“Girls at Soccer Games are, like, Yucky and Stuff” (Updated to include MLS response)
Posted on May 2, 2012 3:08 pm
(Updated below with statement from the league)
I’ve been saying for quite some time that sooner or later someone at MLS was going to notice that Simon Borg is an idiot, hand him an empty copy paper box to put his secret desk-stash of snacks, the framed photos of his dog and that little third place office bowling league trophy he’s so proud of into and then escort him to the door before he did too much damage.
Clearly, my confidence in the league was misplaced, and now we’re faced with the prospect of a “writer” or “blogger” or “blabber-lipped-imbecile” or whatever his job description with Major League Soccer Soccer is, announcing that having icky-yucky girl people at soccer games is a bad thing.
No, I am not making that up.
Here's Simon Borg getting grossed out during the 2011 Playoffs by having to be near Katie Witham
Now fortunately, he did it during one of those inane “podcasts” that nobody much listens to (in this case, the more-or-less Official Extra Time Radio and, even better, he waited until 59 minutes into the thing to say it, at which point the three guys who actually cared enough to start listening to it had long since given up out of sheer boredom and flipped on Dance Moms: Miami.
UN-fortunately, a testosterone-averse website called Jezebel, which I am neither going to link to nor further characterize in any way, somehow – incredibly – noticed that Borg, a semi-official member of the MLS fraternity of cool kids, made the following remarks:
“It’s fine if you’re a female and you want to be a super-fan. Clearly go for it, that’s your choice. But there is something to be said for how appealing that might be to the other sex. Having a woman that’s such a fan, like painting your face, tuning in to every podcast. I don’t know how many males would be into that.
“It’s great that in Kansas City there are a lot of women in the stands, it’s great, but for the guy who wants maybe a serious relationship… If you are following just casually, but if you’re such a die-hard, I don’t know, it comes a point that it is a bit of a [I don't want to say] turn-off…”
His co-podcasters attempted to turn him around on this, possibly because they anticipated headlines such as this one today, courtesy of Chivas USA fansite The Goat Parade:
“Sexism for Major League Soccer’s Official Media Rears its Head (Again)”
…but Borg would have none of it until at last Howdy Doody (or “Senior Editor” Greg Lalas, I’ve always had difficulty telling them apart), possibly worried that come next week he might have to start looking for an actual job, took a shot at getting some separation between MLS and Borg’s stupidity:
“What you’re saying is that it’s a turn-off for you.”
Borg, who at that point was likely being held down and repeatedly kicked in the head by those co-hosts and technicians who weren’t already running for the parking lot, agreed that while it’s true that for him personally, having yucky girls around turns him off, he’s sure that a majority of fans feel the same way.
Now of course there are several things in play here, the first being that Borg is and has always been a lackwit. Pretty much everyone except the guys who run the league website has always recognized this.
The only difference between this badly thought-out, ignorant and embarrassingly inaccurate statement and the hundreds upon hundreds of other badly thought-out, ignorant and embarrassingly inaccurate statements the guy has made while on the league’s dime is that it is so blazingly insulting to a large group of people who MLS has spent years – and millions of dollars – trying to get into their stadiums.
The big problem is that when you have a guy like Borg, whose name is plastered all over the official league website, and who they promote heavily (“Hear Simon Borg’s Take on the Upcoming Draft”, “Simon Borg Breaks Down the Playoffs”, Simon Borg’s Preseason Analysis”, “MLS Extra Time with Simon Borg” etc, etc, etc,), who then says something this incredibly stupid, it’s quite impossible for Major League Soccer to distance themselves from his remarks.
Now that Borg, a semi-official MLS inside personality, is on record telling women that attending an MLS game makes them unattractive to men, how exactly does the league respond?
You can’t very well trot out Cohiba Don Garber to make a statement denying that sitting at an MLS match makes females ugly. Talk about going viral in a nanosecond. Professional soccer would be the laughing stock of the sports world by Friday afternoon.
