U.S. Soccer and the NWSL cannot afford to let Ms. Solo disappear completely from the game for reasons of visibility, and commerce. For better and for worse, she is the face of the woman's game here for everyone except the dedicated fan. Her comments after the loss to Sweden were unacceptable because they were made in the context of an Olympic competition, and would have been ignored anywhere else. She will be back.
Once again we're reminded that sports don't build character.
They reveal it.
They reveal it.
1
Here is the only sentence necessary for the public to digest: "...her decision to walk away before the final four games could allow US Soccer to withhold her final four game checks, which on a prorated basis would amount to $12,000."
Well, I am sure that we can all understand the difficulties in playing a game for 17 years, even one you love, for less than A-Rod's weekly limo allowance.
While the reasons separating her from professional and national soccer arena are complicated, it does seem a bit like emancipation to leave. You go, Hope.
Well, I am sure that we can all understand the difficulties in playing a game for 17 years, even one you love, for less than A-Rod's weekly limo allowance.
While the reasons separating her from professional and national soccer arena are complicated, it does seem a bit like emancipation to leave. You go, Hope.
How many athletes have lost their cool in the heat of the moment? Plenty ! Yes off field she needs better management, life coach, anger counseling etc - these athletes are great sport people not perfect people ! We expect so much from them no wonder they crack under pressure! Why would USA terminate not suspend a contract for this incident? Why - because it's not the real reason. Hope Solo the best goal keeper in the world and the loudest voice on equal pay for women is being pushed out. Silenced. Hope take your talent to another country where they will welcome you with open arms and continue to be loud and use your voice. Don't let US sports administrators take away what you have worked so hard for.
1
She is just another athlete that needs to actually face the consequences of her actions. She disrespected another country on the Olympic stage making her teammates, the organization, and her nation look bad. The US team said they wont stand for that kind of sportsmanship which is commendable. This also isn't the first time her behavior was in conflict with the organizations standards. The team stood up and said we don't care about your skill, history with us, or social standing, you did wrong and now you have to face your consequences, which you don't often see in the sports world nowadays. I don't want that kind of person representing our nation anyways
2
I have to say I like Hope Solo - I am not a huge fan of women's football (too slow and boring; too much athleticism and not enough technical skills - i.e. boot and run like hell after the ball), but I do watch the occasional match and always like watching Hope play. That said she behaved like a sore loser, but it seems to me the punishment far exceeds the offence . . .
2
Read up on her, this was not the first time her behavior went far against the team's standards. You might understand their decision a little better because alone this is not enough to be terminated.
3
“Mentally,” she said, “I’m not there yet.”
This would be a monumental understatement! Earth to Solo, mentally you haven't been there for YEARS now! Now would be the perfect time to stop talking and take some responsibility for being a big cry baby!
This would be a monumental understatement! Earth to Solo, mentally you haven't been there for YEARS now! Now would be the perfect time to stop talking and take some responsibility for being a big cry baby!
1
Wow. What a case of selective memory by a lot posters here.
Solo got sacked by USSF due to a culmination of events.
And she quit her club side, they did not fire her.
Solo's problems solely stem from her lack of judgement, low character and big mouth.
She needs psychological help. Perhaps she will finally get some.
Maybe Gulati will as well. That could be a good reality show.
Solo got sacked by USSF due to a culmination of events.
And she quit her club side, they did not fire her.
Solo's problems solely stem from her lack of judgement, low character and big mouth.
She needs psychological help. Perhaps she will finally get some.
Maybe Gulati will as well. That could be a good reality show.
4
I,m still waiting Hope Solo to apologies to the Sweden women's national team for her comment. Because it was not true, not respectful and not represent the spirit of any Professional sport competitors. If you lost a game, then congratulâtes your opponents and accept the result. And try to win the next game. Olympic football is not that big deal. It's not at the same magnitude than the FIFA World Cup.
Now, i think her USWNT's carrier is over and it's better for her to move on.
If you look at the 2 goals scored by Columbia against the USWNT in Rio Olympic, you can see that Hope is no longer that good goalkeeper.
Its time for Young player to step in.
Thanks Hope and good luck.
Now, i think her USWNT's carrier is over and it's better for her to move on.
If you look at the 2 goals scored by Columbia against the USWNT in Rio Olympic, you can see that Hope is no longer that good goalkeeper.
Its time for Young player to step in.
Thanks Hope and good luck.
1
Hope was the best female goalkeeper in the world. She also has poor self-control. What she said about Sweden was accurate, in that they "parked the bus" and didn't play soccer. Her choice of words was poor. It was what everyone was saying, more politely. It's a good age to retire anyway.
Although I've posted several comments in response to this article and a few previous ones, I've never directly commented on the wisdom of the USSF's decision per se. Why? Because virtually none of us has all the relevant facts. In particular, we do not really know what Solo's teammates are thinking (although we have some clues, which are generally not favorable to Solo). In a very real sense, their opinions count for far more than any of ours, as they are the ones who have to make themselves into a cohesive unit.
The USSF put itself into an unnecessary bind by publicly excommunicating her from the USWNT. As you have pointed out, most NTs, male and female, will simply not call a player up, and deal with a one time moment of press scrutiny. For reasons best known to the adjunct Econ Professor, the USSF chose to make a public stand.
