Rio Olympics: USWNT v Colombia, August 9, pre/pbp/post

2. Fixed the howler count. You are welcome.

Agreed, we should stick with Solo.

 

I think it's just bad choices.

 

I can't resist bringing back Tobin Heath from the 2008 Algarve:
http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/03/17/12/52/11-questions-with-tobin-heath

ussoccer.com: To make an Olympic qualifying roster at age 19, and perhaps an Olympic Team, are lofty goals for someone so young, ....... Is it intimidating to think about? Or just an exciting opportunity?

TH: “Right now, I’m just taking it one training session at a time. I’m so thankful to be where I am right now and if I can continue to contribute to this team’s success that would be awesome. If I end up not making those teams, I’ll take what I’ve learned here and keep at it. I think the keys are never to take anything for granted, just have as much fun as you can, and keep listening to the coaches and older players and watching how they do things. Hopefully, if I stay on that path, things will work out for the best.”

 

I'm not going to defend or attack Hope Solo. But, as an American, I can't forget that we have many, many sports fans who have vividly expressed their sexism, racism, and homophobia at live sporting events and in other ways. This ugliness is evident in the U.S. and all over the world, not just in Brazil. It's far more distressing (and embarrassing) than anything anyone writes here.

 

Are these hypotheticals? Who said they are afraid to get shot? who called Brazilians fat?
Are you saying it's the same thing as Hope's posts?

Why do you think athletes should say only two things?

Hope's not the only one getting the chants. Watch our sand volleyball players, etc.

 

is this true? were they yelling homophobic slurs?

 

Examples?

 

I haven't read through everyone's posts, didn't see it before.
That's so lame, really pathetic from the fans if this is the case.

This is probably what they have been chanting towards our beach volleyball players as well.
I've heard it every match.

 

Easy. In a match earlier this year the Portland Thorns fans were yelling "f---k Hope Solo.

A year or two ago, Canadian fans yelled all manner of slurs at Sydney Leroux.

As I said before, if you're number one you're going to get some boos. It goes with the territory.

I recall the story of the Brit watching a demonstration in front of the American Embassy in some country. He said, "Ah, for the days when it would have been our embassy."

Mediocre people and mediocre countries don't get booed. Get over it.

 

One thing is for sure.
I'm not sure we've ever seen Allie Long wear compression shorts before sticking out below her shorts.
It's highly probable that she just prefers to wear a thong exclusively under her soccer trousers, and nothing more.
But it will be funny if she comes out against Sweden in compression shorts. We'll certainly know why, lol.

It'll either be compression shorts, or a neon colored thong.
To be or not to be, that is the question.

But one thing's for certain.
She already had a wardrobe malfunction.
Or in her case, a moredrobe wow-function.

You gotta laugh at the perverted Olympic Broadcasting camera work on that one.
It's their camera crews, NBC only refers the telecast to us, they don't film it with their own cameras.
That's all on the OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Service). They zoomed in on her multiple times.

 

Thank you, Smallchief. Hard to believe that anyone who's a sports fan needs to be provided with examples of the sexist, racist, and homophobic behavior of too many sports fans in the U.S. and everywhere else.

 

That's not racist, sexist, or homophobic.

That's not the U.S., racist, sexist, or homophobic.

The other poster said "we have many, many sports fans who have vividly expressed their sexism, racism, and homophobia at live sporting events"

You jumped in and provided no examples. Nice job. (insert golf clap meme here)

 

What are you talking about? What "sexist, racist, and homophobic behavior of sports fans in the U.S." did he name?

 

You're being ridiculous.

 

@Blaze20, is there any reason for this to continue in this thread or even on this board?

Also, I really regret noticing a clothing choice and mentioning it in this thread.

 

Yes.

Here is just one of 1000 articles I could post if it were worth the time. This is my last response to the denial posted earlier. Thanks again, Smallchief.

http://time.com/3852611/sports-homophobia-study/

 

This is a study is interesting, unfortunate male youth in america hear more homophobic slurs while playing youth sports compared to the 5 (australia, UK, NZ, canada and Ireland) other countries sampled. I've been on the receiving end of these taunts and I will say it's not even close to similar to what's happening at the Olympics....

which is a mass chant, incredibly loud at a televised event seen around the world. I've never seen this type of behavior before at a WC or an Olympics. When something like this happens (very infrequently) in the premier league there are fines and it's full disgraced and it's top news.