But it sure wouldn’t hurt to quietly show Borg the door. If he wants to promote “Sport As Sausagefest” perhaps he should check out bowling.
As for the ladies – hey, who knows, a girl-type-person might accidentally read this page someday – let me be the first to say that you can sit next to me any time.
UPDATED with thanks to BS Legend Sandon Mibut and Stalwart Contributor chr1st, this satement from MLS:
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER STATEMENT
During the latest episode of the ExtraTime Radio podcast on MLSsoccer.com, one of the hosts — Simon Borg — made inappropriate remarks regarding female fans of Major League Soccer. These remarks were unacceptable and in no way reflect the values of MLS, its clubs, players, staff, or MLSsoccer.com. We apologize on behalf of our organization for those remarks. Respect for diversity is a core principle of MLS and we are proud of the diversity of our League and its fans.
Mr. Borg will be suspended from his position at MLSsoccer.com for seven days, effective immediately. All MLS employees undergo diversity and sensitivity training on an annual basis, and Mr. Borg and the entire MLS Digital group will receive additional sensitivity training promptly.
First of all, what an idiotic thing to say. Second, I couldn’t disagree with him more. Big fan of the female soccer fan. What a clown.
Podcast was taken down. And then re-posted… with an apology, apparently. The main page for ETR now has the disclaimer, “The views expressed by the hosts and guests are theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Major League Soccer / Soccer United Marketing.”
Likely outcome: Simon Borg, Douche Bag Extraordinaire escapes unscathed.
Once again, Borg shows off what an idiot he is. MLS could find someone way better than this no-talent ass clown. I personally find female footy fans more attractive in some ways because we have a shared interest. Oh, and props for digging up a pic of him with Katie
One day we will discover a talented ass-clown thus bringing balance to the Force.
I think his point was the diehard sports fandom is not attractive as a potential mate. I can’t say I disagree. I welcome die hard fandom from man or woman, but for a gf or wife, its not very feminine. Its perfectly OK for a woman to act as she chooses, just as it is OK for a man to prefer a different kind of woman as a sexual partner.
What an outdated classification of “feminine”. Women can still be beautiful, cool, and be passionate about something. It’s almost as if people like you and Borg want vapid women who are in the kitchen cooking and only have a passion for you…
It might be an “outdated classification” but it’s his personal view and I’m sure the view of millions of women. If not things would be alot different. It’s what he likes it’s what he’s attracted to. Just like women have their preferences in males. And I guarantee “masculine” (whatever that means) will be a top preference for alot of women
“It’s almost as if people like you and Borg want vapid women who are in the kitchen cooking and only have a passion for you…”
Nice strawman. Who said anything about passion? I was talking about sports fandom, and also about personally what I am attracted to (something that cannot really be controlled). I love a woman that is passionate about literature, politics, cooking, or fashion. Sports, on the other hand, are a competitive activity between men that I enjoy with other men. When women get overly obsessive with sports, they are taking on generally masculine traits. This is a turn off to me. That being said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with women being super into sports, its just not what I’m looking for in a woman.
Whether or not you, or Borg, personally find female super-fans attractive is completely and totally irrelevant to what is wrong with his statements. The point is that it never should have been brought up in the first place because it belittles the female fans that do follow the league, and suggests (intentionally or not) that in the end all they are there for is to give slobs like Borg some eye candy.
Well, on one hand its a dumb thing for a promoter of the league to say, on another it has us all talking about the league?
He’s an MLS employee, making a comment on the MLS podcast, which has only received coverage here, on a soccer blog. It’s hardly burning up in the media.
I listened to the podcast before I even knew about this and before they’d added the apology. I thought Borg sounded ignorant. What’s new there though? There are plenty of women in the Supporters Sections at LAG and while they’ll join in the chants and get into the game, I can’t say I’ve ever seen any acting less “feminine” than the average.