As some have suggested, this might be preemptive to remove an outspoken advocate for equality and an elliptical warning to the others. Of course, Carli Lloyd has never been better than the last two years, and they'd be crazy/stupid to drop her. And Megan Rapinoe is yugely popular, as well as being, by far, the best passer on the side. So I don't think it's to shut down the equality advocates. Sometimes it's hard to figure what nonsense is ruling the roost at the USSF.
As some have suggested, this might be preemptive to remove an outspoken advocate for equality and an elliptical warning to the others. Of course, Carli Lloyd has never been better than the last two years, and they'd be crazy/stupid to drop her. And Megan Rapinoe is yugely popular, as well as being, by far, the best passer on the side. So I don't think it's to shut down the equality advocates. Sometimes it's hard to figure what nonsense is ruling the roost at the USSF.
2
What's interesting is that none of her teammates on either team have stood up for her, not one. Hmmmm...
She's a train-wreck that came to the end of the line. That she didn't see this coming is astonishing. Actions have consequences.
Hope Solo is a victim of her own stupidity.
I won't miss her.
She's a train-wreck that came to the end of the line. That she didn't see this coming is astonishing. Actions have consequences.
Hope Solo is a victim of her own stupidity.
I won't miss her.
3
Maybe it would have been better to privately hear the news of how US Soccer would deal with her latest outburst rather than in front of cameras filming for a documentary about her career.
Or....perhaps everyone involved suspected the result and thought her reaction would make the documentary sell better.
Or....perhaps everyone involved suspected the result and thought her reaction would make the documentary sell better.
a coward.."a person who lacks the courage to do or endure dangerous or unpleasant things.".........that seems to define Solo's response to her 2 game suspension from the U.S team
1
It also describes, if we are to be honest, parking the bus in an Olympic game and not playing soccer. But Hope really is too experienced and too old to be pulling these stunts. She should retire as the indisputable best female goalkeeper.
I'm not a Hope Solo fan, but if I was making something like $3,000 a game as a world-class athlete at the top of my game - a game in which others reap millions - I might develop serious anger issues as well.
She can always go sell goalkeeper gloves.
That stunt with the gloves in the shootout of the Sweden gane alone should get her banned from the USWNT for life. What she said after the game pales in comparison.
That stunt with the gloves in the shootout of the Sweden gane alone should get her banned from the USWNT for life. What she said after the game pales in comparison.
Boys will be Boys (see Ryan Locke). Girls will be damned and punished. What's next, cutting a women's salary to 78% of what men earn? Oh never mind, that's already in place.
4
This is absolutely double standard. When a football player or hockey player bad mouths the other team for playing a certain style, they are "a competitor". Never would they terminate the contract.
1
17 years of service? Please she's a high paid athlete entertainer. Service denotes sacrifice for a greater good beyond one's own self interests. Lance Corporals and Sergeants who are paid paltry sums serve, die and are injured in distant lands; that's service. Hope Solo serves her self and has been handsomely compensated over the years for her dedication to her self interests. Simple message, Hope grow-up, get over it, and take responsibility for your actions.
1
Not quite sure why the military comes into it. And highly-paid is entertaining in this context--much financial sacrifice was involved.
1
Hope Solo is being treated no differently than any other elite athlete who has consistently performed at a high level. As long as she continued to perform at this level her behavior was grudgingly tolerated. However, as soon as her performance slipped, she was shown the door. If you want to display "unacceptable" behavior during your career, then this is the price you pay at the end of it. (See Rodriguez, Alex)
2
Another case of athletic talent being prized over common decency. Nice to see that looking-the-other-way while your athletes behave abysmally isn't confined to the MLB, NFL, (insert Power Five conference here).
Can we please cut ties here and be done with it ? I don't want her representing the USA after receiving the gold medal for Sorest Loser. She clearly needs help. Let's have the USWNT do that behind the scenes.
Can we please cut ties here and be done with it ? I don't want her representing the USA after receiving the gold medal for Sorest Loser. She clearly needs help. Let's have the USWNT do that behind the scenes.
"US Soccer" the US federation for setting national soccer teams has showed itself to be sexist, vengeful and harsh in this decision. Solo's team mates have shown no or very watered down support for the excessive penalty.
I am taking a break in supporting U.S. Mens and Womens Natinal Teams and suggest you do too.
I am taking a break in supporting U.S. Mens and Womens Natinal Teams and suggest you do too.
1
No, Hope has a history of flying off the handle and speaking her mind to the press in what clearly are inappropriate circumstances. She's the best at what she does in the net, but never caught on to the politics. She's had her chances and it's time to retire. Too bad she left the game with this hanging over her.
It is ironic that the team for the US, a country founded on the idea of free speech and that relishes entertaining players has fired someone who draws so much attention and speaks their mind. Either the US doesn't want its players to enjoy this right of free speech or they are lying and this is not really about this one comment but they are using it to dump here. Either way, this does nothing for the reputation of the USNWT management, they are either anti-free speech or liars. They should just be honest, just like she was.
Think what we put up with from male athletes including spousal abuse, steroids and trash talking. Hope only criticized the Sweden team's style of play (defensive). Big deal. This is sexism in sports being displayed and many on this board are part of it.
1
The USSF statement last week said explicitly that it was NOT about this one comment, but rather a nine-year pattern of behavior, and her failure to learn from past incidents. Here is how it was reported in this newspaper:
"Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we’ve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. national team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action,” U.S. Soccer’s president, Sunil Gulati, said in a statement. (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/sports/hope-solo-suspended-for-six-mon...
It is really frustrating that after all this time, we are still having to deal with misinformation at such a basic level.
