Briana Scurry...deafening silence....

That's odd...what I'm reading is:

That sounds like vague speculation on the part of the AP writer.

Funny how you can read into that something that isn't there, yet you can't read into the pre-gold medal stories that Mia's intent was not to play any more meaningful games.

Wait, let me quote again what's actually in the article you've posted a link to five times:

That's fact. The other is speculation. Mariotti's piece was a column and exaggerated for effect. Mariotti probably couldn't have picked anyone but Mia out of a lineup on August 1.

 

This is also from the article, in reference to those other than the retiring Overbeck.

And the national team did get lots of new faces in the intervening years.

 

Why does it even matter?

 

for all practical purposes, hamm, foudy, fawcett, and probably chastain are gone. these gals want to do an extended tour, and there's probably a market to do that (esp in lieu of no wusa). i don't see how this conflicts w/ the goal of bleeding in new players...which everybody agrees is needed.

 

Interesting discussion...Not to draw attention away from US women's soccer to the men's side, but have any of you checked out US Soccer's store? Check out whose hero jerseys one can buy for the men's team...can you guess who is peculiarly missing and who is peculiarly included?? Race might have a little something to do with it...and it's more endemic, or 'ingrained' then we realize.

 

why don't you fill us in...?

 

(Last time I checked, he is black, and he was even born in Africa)

 

Which people? You people? You'd have to be pretty slow to have taken from that story that those players were definitely retiring.

Oh, wait.....

You're wrong, and you're wrong.

And even if you're not wrong, so what? You still haven't told us why these meaningless issues are of paramount importance to you.

Tell you what, I'll grant you the undisputed and irrevocable right to say "I told you so" if a reasonable person could be led to believe that these players will play in the 2007 WWC when 2006 comes around. That means "most people other than you" since you're not reasonable.

You know what I think happened? Having been appointed the flag-bearer for the closing ceremonies, Mia Hamm looked out at the wreckage that was the puny 103 medals won by her country in Athens (including more medals won in men's swimming, track and field and volleyball, sports devastated by Title IX, than were won in Sydney), shrugged off the laughter from other countries, and vowed then and there to ensure it wouldn't happen again.

Hence, her "unretirement."

 

Here is the exact quote from the "retirement speech."

http://sports.bostonherald.com/otherSports/view.bg?articleid=27949

 

yes, but...washington post...yes but espn...yes but...yes but...yes but...yezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

Hell, monster, she's been saying that for years.

Or something.

 

This is an interesting discussion and all (I guess), but someone could start a new thread on it. I believe this thread was originally intended to address Bri's media issues.

 

All of which means squat. You're attempting to use that article to say they were retiring when clearly they weren't. As a matter of fact, only Overbeck retired.

Let's be clear: there is nothing in that article that says they were walking off of the international stage in 2000. Nothing. Zero. Zilch.

 

Agreed. But Tommy likes to hijack threads about women players so he can take shots at them.

 

Well this has been fun, but since the points have been pretty well made that there are apparently a lot of reasons other than racism why Briana Scurry didn't get as much pub as the other players on the team, that Mia's most likely not going to play any more meaningful soccer, and that Tom couldn't win in a debate with a coniferous tree and a 9-year-old surfer from LaBrea, I'll be leaving the thread now.

 

Are you really leaving or leaving like Tom did a dozen pages ago?

 

I just got back into the country. Did I miss anything?

 

geordienation, Your avatar makes me laugh everytime I see it. And now I have that damn song in my head. Again.

 

I've got a fever. And the only cure for that fever, is more cowbell.

 

How long were you gone? I need to know exact times so I can calculate how many times Mia retired and unretired.

 

My word. I was gone for like 3 days 1 hour, 27 min. and 37 seconds. I come back and nothings changed. That's amazing. My best comment to the Pablum Thomas is spewing?......Ignore him. He is not worth it. He is a troll and his only interest is to disrupt good discusion. It is pointless to argue facts with Thomas because he lives in his own fantasy world where he is right 24/7 about....EVERYTHING. He see's into some parrellel universe and then Doggedly persues Truths not present here and posts them for our consumption. And when we steadfastly respond with evidance contrary to his assercions he just repeats like some demented parot his previous comments. Like if he says them often enough his shear will will make them truth.
Put simply HERE IS THE TRUTH.

Mia stated on numerous occasions that the Oly's would be her LAST MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPATITION.
She did not however, say that the last match that the U.S. played in the Oly's would be her last game. The press did that. But; Mia herself never said that.

That is it. end of this Bullcrap. if Thomas wants to come in here and continue to blow chunks about how he is right and everyone else (includeing Mia it would seem) is wrong i say let him. shows what a singleminded (obviously not breast fed) Egoist he is.

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As for Bri....which I beleive is what this discusion was origionally supposed to be about. Bri most certainly got the attention in 99' and she got alot of attention in these Olympics as well. The focus was on the retirments. But; Bri did not say that this was her last year. I think if hse had said that then she probably may have received more direct attention. But; I beleive she said she might play for another year or two. it was a verbal comment and not something I remember being in an article. But; perhaps someone could back that up if they remember. She did say (again as i recall) that she most likely would not be playing in another WWC or Olympics.
I do not state the above as fact because i am going by memory but; I beleive that is what she said.

 

I'm too lazy to read every page of this thread, somebody might have already mentioned this. What is this "Five '91s" nonsense? It's Mia Hamm and the rest of them. It's always been about Mia Hamm. If not for Bob Costas and USA Today, people would be talking only about the retirement of the Miami Hamm. And maybe the one who tore off her shirt...

 

OK, I'm a little late to this discussion (the original discussion, not the Thomas Flannigan-flamed Mia highjack) but I think the reason Brianna Scurry hasn't gotten her proper recognition is a media & USSF issue.

The media like athletes who look like them. So women's sports get barely a mention by most white male sportswriters. Black women athletes, even less attention.

The media (in sports especially, white & male) are the ones who emphasize looks in women's sports. If pure skill were the issue, Michelle Akers would be properly hailed as the woman who MADE women's soccer happen in the USA & internationally. (When did the US win the World Cup? In 1991 & 1999 when they had a healthy Akers dominating the middle of the field.)

Similarly, USSF - and its decidely white & male leadership -- decided years ago that Mia Hamm, young, white & pretty, would be the public face of women's soccer. Much as she hated the publicity, she was the annointed one. For years the only women's jersey you could buy was a Hamm 9.

Brianna Scurry had a great Olympics, but her achievements didn't fit into the media's pre-ordained "story" of the departure of the Mia, the ordained one, and the 91'ers.