Borg’s comments were pretty critical though and worse still, he seemed to imply (IMO) that he was speaking for most men and wouldn’t be de-railed from the subject despite his co-hosts subtle (and then not-so-subtle) efforts.
So … Alyssa Milano, hard-core baseball fan. Too masculine?
Mandy Moore, hard-core MMA fan.
Ashley Judd, Kentucky hoops all the way.
All disgusting?
@beau…there are exceptions to EVERY rule. lol
That’s “National Champion Kentucky” hoops to you!
And yes Ashley…..ah Ashley…..
Beau baby, its one traint in the mix among many. No woman is perfect.
Anthropologically speaking, it is a masculine trait to engage in mock battle, while it is a feminine trait to not get involved in the battle, but support the men economically. Therefore all men who are fans are actually picking up feminine traits, not the other way around.
Well, thank you, it’s mutual. That attitude is definately a turn off.
I’m sorry, but when i go to a game, i’m not looking for a hookup. Be as crazy and outgoing as you want, it’s not going to phase me or “turn me off” – why? Cause i’m not being creepy and trying to pick up girls while we’re at the supporter tailgate drinking.
Well, if a woman is attracted to you, its not creepy. Its creepy when you continue to pursue her after she has hinted that she’s not interested.
unholyunion,
My now wife of 3 years and girlfriend of five was a tailgate date, why the fuck is that so creepy to you? LOL
I can’t blame him. I don’t hit on women in our supporters’ group tailgate either. I just don’t want to come off the wrong way and unintentionally drive them away from the Barra Brava and DC United games in general. It’s not a bad guideline. If you start chatting organically, great. If you just come off as “hitting on” a girl, not great.
Sounds like you need to up your game, son. You should never come across as hitting on a girl, most of all when that’s actually what you are doing.
I think the issue is whether it’s appropriate for an MLS representative to use an MLS podcast to share which behavior he finds attractive or unattractive in female MLS fans.
“But there is something to be said for how appealing that might be to the other sex.”
…No, there isn’t. Nothing needs to be said about that at all. Female MLS fans are listening to this podcast (although not as many as would be listening if Borg were not part of it). They should not have to hear, on an official MLS broadcast, how Borg rates their attractiveness. They shouldn’t have to hear their behavior interpreted in terms of how it affects the opposite sex. They certainly shouldn’t have to hear that a paid employee of MLS, a person that MLS has chosen to represent them, does not approve of their behavior at games.
To be fair, they were having a conversation about balancing soccer fandom with romance/relationships, particularly when your partner isn’t into it. And they were talking about helping Andrew Wiebe find a girlfriend and what he might find attractive. So it wasn’t totally out-of-the-blue, “Let me share what I think of female MLS fans…”
Also, Simon Borg has made fun of male superfans on numerous occasions too. He has made it clear that he thinks all people who paint their faces and go all-out with their fandom are ridiculous.
I still think the comments in question were poorly articulated, thoughtless and inappropriate. But it wasn’t just an unprompted judging the attractiveness of female fans. There was a context.
Wait a minute? He makes fun of all superfans? Why is this guy allowed anywhere near anything that comes close to a public MLS release? Why would you make fun of your paying customers? I don’t paint my face but I’m in a supporters’ group and I wear my DCU scarf everywhere except when it’s too hot. Borg needs to get far, far away from anything on the website.
I am aware of the context. I’m not sure why you would read my comment and think my opinion is in any way affected by whether his statement was made during a somewhat relevant conversation or not. A “prompted” judgment of the attractiveness of female fans is no better.
I hear you and I agree with you.
Clearly, in his view, if you are going to a soccer game you’re trying to pick up men…..
I never knew sporting events were the new bar, or speed dating.
There was a context to the remarks which Bill has omitted, and which shows that’s not what Borg was saying or implying.
Apparently the league disagrees with you. See below.