Further, the U.S. has never been founded on the idea of free speech, except where the government is concerned. Finally, since playing on USWNT is a privilege, USSF doesn't have to give any reasons in the first place. They could simply have declined to call her up in the future, as happens all the time with other players. (There were some contractual details involving Solo, USSF, and the Seattle Reign to be worked out, but that could have been handled quietly.)
"Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we’ve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. national team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action,” U.S. Soccer’s president, Sunil Gulati, said in a statement. (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/sports/hope-solo-suspended-for-six-mon...
It is really frustrating that after all this time, we are still having to deal with misinformation at such a basic level.
Further, the U.S. has never been founded on the idea of free speech, except where the government is concerned. Finally, since playing on USWNT is a privilege, USSF doesn't have to give any reasons in the first place. They could simply have declined to call her up in the future, as happens all the time with other players. (There were some contractual details involving Solo, USSF, and the Seattle Reign to be worked out, but that could have been handled quietly.)
1
Good riddance to an obnoxious, entitled, stupendously overrated nonentity. Her page six moment awaits.
What is the big deal here. Her past behaviors can't be held against her as she was invited to play for the Olympic team. The mere fact she called an opposing team cowards due to their style of play warrants this type of response from the US soccer team? Preposterous. Watch the NFL and the comments made about opposing players and teams both before and after games. This is ridiculous.
1
No comparison...the NFL is based in the USA...all NFL teams are based in the USA......Solo's rant was about a Swedish team. Why she called them cowards I will never know.
1
Everyone knows that old adage...Follow the money.
"Solo has been leading the fight against U.S. Soccer for equal pay for women's national team players."
Many have commented about why she was suspended for her "outburst".
But now I understand why she had to be fired.
U.S. Soccer doesn't get away with posing as holier than thou.
Their action had an ulterior motive.
"Solo has been leading the fight against U.S. Soccer for equal pay for women's national team players."
Many have commented about why she was suspended for her "outburst".
But now I understand why she had to be fired.
U.S. Soccer doesn't get away with posing as holier than thou.
Their action had an ulterior motive.
1
Hope Solo's gender is not the issue. She has a history of emotional outbursts, violent behavior, and generally questionable judgement. In the past, she has thrown her own teammates under the bus, criticizing them in the press. She physically assaulted members of her own family, then attacked them in the media after they refused to press charges against her. She married a man less than 48 hours after being beaten by him. She clearly has mental health issues, and I hope she's getting the help she needs.
16
it is totally a gender issue in the sense that this happens all the time in mens' sports and worse and nothing every comes out of it. And, if what you say is true, why isn't this the reason given for her contract termination? Either it is not true or the League is lying. So, a person exercises their freedom to live and to speak and they get fired, but a league can lie and hold a double standard and you suggest the player needs mental help? If she is crazy its because people like you drive her to it.
1
One terrific goalie however with self serving comments as usual from Hope Solo. By the way, not admitting what got you to this place-your bad behavior, we are left to be unsure that you will change and become a better person. Mentally, you aren't there yet? Well, I agree with that statement. Mentally, Hope you need a lot of help and it has nothing to do with soccer and your readiness for a team. Take time off and get yourself better. This comes from someone who gets a lot of help (bipolar), so I don't mean it in a bad way as I've had my issues as well.
9
While I am sorry to see a player of Ms. Solo's caliber released from the national team, I appreciate that Ms. Solo's repeated bouts of unsportsmanlike behavior have had consequences. There is no question that she is a preternaturally talented keeper, but talent does not license the kinds of abusive behaviors and damaging public commentary in which Solo has engaged. Hope Solo has been an important part of US Soccer, but only a part -- she needs to wrap her mind around the concept that the team consists of many talented women, some perhaps even more important than she. At thirty-five,she could still be a part of professional soccer, but only if her "frame of mind" accepts that there is no "I" in team, and the only thing to say to the opposing team after a tough loss is "nice game."
7
Solo is a fantastic goalie. She has brought so much to the national team. When I'm visiting Seattle I have often taken my daughters to see Reign games. It is a great evening of professional soccer. There is always a large crowd of fans waiting to see her after the game.
Maybe this is the end. I hope not, but if so, congrats Solo and thanks for giving it your all for so long.
Maybe this is the end. I hope not, but if so, congrats Solo and thanks for giving it your all for so long.
8
While this Hall of Fame goal keeper did make a comment that, if she had the weekend to contemplate, would not have made, the nation owes a vote of gratitude to the flawless performance year in and year out that Hope Solo delivered.
Performance in sports has been essential in moving women closer to a level playing field for life in general/
That playing field is not yet level, but it is far more so than it was prior to the USA Women's Soccer Team winning the World Cup in a performance that broke global records for world-wide television consumption.
Hope Solo played for years while the women's team was building confidence and competence. She was paid peanuts for her time; a fraction of what the players on the men's team were paid even though
the ratings for the women's games were far higher.
We see some grievous errors made by sports celebrities that affect many.
Given the enormous contributions that Hope Solo has made to transforming the game of women's soccer, my vote is to say: No harm, no foul, play on!
Performance in sports has been essential in moving women closer to a level playing field for life in general/
That playing field is not yet level, but it is far more so than it was prior to the USA Women's Soccer Team winning the World Cup in a performance that broke global records for world-wide television consumption.
Hope Solo played for years while the women's team was building confidence and competence. She was paid peanuts for her time; a fraction of what the players on the men's team were paid even though
the ratings for the women's games were far higher.
