There's been an extensive discussion of the USWNT lack of diversity on BigSoccer here. The most reasonable point to me is that it's more of a class issue than a race issue. The problem is that to get on the track to play for the USWNT you have to pay for the opportunity, and the players whose families don't have the money for that are going to have problems getting that chance.
Did anyone watching the World Cup broadcasts happen to catch Briana Scurry's comments about Solo? I can't imagine that anything she said would have been that controversial. (Maybe Dan saw that Pia was "destroying" Hope and fired Scurry in order to give Solo an emotional boost and save the USWNT's World Cup bid?) https://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/magicjack-owner-dan-borislow-tries-to-stop-league-1689262.html
In the North Korea game they had Bri on for the pre-game when they did a segment on Solo and '07. Ley pressed her a bit on Hope's comments and she and DiCicco both came down on the "Hope was still wrong" side. Ley also asked about Hope maybe not getting along as well with her teammates, but still being able to play as a team and both Bri and Tony said the winning teams they were on all got along well, so, again, the insinuation is that Hope's attitude is incorrect. Nothing damning, but certainly neither one of them backed Hope up either. Those were the only comments I am aware of and not nearly enough to get fired over. Not sure what the sources are, but if that's the reason the magicCamp is giving, that's just ridiculous. Wouldn't be surprised if it has more to do with the player and union grievances. Bri's pretty strong-willed so I'm thinking it's more a case of "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down."
In other coverage during the WWC (ie not that particular 3 minutes), Bri was very clear in stating that Solo was the best keeper in the world and she said nice things about Solo. When Ley was pressing Bri at the beginning of the tourny to talk about 2007, she (imo) tried to stay professional and did not (imo) take shots at Solo-- just a bland (and clearly NOT wanting to talk about it) "I wouldn't have done it that way and don't think she should have but let's move on that was a long time ago." If that particular 2-3 minutes is really what led Borislow to terminate Scurry, he's a bigger @ss than I thought. Not that I thought Scurry was a great choice for GM unless she had previously unknown to me business experience.
I missed the fact that Shannon Myers is no longer with magicJack. She was previously the Director of Team Operations. She also joined the roster during the World Cup, and when she was terminated from the roster afterward, I assumed that she was just returning to her front office job. Apparently not. http://www.equalizersoccer.com/2011...he-current-state-of-the-magicjack-wps-fiasco/
this saga is screaming for an insider's tell all book or article. where's investigative journalism when you need it? btw, it looks like he'll settle his differences with wps peacefully. but if db is as crazy as he appears to be, maybe it's just too much trouble having him as an owner. they should bite the bullet and get rid of him if they can at all survive without him.
More on why Shannon Myers no longer works for the club. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...on-grievance/2011/08/16/gIQAvziPJJ_story.html
Not to mention a slew of quotes from the previously unreleased venomous e-mails to the players from BoriSlug. Whether you view this as a sport or a business, there is 100% no excuse to address any of these ladies in this fashion. This is a man with no shame or class.
Absolutely, this guy is a DB of the highest order. He needs to be gone. What really bothers me though is how any mJ player can defend this sociopath.
Ok, not cute, but he always has a beer in his hand, so i'm thinking a large % alcohol related. Time to move on.
Which is exactly what I was thinking too, but you see how he always praises his USWNT'ers and puts them on a pedestal. I wonder if his emails went out to all players or if he specifically picked out the ones he knew he could push around while keeping the high-profile ones in his corner. I can't see Abby or Rampone getting this email and saying "well, he does make some valid points there.."
No, i'm trying to put a positive light on this and end the season on a good note. He's done good and p####ked up. I'm hoping the blow from his players and the league will straighten him out in the long run. Outside of that there is nothing i can do but support the team and the league. Go Jacks!
Yes, of course, but I've seen it over and over again in the workplace. It never ceases to amaze me how people can be manipulated into disbelieving abuse and harassment, but we all want to believe the best in everyone. A good-hearted person would easily be taken advantage of and influenced by a conniving jerk like DB. He seems like he can turn the charm on and off at will so I'm sure he's pulling the "I'm just a big soft teddy bear" routine on the USWNT'ers while the marine drill sergeant is pounding the others into submission.
lets see which players comeback to magicjack next season. i can't believe anyone is signed beyond this yr including marta. so the whole magicjack team can walk if he is this monster you hens (i'm assuming most of you are guys) are painting him as. either he is destroying their lives and careers and none of them will return or they think he is nothing more than pay check dropping d##n fool and will resign. the players have the option. so, lets see what they do if magicjack is back. they resign, can't blame anyone but themselves.
According to the union, the USWNT players did sign the complaint. They've been a bit busy during the season and I wouldn't want them talking to the press about the situation regardless. Submit the grievance via the union and keep working as it makes its way through the process. Isn't that what we do at our jobs when we have a boss that is inappropriate and the fear of retribution real? Heck, it took a while for news to leak out about the "physical altercation" btwn a coach & player in the first season.
i will say it again, if the players comeback to magicjack next season, what will you say than? based on all of this, he will have to refill his whole roster.
Well, I would say they did it because he offerred more money. Now, I can see Rampone knowing what was going down and not stepping up she was not exactly quiet about being unhappy in NJ... guess her hand got spanked enough for the I am not the coach tweet
If they all come back I would assume, #1 dan has agreed to stay the hell away from all of them, or #2 they need the income. Just because they have not left does not mean that everything is ok. I hope for your sake you never find yourself in a hostile work environment. It would be a real wake up call for the dilemma that many people across this country experience on daily basis. It's one reason I strongly support adoption of workplace bullying laws. People put up with it because they need the job. They shouldn't HAVE to quit because someone else is an ass. Often the conduct is not sufficient to rise to an EEO or sexual harassment claim, but the effect on the individual employee is the same. Maybe I am reading into this wrong but it seems to me news as long as they keep playing, whatever Dan does is ok?
if it is that bad, i will say again they can play elsewhere. MJ's 15 players or so are pretty much all starters on other teams. the reserves who are gone are pretty much starting. maybe davis and 2 other would bench but the rest, esp the nationals, are starters around the league. with the possibility of new franchise, the whole team can jump ship and not look back. if most or all of them are back in 2012, what are you going to say? i still haven't got a good answer. wps american players arent kids from the hood. they have degrees from some of the best universities in the nation. they can sit a yr, make money and return to soccer. they have options. lets me real.
Can they sit a year, make money and return to soccer? Really? In this economy, even with an outstanding degree jobs aren't exactly available everywhere. And I have to believe that would tend to stunt their growth/development as players. It's not possible generally speaking to maintain a pro athlete lifestyle (working out, eating right, etc) while working a 9-6 desk job. While players like Abby and Hope will certainly have their pick of teams, others won't. I don't think there are 15 players on MJ who could just show up and own a starting spot with any other team, especially once you factor contracts into the situation. Borislow is a douchebag asshole who needs to sell this team to someone who will run it the right way. Being a good owner means more than just throwing money at the team (see Synder, Dan for example); he's embarrassing his players, the other owners, and the league and it needs to stop.
Do you know for sure that they are all coming to the end of their contracts? Also they were student athletes at an assortment of colleges and University, their communication degree might not get them very far. We all saw the article about Stanford's easy grade class list which the student athletes got.