The leagues recognizes that people were justifiably upset, and is (over)reacting accordingly. That doesn’t mean the league agrees with what unholyunion said.
I gave the league lots of schtick over the “launch” of Major League Soccer Soccer. I must say it has come a long way, and I just might possibly been wrong and Commissioner Garber right about Chris Schlosser. Either that or somebody else fixed it and Schlosser was spared because firing him would be an admission of the sort Garber tends not to make. But Simon Borg’s presence, I just don’t get. Doesn’t he have some techie, behind-the-scenes sort of job? Surely he wasn’t hired to be “on-air.” He has great communication skills, except for spelling, syntax, vocabulary, and PR instincts.
Hey Bill, what exactly do you get out of mis-characterizing Borg’s remarks?
He most certainly did not say that a woman who attends an MLS game is unattractive.
If you want to address what he said, why don’t you actually address it, instead of attacking some straw man of your own construction?
If it’s your contention that I misquoted him, I’d be interested in having you explain it.
Your two posts, together, say nothing beyond the usual, inane bullshit about “out of context” and “straw man” and mumbling absurdities about what I “get out of it”.
You demand that I “address” what he said. I leave it to the reader whether I did or not.
In the meantime, I would say the same thing to you: “address” what I said instead of trying to split hairs about the difference between “attractive” and “appealing”, which leads me to believe that you really have no legitimate argument aside from “shut up”.
If you feel that I was unfair, fine. I disagree.
Yeah I’m not sure whom that reply was intended for, but I certainly didn’t split hairs about the definitions of any words you used.
My issue was with this:
“Now that Borg, a semi-official MLS inside personality, is on record telling women that attending an MLS game makes them unattractive to men, how exactly does the league respond?”
Simon did not say that. He did not say that attending an MLS game makes women unattractive to men. In fact he very specifically clarified that that’s not what he meant.
But you sure knocked down that assertion that he never made, which I won’t refer to as a “straw man” because you think labeling rhetorical fallacies is inane.
It is clearly my opinion, as a comment on a blog post… and not fact – disclaimer: my post you are remarking about is based solely on the quotations involved, and image that came to my mind as a hysterical anectdote that was a bad joke, cheap laugh, silly ascertion.
As opposed to some air of superiority in trying to contradict anyone with an opinion, as well as pretend bill is not responding to you.
ok, he said that attending an MLS game and being enthusiastic and passionate about it makes women unattractive to men – to him specifically, and he assumes to many others. I don’t think the difference between “attending an MLS game” and “attending an MLS game as a passionate supporter” is particularly significant here. I certainly don’t feel any better about it just because he was only including hardcore fans and not casual ones.
And that makes it better?!?!
Last I checked, the “fan” and “superfan’s” money was both green. And last I checked, the “superfan” spent more of it on tickets and merch. Again, you don’t insult your paying customers. The fact that he included his idiotic, somewhat misogynist views about female supporters’ group memeber makes the whole thing even worse.
Maybe MLS needs a superfan or at least a fan who sees insulting fellow fans for liking MLS to do the podcasts rather than an arrogant fool.
I didn’t say that makes it better. In fact I said the opposite.
Wait, wait, wait… Bill… you “leave it to the reader” to decide whether you correctly addressed what he actually said?
C’mon. Regardless of the particular situation addressed, that is not a proper stance to take. You don’t leave it to be decided subjectively. Either you address what’s said or you don’t.
“Not a proper stance to take” according to whom?
The issue was whether I addressed his statements. I say I did. The poster says I didn’t.
What else do you want? I mean, aside from simply carping for the sake of carping?
Every word I post is always up for debate and I don’t mind a bit. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m wrong.
So it’s ALWAYS up to the reader which one it is in any given case. Always.
It’s how it is.
Holy Christ, just when I thought Borg couldn’t get any dumber or asshole-ier…
Bill, I hope you’re not too scarred from reading Jezebel, though. That place is…just wow.