We see some grievous errors made by sports celebrities that affect many.
Given the enormous contributions that Hope Solo has made to transforming the game of women's soccer, my vote is to say: No harm, no foul, play on!
9
Ms. Solo was out of order with her tirade against Sweden but because she is was dropped by U.S. Soccer. It's preposterous. I hope there is a petition to reinstate her if she wants to play. Men get a slap on the wrist - women get kicked out. Time to kill the male/female double standard in every segment of society. It's 2016 in case no one noticed.
23
She was dropped because she is a woman. My first message wasn't clear.
6
Are you simply oblivious to the last nine plus years, or do you not care? What of her insult to her Brazilian hosts BEFORE the games, with the twitter pictures of her swaddled in mosquito netting labeled #zikaproof? Does that not matter? Does it not matter that the team whose coach she maligned in defeat was probably the only coach in the world who would have taken Solo back after Solo had thrown the previous coach and, at the time, more highly decorated fellow goalie under the bus in 2007?
Quite frankly, there is no right to play for a National Team. Petition? Good luck with that. Next major tournament is in 2019. If the USWNT can't find an adequate replacement, they're free to invite Solo and the Dumpster fire that is her personal life back into the team.
To quote Dylan, "don't criticize what you don't understand."
Quite frankly, there is no right to play for a National Team. Petition? Good luck with that. Next major tournament is in 2019. If the USWNT can't find an adequate replacement, they're free to invite Solo and the Dumpster fire that is her personal life back into the team.
To quote Dylan, "don't criticize what you don't understand."
1
Good. I"m not fond of angry, insensitive people. Go. And stay gone.
2
Right... insensitivity should cost people their career. I'm betting you're more of a fan of free speech when it's a man.
6
I know that this decision is hard for Solo and for the fans, but I think that this time out of the fields it's gonna be useful for her. She needs to re-organize her mind.
2
A sad and unfortunate end to an otherwise illustrious career.
And unfortunately, now the emphasis will forever be placed on Hope Solo's personal life, and remarks made after the heat of battle in the loss to Sweden, instead of the difference she made in the USWT and World Soccer.
Anyone who plays the game knows how easily tempers can flare up.
But its always the game is what counts -- And the game is always bigger than the moment.
Thank you, and Good Luck Hope Solo in finding greener fields ahead.
And unfortunately, now the emphasis will forever be placed on Hope Solo's personal life, and remarks made after the heat of battle in the loss to Sweden, instead of the difference she made in the USWT and World Soccer.
Anyone who plays the game knows how easily tempers can flare up.
But its always the game is what counts -- And the game is always bigger than the moment.
Thank you, and Good Luck Hope Solo in finding greener fields ahead.
5
Just remember, she went INTO the Olympics having insulted the hosts with a picture of herself covered in mosquito netting labeled #zikaproof.
She went out calling the coach who gave her a second chance after she had insulted the previous coach and her fellow goalie in 2007, by calling Pia's current team a bunch of cowards.
She has no grace, no class.
She went out calling the coach who gave her a second chance after she had insulted the previous coach and her fellow goalie in 2007, by calling Pia's current team a bunch of cowards.
She has no grace, no class.
18
So, we should fire every professional and Olympic athlete who has no grace or no class, whatever that may mean? Good luck with having enough athletes after that Inquisition. I am not saying I disagree with you, but you are full of hot air to only call out her and not criticize all athletes who do what she has done and worse. There are many sports leagues that harbor athletes that have shown far less class and grace, if that is even a requirement for being a good athlete, player, and entertainer.
1
@paul
It's very easy to take the low road in this case, and join in the chorous.
Sure, Solo did all of the things you've mentioned. Big Mouth. Bad Attitude. etc. etc.
But in a long sports career, that shouldn't be the ONLY that counts, or matters.
It's very easy to take the low road in this case, and join in the chorous.
Sure, Solo did all of the things you've mentioned. Big Mouth. Bad Attitude. etc. etc.
But in a long sports career, that shouldn't be the ONLY that counts, or matters.
Like Ryan Lochte, Ms. Solo appears clueless.
And aging out of her job......
.......kinda like Kapernick, who has done a "road to Damascus" moment on the verge of being cut from the team.
Cue "Glory Days" by Springsteen.
And aging out of her job......
.......kinda like Kapernick, who has done a "road to Damascus" moment on the verge of being cut from the team.
Cue "Glory Days" by Springsteen.
2
Hope Solo is an awesome goalie.
She gracefully endured the taunting of the Brazil fans every time she got the ball.
What a mob justice joke those fans were; cowards.
And then she loses her NWSL job for a comment she made in a post game interview?
What a bunch of cowards! :)
She gracefully endured the taunting of the Brazil fans every time she got the ball.
What a mob justice joke those fans were; cowards.
And then she loses her NWSL job for a comment she made in a post game interview?
What a bunch of cowards! :)
5
She brought on that taunting with a gratuitous Twitter slam about Zika, featuring her draped in mosquito netting. Forget that? And she walked away from the NWSL job; they did NOT fire her.
Like a lot of things, she's her own worst enemy
Like a lot of things, she's her own worst enemy
8
I'm not in any way comparing her actions to Ray Rice. But they are both currently unemployed because they can no longer perform at a high level and are distractions to their respective teams. No double standard here. That's how the sports business works.
5
It is a bit disturbing that society has developed such a punishing, vindictive streak when it comes to heat of the moment comments.
