the media's political preferences ensuring she is the center of attention. Everyone else becomes an afterthought. She speaks for them saying few if any would decide differently setting them up to be vilified if they break ranks.
Disgusting.
It's been a long time since there has been any team in international competition getting excited about.
It's not just the punks that have infested too many sports, but the purity and innocence are gone from all of it.
Shut up with differing opinions, 4-dumb explained before continuing, you guys sound like you're trying to force me to hold an opinion I don't like. Your words are violence. My words are free speech.
Also, I have kids so absolute moral authority or some dumb shit.
/Leftism
I notice this with football. Women get all excited by the Super Bowl, but it’s generally more about who wins and loses, and not so much about the actual game that’s happening, played out by highly skilled and highly talented athletes, physically gifted athletes.
My wife lives for football. She counts off the weeks between the first pre-game and the Superbowl.
She also likes Baseball, which has never done anything for me on TV. I had SC season football tickets from 1956 to 2012 but have lost interest as they have screwed up the team, not to mention making a PC nightmare of the campus
“I can only write it, I can't make stupid people understand it.”
LOL. On the other hand, I firmly believe that an artist loses control of the interpretation of his art the moment it goes public, so there’s that.
Blogger The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...
If not for the Google Doodle I would have had no idea that this is going on....
Ditto. And they are trying really, really hard to let you know about it. I generally ignore the google doodle, but it went on for so long and had some very obscure 'modern art' sketches that it was a 'wtf is that?' moment.
Soccer, to watch, is quite boring. Women's soccer is even worse. Regardless, I'm of the opinion that if the US is competing in anything, then the US needs to win, and be there to win. They must also be gracious to the loosers, and be gracious when they loose.
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