Do they still sell Anti-Cooties cream at the Walgreens? Maybe you and Bill can pick some up there.
What?
I’m merely commenting on the fact that the cognitive dissonance on display there often is so loud and…well, dissonant…that it can make any visitor’s figurative ears bleed. The rest of the time it’s so ridiculous it hurts.
On occasion, it does one good to venture over there for some entertainment/head shaking, but linger too long and there will be pain.
None of that excuses anything Borg said. What a backward fuckface.
I just think he really wants to see more men at the games. That would turn him on.
Ever been to a Cub’s game? It’s a GD talent parade and I’ve never heard anyone complain.
Incidentally, I had a long conversation with Greg Lalas at a bar in Columbus back when the MLS All Star game was here. Alexi’s band was playing and Greg was the bar. Greg, being a seemingly well rounded Brown University grad, and I (me being a super pretentious bespectacled college man at the time) started talking literature. Greg went on to say how Faulkner and, specifically, Absalom, Absalom! was fantastic. I agreed but said that Faulker was a bit of a misogynist to which Lalas replied, “Who cares?”
Here’s a link to the Jezebel article, so folks can see for themselves what cause this kerfuffle.
http://jezebel.com/5906805/major-league-soccer-blowhard-says-female-die+hard-fans-are-so-not-hot
Jezebel is part of the Gawker Media Group and as such has a very big readership and it is very influential, particularly in the demo MLS covets. I got to the piece on Borg thru Deadspin, another Gawker property and highly influential (though begrudgingly so) in the world of sports media.
To wit, here is MLS’ response to Borg’s latest douchebaggery – a one week suspension and more sensitivity training.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/05/02/mls-statement-offensive-comments
Borg is an idiot, I have always thought so and this further confirms it. I was never sure if he was just trying to stir the pot or if he was really just dumb, and this incident confirms the latter. And like an earlier poster said, it’s not just that this is offensive, but I think most men would disagree with him. For what it’s worth, he didn’t do the kick-off today, which is something that if I’m not mistaken he always does
Dear anyone from MLS, if you are reading this, please hire me. I know a fair amount about soccer, I can write, my voice isn’t annoying, and I am in tune with society. Look, I am more qualified than Borg.
“And like an earlier poster said, it’s not just that this is offensive, but I think most men would disagree with him.”
That is so true. I was chatting with one my fellow Barra Brava members during the Houston game last weekend and he said that he brought his girlfriend to a United game to see if she enjoyed the tailgate and boisterous atmosphere of our section. After she enjoyed it and joined in our songs, he said that he started making plans to propose to her.
Conversely, I brought my recent ex-girlfriend to multiple Barra Brava tailgates and games. After three or so times, she snapped and berated me for how much it sucks and I suck for liking sports and especially a supporters’ group that stands and sings the whole game. In hindsight, I’m glad I dodged having to hear that for the rest of my life.
Borg is an idiot for saying that in an official league website podcast. One of the main rule of business is to never, ever insult a customer or potential customer. Regardless of what Borg likes in women, it has no place on such a podcast. Also, female fans’ money is just as green as anyone else’s. What difference does it make whether a female paying their hard-earned entertainment dollars is attractive to him? In his professional capacity, he’s supposed to attract as much of the entertainment dollar as possible and make sure as many fans as possible are repeat customers.
He should be fired or at least removed from podcast duties.
Borg gets a seven-day suspension for his comments on ETR.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/05/02/mls-statement-offensive-comments
I don’t think it’s crazy to find over the top sports fanaticism somewhat off-putting. Fan obsession can go too far, and I think most people would find extreme fandom of any sort (not just in the realm of sports) to be a turn-off.
But I doubt that was Borg’s point.
What is over-the-top? Are those of us in supporters’ groups that travel to away games, bang drums, sing songs, buy merch and concessions over-the-top? You know, the very people that the league has included in all its promotional videos for years now in order to sell the extraordinary (among U.S. sports leagues) atmosphere?