Athletes, politicians, etc... could have a repetitive record of bad decisions and abusive actions causing real damage, but if they speak well, glibness can allay the media mobs.
But mere words and feelings of subjective offense can rouse passions and social media mobs such that careers could be ruined.
Politicians have made decisions that have caused needless thousands of deaths (i.e.: GW Bush, et al... for the Iraq War) but they are still given platforms of respect. A nobel prize winner who had contributed to discoveries that may have saved thousands of lives could be fired because of a poor choice of potentially misconstrued words.
Actions & results should speak louder than words.
Athletes, politicians, etc... could have a repetitive record of bad decisions and abusive actions causing real damage, but if they speak well, glibness can allay the media mobs.
But mere words and feelings of subjective offense can rouse passions and social media mobs such that careers could be ruined.
Politicians have made decisions that have caused needless thousands of deaths (i.e.: GW Bush, et al... for the Iraq War) but they are still given platforms of respect. A nobel prize winner who had contributed to discoveries that may have saved thousands of lives could be fired because of a poor choice of potentially misconstrued words.
Actions & results should speak louder than words.
11
We are NOT talking about heat of the moment comments. We are talking about multiple incidents that go back nine years or more. This is the problem with people who come out of the woodwork to post comments without any sense of the history of the team. And I'm not just talking about the Solo era (roughly a decade or so), but the 30-year history of the program. The WNT developed a sizeable following in the 1990s, precisely because they provided a refreshing alternative to athletes in other sports who were full of themselves. Solo clearly would not have fit in with those pioneers.
6
Well, if you don't fit in, you gotta go. It's the American way.
2
It's not just the American way, it's the way everywhere in the world, at least where team cohesion is of the utmost importance. There is no "I" in "team".
1
Holier than thou men rule, determine rates of pay, are transparent, drool in their soup and are, in a word, disgusting.
5
I 'hope she sues and wins.
What gross over reaction to a piddling offense.
This is simply a way for the league to shut up a strong voice for equity.
They are using her momentary poor judgment as a cover.
Lucky she isn't Russia.
What gross over reaction to a piddling offense.
This is simply a way for the league to shut up a strong voice for equity.
They are using her momentary poor judgment as a cover.
Lucky she isn't Russia.
7
A strong voice for equity? Seriously? She's white trash with soccer skills, nothing more. See Adam's comment below for a brief history of Solo as a strong voice for women. Or, simply google "Hope Solo arrested."
Disagree. If you have read about her life she has made many bad choices and suing is one scourge in America. This is what she caused. As to a voice for equity, this incident was not that. And Dennis Russia is a country.
2
Seriously? Solo may be one of the best goalies in the world in women's soccer but her lack of professionalism off the pitch and after professional games are cringe worthy. Momentary poor judgement - have you just tuned in? She has been a personality problem for her teammates and coaches for a long time. She is a talented player but I hope she gets some help. If not, perhaps she will find something else to do outside of sports.
5
Time to go solo, Solo. Much work at personal growth ahead.
10
Solo's Sweden comments, cringe-worthy and unsportsmanlike as they were, were fairly innocuous on their own. But when you consider just a sample of the 'past incidents' the article so briefly mentions, US Soccer's decision looks more than justified:
- 2014: arrested on two counts of domestic violence after drunkenly attacking 17 yr old nephew and half sister, missing team flight. later went on Good Morning America with false story claiming to have been the victim
- 2015: found riding in passenger seat of official US Soccer team van that her husband had been driving at the time of his 1:30am DUI, all during World Cup training camp in LA
2016: posted #zikaproof pictures that caused twitter outrage, guaranteed incessant booing from the Brazilian crowd before the Olympics began
Would you want her representing your country?
- 2014: arrested on two counts of domestic violence after drunkenly attacking 17 yr old nephew and half sister, missing team flight. later went on Good Morning America with false story claiming to have been the victim
- 2015: found riding in passenger seat of official US Soccer team van that her husband had been driving at the time of his 1:30am DUI, all during World Cup training camp in LA
2016: posted #zikaproof pictures that caused twitter outrage, guaranteed incessant booing from the Brazilian crowd before the Olympics began
Would you want her representing your country?
31
Zika! Zika! Zika!
Her comments on the Swedish team were intense but actually quite accurate. Most Soccer fans would call their play cynical and negative.
On the day of the Swedish final versus Germany, Sweden did not play quite so negatively, and the NBC commentator wondered on the air if she "did not want play in the final to reflect poorly on women soccer".
On the day of the Swedish final versus Germany, Sweden did not play quite so negatively, and the NBC commentator wondered on the air if she "did not want play in the final to reflect poorly on women soccer".
Absolutely. She's been a damn good goal keeper.
Regardless, she is being paid a pittance... $3000 a game??? Compared to a male athlete, this amount of money is ridiculous.
5
$3000 a game sounds like great pay to me. It's the exorbitant salaries of male athletes in more recognized sports that are ridiculous.
The average NBA basketball player makes $4.6 million per year. They play 82 games in the season, earning them over $56,000 dollars a game. For a game.
LeBron James makes about $31 million per year currently, which comes out to about $378,000 per game. For a game.
Which amounts are more ridiculous?
The average NBA basketball player makes $4.6 million per year. They play 82 games in the season, earning them over $56,000 dollars a game. For a game.
LeBron James makes about $31 million per year currently, which comes out to about $378,000 per game. For a game.
Which amounts are more ridiculous?
