That would be cool, too. Still, I like the complete snub, the total lack of respect to BushCo. This is just so sweet. I love this more with each passing second.
My 2 cents...if this was about a WUSA team winning the WUSA Cup, and she didn't want to go, that'd be objectionable, but OK. Since this is the national team, she should be there. As for reviewing her passport this isn't the Soviet Union, comrade. I really want to like your posts, but your anti-white bigotry is getting to be a bit much.
You already like my posts. But if it makes you feel any better, it's not something I'd have said about a softball team full of White girls. This sport as it exists in America is different at the youth level and at the women's level. You know it as well as I do.
I'm with you ... and actually, what Pia did is a lot less disrespectful than some fantasies I've had after particularly egregious Bush/Cheney acts. I love it that she simply said no. She didn't rant or rave, she just turned down the invitation. In reality, the individual who has shown total disrespect for the office of president is the swaggering fool who occupies it. Dubya and his cronies have done so much damage to this country that it boggles the mind. The office whose honor he has trampled and exploited and sullied should not be a protection for him. Anyone who says no to him is to be celebrated in my book. And if our fragile American egos can't stand that, well, we need to get some help!
Do you consider Natasha Kai and Angela Hucles to be white girls? Or are you just pulling an Imus on us.
Don't see it. She declined, made her statement and is not commenting. It's not like she has gone all Cindy Sheehan on him.
Auriaprottu is a little prejudiced. But womens soccer on the whole is a white womens sport in the US at the highest levels. But, that does not change the fact that the team was going to be honored by the country they represented. This decision by her took some of the focus off that accomplishment because she a non citizen did not happen to like our President. I hope after the next election she will happen to like that President. If she doesn't same thing all over again if her team wins another honor. It was on a soccer coaching site and to a coach they agree it was a bad decision on her part. No matter what she believed about the President because she also represents our Country's National team. The coaches on this site coach all over the world, but mostly here in the US. They think she should be removed from her coaching position as the US Womens National Soccer team. It is kind of like when you are just a regular club coach. You don't really represent yourself. You represent the club you coach for and work for. The imageof the Club must be pretected. I do something that the club doesn't like and hurt the club name the program. They would let me go.
No and no... it was an example, man. I am saying that the sport of softball isn't one of those class indicators like football still is here, and that an all-White softball or HS girls basketball team (plenty of those in rural Alabama) doesn't say "Sweet Polly Purebred" like women's sawker does.
Seems a bit of the nationalism v. anti-american sentiment is taking place here. I am all about her decision. Had BushCo. not been so bullish and prickish with their dicisions over the past 7+ years, then this would have been a non-issue. The questionable war on Iraq. The mis-labeling of ALL muslims (not just the extremists). The secret holding facilities around the world. Domestic spying/wiretaps. Etc. Had BushCo. not been so "my way or the highway" then she would have probably attended. But it is things like giving Merkel a back rub that are signs he may not always be respectful. But, this is politics and not sport. This is a photo-op for the President (and for the team). This is not meeting the the other team's head coach or meeting the head of the federation. This is meeting the President. Thus it is political. And in this country, one has the right to assemble elsewhere. Power to Pai for doing so. And power to Pai for simply saying "I disagree with his politics and will not be attending," offering nothing further. Simple and respectful.
Lets not confuse dissing the incumbent with dissing the office. Id be tempted to shake his hand while telling him that his job performance is unacceptable. Lets see him smile through that.
Re: US Womens soccer coach refuses White House I was all set to disagree with you.....but the red font changed my mind. Well done.
Om a slightly different note, how many chances does the normal Joe (Jane?) get to meet the president? That tends to be something you remember and tell your grandkids about. I personally know only 1 person who has ever had their picture taken with a president (well, president's wife), and she has the photo framed and hanging prominently in her office. That some jock chose to forego that experience because she felt so strongly about the officeholder is, in my opinion, commendable. She was not ordered to the White House, she was invited. She was not being given some great award; she may have received a handshake. She does not need to set an example for her team; they are grown women who can make their own decisions. Add those things up and this is really a non-story in my mind. 'Wanna come to my office and meet me? I'm really famous. You'll get your picture taken and everything.' 'No.' Not offended.
Maybe people will start to think maybe Womens soccer is just a white womens sport and should not be honored ever because of that fact. Maybe Obama supporters might think that. And maybe they also might think suppose we want to honor the team but their coach might not like President Obama. So better to never invite a womens soccer team ever again. We can only hope that does not happen.
Re: US Womens soccer coach refuses White House It's scary when ITN is the most reasonable poster in a thread. We have a tradition in the USA that champions visit the White House. It may be a silly tradition, but it's what we got. I'm going to bet that a large percentage of athletes/coaches that have visited the White House personally disagree with GWB's policies. You haven't heard about most of them, because they were smart enough to know that no one cares about athlete's political views. Pia blew it. She should go, shake the President's hand, and have a smile on her face. Because this visit is not about her, so shut up and play nice for the day, because that's what you do, especially when the nation's soccer federation pays your salary.
Re: US Womens soccer coach refuses White House Not for much longer. Didn't she also coach China? She had no problem with their human rights issues?
Re: US Womens soccer coach refuses White House That's not true. And I'm not a lot prejudiced, either. This is one of the dumbest posts and worst attempts at strawman-style trolling I've ever seen. Your mom labels the items in your lunchbox and you probably wear Garanimals. So fire Pia already and STFU.
Re: US Womens soccer coach refuses White House I would, except for the me not being Sunil Gulati thing. Other than that, I'll get right on that.
Re: US Womens soccer coach refuses White House It's been my experience that guys named Sunil have the same sort of political views as the sort of people who whine about Pia.