Again, what is extreme? Also, shouldn’t someone on a podcast on the league website embrace the supporters’ groups since they tend to spend more money per person?
Have you ever met someone who is completely devoted to their hobby, to an unhealthy degree? It doesn’t have to be sports. It can be things like video gaming or Star Trek. A little passion is a good thing, but there is a line where passion turns into obsession. I’d say most people don’t find obsession all that attractive.
What Borg was getting at was that he feels that men aren’t into women who are more, or equally, passionate about the game as they are. He went about those words the wrong way, but that’s entirely what he meant. I agree with him, and many men I know agree with him, also.
My wife knows that I love soccer, as well as other sports. She knows how crazy I get about them. My wife likes going to sporting events with me, but she remains calm and just enjoys the good time. She’s about as casual a sports fan as one can find. If she were more passionate about it than I was, I’m not sure it would work out between us. She has the things she’s passionate about, and I’m more even-keeled with those things. It’s a nice blend. I couldn’t be with someone who was as rabid a sports fan as I am. It just wouldn’t jibe. I’m sure there’s a lot of men who feel the same way. They like their women to be anything but a wild sports fan. They want a woman to be passionate about everything they’re not. It just doesn’t mix well for them. Also, being in a relationship doesn’t always mean doing the same thing over and over again. It’s experiencing things from a different point of view that brings you closer together. If my wife started being as rabid a sports fan as I am, it would kinda turn me off because that’s not who she is. If that’s how she was when we met, I probably wouldn’t be with her any longer because we just wouldn’t mesh well.
The whole thing was a setup to drive hits over at Major League Soccer Soccer.com. C’mon, we’ve see this happen 1000 times before:
* Media Personality (OK, I’m using this very loosely in the case of Borg) says something completely outrageous
* Firestorm erupts in cyberspace and meatspace
* Employer of Media Personality puts out press release apologizing for Media Personality’s comments and suspends Media Personality for some token length of time.
If MLS were really upset about what Borg said, they would’ve hit the “eject” button or done something similarly harsh. It’s not like he’d be tough to replace. But they didn’t.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
MLS gets a little hard-earned press. They get a clear bad guy from whom they can distance themselves and articulate their moral stance.
No biggie at worst. Little win at best.
My thoughts exactly…
I don’t care who happens to be a fan. The more the merrier. More women is never a bad thing, on the contrary it’s great to have them surrounding you.
But, people really give a flying rats ass that he said that? People need training for their hyper-sensitivity.
When people say stupid things it does nothing. His “semi-official” job and his subsequent psychobabble on a podcast isn’t going to do anything to MLS or it’s bottom line. You gotta be kidding me.
You know, as stupid a thing as it was to say (and yes, I disagree with him), the thing that disgusts me most is the predictable outcome: a bazillion bloggers and voices all getting up in arms and condemning as loudly as they can the Enemies Of Diversity the same way that many such people would laugh at thinkers of earlier periods condemning heretics.
Humanity doesn’t really change that much, I suppose.
“Humanity doesn’t really change that much, I suppose.” Of course it does, you just proved it….humanity went from condemning heretics to condemning Enemies of Diversity. That’s a pretty big change in my opinion. But you probably meant, people like to b***ch and take things way out of proportion. I apologize if you didn’t.
Nah, it’s changed a lot. Mostly BECAUSE of people getting all up in arms and morally indignant about stuff like this. I’m sure there are lots of folks who would’ve found nothing wrong with his comments had others not spoken up about it.
“Has always recognized”? “Satement”? Spelling/grammar check, brah.