6
They get paid what they're worth to their particular sports organization. Is Hope earning them millions per game? No, more like thousands. The NBA gets millions and millions per game, why should Lebron get a slice of the pie? He IS their star player. It's simple mathematics.
According to a quick google search Manuel Neuer's salary 2015 was 7,627 million USD. (For those who don"t know: He is the best male goal keeper right now). Yes, the orbitant salaries of some (!!!) athletes are ridiculous (to use the words of Madelyn Harris)- however the discrimination against female athletes is more than that.
Also: every person who is highly skilled in her/his field - or shall I say an exception- usually makes a very high salary here in the USA.
I do not understand the pettiness against Ms. Solo- she and a lot of other, especially female, athletes deserve a higher pay. And she deserves not to be judged by her comments, but by her play on the field. There are a lot worst things said/ done in men's soccer- without consequences. And no, I do not approve bad behavior- but I would like for any commentator here to indicate if they actually ever played any sports on her level.
I wish Ms.Hope all the best :).
And you negative people- clean your own house first....
Also: every person who is highly skilled in her/his field - or shall I say an exception- usually makes a very high salary here in the USA.
I do not understand the pettiness against Ms. Solo- she and a lot of other, especially female, athletes deserve a higher pay. And she deserves not to be judged by her comments, but by her play on the field. There are a lot worst things said/ done in men's soccer- without consequences. And no, I do not approve bad behavior- but I would like for any commentator here to indicate if they actually ever played any sports on her level.
I wish Ms.Hope all the best :).
And you negative people- clean your own house first....
I support Hope. I may not necessarily agree with her comment about the Swedish team as the U.S. was not destined to win the Gold anyway, but I like her guts, determination, and no holes barred play and loyalty.
10
I would rather support someone who displays good sportsmanship...and support a person who doesn't commit domestic violence. But to each his own.
22
What she said was said during an Olympics, where athletes are supposed to come together to compete, and maybe without the usual tendencies of nastiness that high-paid athletes sometimes give in to.
I don't think this is sexism. It's the Olympics. If she'd said it about her opponent in the U.S. Soccer league, it wouldn't have made a ripple. She was a sour note, and she paid the price for saying what she said on the international stage.
I don't think this is sexism. It's the Olympics. If she'd said it about her opponent in the U.S. Soccer league, it wouldn't have made a ripple. She was a sour note, and she paid the price for saying what she said on the international stage.
16
The idea that Hope Solo is being unfairly treated by U.S. Soccer is to be myopically focused on her recent comments to the exclusion of all else.
Hope Solo has had, over a period of years, repeated issues with alcohol, charges of domestic violence, arrests, and physical altercations with the police. Yet, Solo faced no professional consequences because the USWNT needed her on the field for the World Cup and then the Olympics. Now, Solo is 35 years-old, and the next big international tournament is not until 2019, at which time Solo will be 38.
In short, Hope Solo isn't being treated differently than male athletic stars, she's gotten the very same treatment. Male or female, so long as you're able to perform on the field, league officials will look the other way when it comes to alcohol problems, arrests, and charges of domestic violence, but once you're not able to contribute to the team, bad behavior is liability with no upside and won't be tolerated.
Hope Solo has had, over a period of years, repeated issues with alcohol, charges of domestic violence, arrests, and physical altercations with the police. Yet, Solo faced no professional consequences because the USWNT needed her on the field for the World Cup and then the Olympics. Now, Solo is 35 years-old, and the next big international tournament is not until 2019, at which time Solo will be 38.
In short, Hope Solo isn't being treated differently than male athletic stars, she's gotten the very same treatment. Male or female, so long as you're able to perform on the field, league officials will look the other way when it comes to alcohol problems, arrests, and charges of domestic violence, but once you're not able to contribute to the team, bad behavior is liability with no upside and won't be tolerated.
71
You know, she hasn't always been a good teammate either. 2007 much?
3
Sounds like the NFL and NBA to me, and it stinks!
You reap what you sow.
5
If she were an NFL player, there would have been far less backlash. There is no doubt a double standard. However, her behavior has been appalling when added up, and what really good coach would really want that continual negative distraction? It'd be a disservice to the players who don't constantly pull shenanigans. She is the best, by a little, US women's keeper out there, but age is creeeping up on her and change is good . . . unless it isn't. Because at the professional level, winning is all that matters, period.
3
No one seems to have a problem with a double standard for decorum when it involves the NFL vis-a-vis the PGA.
2
What is outrageous in this story is the sad salary of professional women's soccer. The great Hope Solo is paid only $3,000 per game! Each of the top ten men's goalies in the world makes over $3 million/year!
35
Have you seen the attendance figures and TV ratings for professional women's soccer? Hint: It will require a microscope. It's not outrageous, it's a business. So let's stop treating this like a course in gender equality studies. It's dollars in, dollars out. Period.
2
Can you truly not understand the physical and economic realities which are the foundation of that salary disparity?
Chris - yes - let's not even get into the gender issues as it relates to women's sports, professional or otherwise. You make it sound soooooo simple but you whitewash away with your pithy response a pretty complex issue. Think media coverage. At the Olympics in 2016 for starters. The "gender" issue is indeed a very, very large elephant in the room when in comes to women, sports, sports coverage, sexism, etc.
“Solo, perhaps the best women's soccer goalie in the world, had repeatedly hurled insults at the officers processing her arrest, suggesting that two jailers were having sex and calling another officer a "14-year-old boy." When asked to remove a necklace, an apparently drunk Solo told the officer that the piece of jewelry was worth more than he made in a year.”