@Blaze20 This isn't off topic. And it's fairly insulting you'd suggest so.

"It is personally hurtful,” offered U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe, who said the stretcher crew near the American bench told her what was being shouted. “I think sort of a mob mentality kind of takes over a little bit.”

and for those who think this is common, it's not and it's taken very seriously by FIFA, as it should be:

"FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, has tried to crack down on homophobic behavior in the stands, recently fining the Mexican federation and threatening further action, including barring fans from World Cup qualifiers played in Mexico.

The federation responded in June by releasing a video in which national team players plead with fans to stop using the slur. But that strategy was undermined days later when Andres Guardado, the team’s vice captain, appeared at a press conference with Coach Juan Carlos Osorio and excused the behavior."

 

How?

You're actually making my argument for me.

You picked on Hope, blaming her the Brazilian's taunting of her.
Then, you everyone taunts, Portland fans were yelling "F*ck Hope!"

Sooooo, all fans taunt, Portland fans taunted her for no reason (I assume Hope didn't say anything about not leaving her hotel in Portland were taunting her). So, it's Hope's fault that the Brazilian fans are?

That doesn't make a lick of sense.

 

It's got a totally misleading headline (6 anglophone countries = The World) and based on crap research. The only academic that reviewed it called it into question.

If "we have many, many sports fans who have vividly expressed their sexism, racism, and homophobia at live sporting events" you've *got* to have examples. I would expect several to back that statement up. Should be easy.

And, I might add, this discussion has no bearing on whether Hope brought the Zika chants on herself - which was Smallguy's (or whatever his name is) point.

 

Start with the one that blames Hope for being taunted by the Brazilians and go from there.

 

Now that I think about this, were you there in Portland? If so, or if you now otherwise, when did this occur? I think I've been at all the Thorns/Reign games, and I've never heard this. But, I'm not near the Riviters area, so maybe I missed something although it's pretty easy to hear them from anywhere in the stadium. I have heard the "Dodgy Keeper" chants, but they go for all visiting team keepers.

Seriously, I'd like to have more specifics on what you're alleging. If it's true, I'll complain to the organization.

 

People think they hear lots of things. The most famous was when a poster claimed the riveters were yelling "get that bitch off the pitch" at Fishlock when she went down with an injury in Seattle.

Outrage everywhere.


What the were actually yelling was "get that fish off the pitch" , a reference to both her name and to the fact that it's a standard Timbers chant when they feel Sounders players are simulating (aka flopping salmon). The Timbers army chants include references to the Seattle team as the Fish.

I don't believe the Rivetters used the F word in a chant because it's not clever, and pretty much every chant they use against other teams has humor in it.

 

Here's a press report on the Hope Solo incident. I see middle fingers in the air and some open mouths shouting something that is probably not very nice.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2014/05/seattle_reign_goalkeeper_hope.html

The incident with Leroux and Canadian fans was more serious. She alleged racial taunts -- and viewing the outraged Canadian fans (if I can read lips) that's credible.

What this argument is about is cultural jingoism. I don't like to see rampant nationalism applied to a sport. Devoted and irrational fans of a particular team or country claim that their team and fans can do no wrong and their opponents are crude, cheating, and classless. We all know people of that ilk.

Soccer has a worldwide reputation for bad behavior by fans. The Russians nearly got thrown out of the Euro games this year because of their fans. English soccer hooligan behavior is famous. El Salvador and Honduras once went to war over a soccer game. Soccer riots are pretty common around the world.

The US and women's soccer fans may be less rowdy than most because soccer in the US is an elitist sport which not many people care about while in most of the world it is the preferred sport of the majority -- the majority presumably including a larger number of bad actors.

I have no problem criticizing the boorish behavior of Brazilian fans -- but their behavior is not uniquely bad or atypical.

And speaking of boorish behavior by soccer fans, here's an long and excellent article about the shenanigans of members of the American Outlaws: http://fusion.net/story/102600/american-outlaws-us-soccer-supporters-group-growing-pains/