Sadly this may not be most stupid thing he has said…. various his most bombastic moments of spazztic stupidity can be found at the BSMX Gringo Wall of Shame for your lulzing pleasure
Of course the odd thing to me is that Simon’s wife has been with MLS/SUM as long as just about anyone and she knows more about global soccer than 99.99% of BigSoccer (that’s probably an underestimate). I actually run into her at more games than I run into him. I’m struggling to come up with a context where he’d make those remarks.
Simon is saying that he doesn’t find his wife attractive. What else?
Is his wife painting her face in team colors, and wearing strange wigs and/or costumes? That sort of thing. Or her passion for the gamer a quieter, more knowledgeable passion?
I do not know how to respond to this blog post.
What reaction will make girls like me more? HELP!!!!
I suggest driving a Veyron and owning a beach house in St Thomas.
Trust me. You’ll get more ass than a toilet seat.
Borg couldn’t make a statement that I disagree with more… Well, wait, maybe that’s not true. I know I’ve made several attempts to have him on TSRC with the guys to answer for some of his comments, but to no avail, while others on the MLS staff have gladly come on (some even twice–see Jonah Freedman). In fact, he wouldn’t even reply to our invites. I guess we need to contact his agent. But, PERHAPS, the reason he wouldn’t come on the show was just this: the fear he may be asked the kind of question that might lead him to open mouth and insert foot. Hard to say. For me, there’s nothing hotter than a gal who loves the sport just as much as this pooch does.
Even I think he’s a d*ck, and I raised the SOB.
Seven days suspension? What kind of punishment is that? Colin Clark was suspended three games and fined for a gay slur and he apologized.
Where’s your apology, Simon? No need, no one would believe you anyway.
A family was sat in front of me at a game last week. The teenage daughter kept telling the U11 boy and his friend not to make any noise as it would infringe on the enjoyment of the game for the people around them. MLS can have this young lady I don’t want her at my NASL game.
Simon is troglodyte. When I listen to him, its almost as if someone airlifted him in from another generation of men. A throwback of old-fashioned prudish and prosaic conservatism and bigotry. I don’t mean those words in the contemporary sense regarding partisan or racial politics but in their truer, definitional sense. A bigot in that he is intolerant to others views and opinions which differ from his own. That he is prudish and conservative is less problematic to me than that he is a bigot. To whit, he is personally uncomfortable with Alex Morgan’s participation with the SI Swimsuit edition and unwilling to entertain how such participation might possibly be positive for soccer and women in general and women soccer players’ in particular. He is uncomfortable with Frankie Hejduk chugging a beer with crew fans and at a press conference and unwilling to meditate on Hejduk’s iconic stature and image among US fans. In his world view, he is unable to see any distinction between a garden variety F bomb and a homophobic slur, between rude profanity and hate speech. He sees Patrice Evra telling an official that he has been racially abused as a moral failing greater than the racial abuse itself. A real player in his world must brook gamesmanship in any form and never violate omerta. He sees the tensions between the larger and more remote islands of Malta as somehow analogous to the struggles of discrete racial and gay minorities in sports and cultures. And then there is the issue of tone. Everything about his manner of engagement smacks of intolerance and hostility. From time to time, I actually enjoy listening to and getting angry with him. What I find more troubling, is that by and large his co-hosts let him off the hook and either laugh off his more troubling assertions or fail to firmly articulate a differing view. At the end of all this rambling, I honestly find myself with mixed feelings on Simon and unsure what the appropriate response was/is.
Really wish i could rep blog posts.
lol, the guy is an idiot.. Laughable thing to say. He ranks right there at the top along sidefellow idiot Alexi Lalas
FREE SIMON BORG!!!
I’ve never quite understood the group think piling on of Simon Borg. Sure hes a loudmouth blowhard who is wrong as much as he’s right but that’s why he’s there, to provide a counterpoint, to state opinions in a strong manner, and I find him to be for the most part entertaining. What he said about women attending MLS games was idiotic and theres no excuse for it but to me the issue is done, he’s been punished, hopefully he’s learned his lesson and we can all get back to paying attention to the games again.
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