--As reported by Mark Fainaru-Wada, ESPN Staff Writer
This person, who poses as an athlete in disguise, is despicable. Twice charged with domestic violence and somehow she survives to again open her mouth to remove all doubt that she does not meet standards of a civilized society.
What a "role model" for young women.
--As reported by Mark Fainaru-Wada, ESPN Staff Writer
This person, who poses as an athlete in disguise, is despicable. Twice charged with domestic violence and somehow she survives to again open her mouth to remove all doubt that she does not meet standards of a civilized society.
What a "role model" for young women.
27
Seriously, let's consider some of the "role model" male athletes we have. Do we want to talk about the one-punch knockouts, the refusal to stand for the national anthem, the multiple baby mamas, the gay slurs, the rampant extramarital affairs, the illiteracy, the drugs, the guns, the DUIs? WHAT role models!? It's sexist to hold Hope to a higher standard. God bless her, she is what a true jock tends to be -- emotional, uneducated, unrefined, untempered, capable of bad behavior and an all-out competitor. I don't expect genius from these people, male or female. Hope's real problem is that she lost a step and didn't understand the impact of that. What she said was wrong and poor sportsmanlike behavior -- and frankly the least of her sins from the last decade.
6
Seriously
@AG, what put Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett and Kristine Lilly on the map was their being better than that. Now she's just another ill tempered, ill spoken jock with a domestic violence and public drunk and disorderly on her transcript?
Thanks, but I'll take Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Julie Johnston, Becky Sauerbrunn and Crystal Dunn and the rest who followed in the 99ers' footsteps.
Thanks, but I'll take Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Julie Johnston, Becky Sauerbrunn and Crystal Dunn and the rest who followed in the 99ers' footsteps.
1
I agree that there is a total double standard in sports. Pay inequities aside - and women in an equivalent sport should be paid the same as men (or here's a novel idea, maybe men in tennis, golf, soccer, basketball, any sport that there's leagues for each sex, perhaps they are *overpaid* and their salaries need to go down while women's salaries go up), male athletes have raped women, crashed cars, done drugs, beaten up their significant others, and just been general a-hats and they don't get dismissed by their teams, or broken by their contracts if they are team sport players whose continued presence on that team is critical to piling up those Ws - because in professional sports the W is all that matters. Routinely men's *college* football and basketball players get away with far worse transgressions than Hope did and get patted on the head before they declare early for their sports draft.
Don't even get me started with 'athletes' in injury sports like boxing and MMA get away with - regardless of their sex. In that arena oozing hormones is all part of the pre and post-match hype.
Is Hope immature? I would say so for a 35 year old, but by that standard Lochte is just as bad. I think men are held to standards that are way too low. I don't think off field behavior is important for either sex if they are not harming anyone (Babe Ruth was infamous for his drinking and womanizing in an era where the press pool kept private lives private).
Don't even get me started with 'athletes' in injury sports like boxing and MMA get away with - regardless of their sex. In that arena oozing hormones is all part of the pre and post-match hype.
Is Hope immature? I would say so for a 35 year old, but by that standard Lochte is just as bad. I think men are held to standards that are way too low. I don't think off field behavior is important for either sex if they are not harming anyone (Babe Ruth was infamous for his drinking and womanizing in an era where the press pool kept private lives private).
Seriously, $12,000 for four games? Outrageous.
Supply and demand. Outside of the Olympics, there is little demand for what she does...and hence little money spent on it. So no, not outrageous.
2
You are right, way too much. $750, a pair of new gloves, and a case of beer would be my offer.
Her comments were boorish at best and as a representative of the US team (not as a member of a professional club) she owes some level of behavior exhibiting sportsmanship. And this is not the first time. The team made the right decision, even if US swimming has not done so with respect to Lochte.
15
It was a dumb, immature thing to say, but since when have athletes not said (or done) dumb, immature things? Michael Phelps got a DUI and could have killed someone. Ryan Lochte could have gotten his teammates seriously hurt. This list goes on and on. There is a double standard at work here.
8
It's not one issue in a vacuum. It's a nine year history including insubordination at coaches, throwing a teammate (with a WWC and a couple of Olympic Golds in her trophy case) under the bus in 2007, a domestic violence arrest, a drunk and disorderly with her ne'er do well husband DWI in a team van, and don't forget the Twitter insult of Brazil over Zkia right before the games.
When a player's life is a bubbling cauldron of hot mess, the standard of play demands greatness. Both the Colombia and Sweden matches were decidely not great. With the next major tournament three years away, it was the perfect pretext to cut her from the NT. As for the Reign, she walked away from that all by herself.
When a player's life is a bubbling cauldron of hot mess, the standard of play demands greatness. Both the Colombia and Sweden matches were decidely not great. With the next major tournament three years away, it was the perfect pretext to cut her from the NT. As for the Reign, she walked away from that all by herself.
3
Those who make the point that Solo's comments would not have been cause for the termination of a contract were she a male athlete are not considering the full context of the story. Solo has a history of missteps far worse than the comments she made following the loss to Sweden in the Olympics. Sunil Gulati, head of US Soccer, clearly stated in his press release that the decision regarding Hope was based on an evaluation of this history - not only on the basis of the most recent comments, and even mentioned that US Soccer has had more than one private meeting with Solo in which the boundaries of professional conduct were clearly laid out, and were agreed to by Solo. I would never argue that female athletes, or females in many other professions, are not held to a double standard w/r/t their male counterparts, but I urge those who have concluded that her firing is the result of sexism in the institution to explore the series incidents that go back 10-15 years and not simply this latest series of comments.
9
It just goes to show that there are commenters who themselves have followed the USWNT for 10-15 years or more, and there are those who started following the team in the past month, and for whom the 30-year history of the team might as well not exist. Anyone who reads these comments will have little trouble telling them apart.
1
I'm a Reign fan and season ticket holder, but I'm tired of Hope's antics. The best thing she could do to redeem herself is to get back out on the pitch and help the Reign win. Instead, she's quitting on her club. And that follows her official response to her suspension, which completely lacked any type of contrition. She's an incredibly gifted athlete, but she just doesn't seem to get it. Someone needs to tell her that if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
9
She may have her issues but it seems utterly unfair that she gets yanked from her team while Ryan Lochte lies to Brazilian police (thus insulting an entire country, including ours), smashes up a restroom at 5 a.m. with his drunken buddies, and is "punished" by a guaranteed appearance on "Dancing with the Stars." Oh yes, and the US Swim Team, the US Olympics and the IOC do absolutely nothing to hold him accountable.
Hope gets sacked, basically, and Lochte gets a pass, gets rewarded, and gets his time in Hollywood. Categorically unfair.
Ladies, let's all get rid of the misogynists, whether it's the politics of elections or the politicians running the sports organizations.
Hope gets sacked, basically, and Lochte gets a pass, gets rewarded, and gets his time in Hollywood. Categorically unfair.
Ladies, let's all get rid of the misogynists, whether it's the politics of elections or the politicians running the sports organizations.
2
If you saw the match you can understand Solo's frustration. We have reached a sorry state when a female athlete who is a fearless and exceptional goalie cannot vent her frustration at the style of play where the defense is packed and there is no effort to attack. If she were a male football or basketball player there would have been no suspension. US soccer fails to pay the women fairly and then does this. Apparently the women can only be "sugar and spice and everything nice". Not what we want in a world class goalie.
1
If she had stopped the goal Sweden got on the break in the 60th minute, you might have the right to call her goalkeeping skills "exceptional." But she let that one in. Without a Tobin Heath pass off target by five yards that clanked off a defender and fell right to Alex Morgan's deadly left foot, the US would have lost in regulation. Without Schelin's goal egregiously ruled out at the end of extra time, Sweden would have won without a shootout.
Then of course was her gratuitous insult of her Brazilian hosts BEFORE the Olympics with her pathetic #zikaproof tweet. So she began and ended her Olympics with gratuitous insult, the same kind that might have gotten her permanently banned after she insulted her coach and fellow goalie in 2007. Pia Sundhage might have been the only coach in the world who would have taken her back after such insult of her own team. Without Sundhage, whose new team she insulted in 2016, nobody would have even known the name Hope Solo.
Face it, she ran fresh out of excuses for forbearance.
Then of course was her gratuitous insult of her Brazilian hosts BEFORE the Olympics with her pathetic #zikaproof tweet. So she began and ended her Olympics with gratuitous insult, the same kind that might have gotten her permanently banned after she insulted her coach and fellow goalie in 2007. Pia Sundhage might have been the only coach in the world who would have taken her back after such insult of her own team. Without Sundhage, whose new team she insulted in 2016, nobody would have even known the name Hope Solo.
Face it, she ran fresh out of excuses for forbearance.
1
I completely agree about the gender issue. If it were HAN Solo making those comments, it would've been laughed off and forgotten. She deserves so much more after a great career.
1
The not-so-great white Hope.
1
Not so great? She's the best woman goalie in the world. She's got her baggage, like the rest of us, but the only reason she was kicked of the national team is because there were no games coming that matter.
Maybe she can get a gig on Dancing With The Stars.
3
Didn't she already appear there?
2
I'm sure the 5 to 10 people in the stands during the NWSL's Seattle Reign's games will not miss Solo. She's on the downward slope both from a physical performance and character standpoint. This is just not that big of a deal.
3
There were nearly 5,900 people in attendance at the Reign's last home match:
https://thebold.net/photo-essay-seattle-reign-fc-vs-portland-thorns-fc-a...
If you can't even get within two to three orders of magnitude with regard to such a simple fact, why should anyone pay attention to anything else you have to say?
https://thebold.net/photo-essay-seattle-reign-fc-vs-portland-thorns-fc-a...
If you can't even get within two to three orders of magnitude with regard to such a simple fact, why should anyone pay attention to anything else you have to say?
3
That's still a tiny number. And with no appreciable TV ratings to boot, Solo is likely overpaid.
1
Wow, 5,900, really, that is just such a big crowd; that's less than a poorly attended minor league game for the Brooklyn Cyclones or the Staten Island Yankees...
Sorry if I was off such a poorly watched sport, if that is what it is claimed by readers of the NYT.
Sorry if I was off such a poorly watched sport, if that is what it is claimed by readers of the NYT.
1
Just an observation, but if she were a male athlete her comments would have gone largely unnoticed and nobody would be questioning her behavior. So the question is, is she being held to an unfair standard or are men being held to standards that are too low?
57
That's not an observation. That's a presumption.
3
Men are being held to too low a standard. This is also not Hope's first infraction. Far from it, in fact. That has to be taken into consideration as well. Her own teammates were distancing themselves from her comments, which says quite a lot all in itself.
1
Really? A man calling his opponents cowards would not be noticed? I beg to differ.
6
Why is she being penalized for speaking her mind? Male athletes do it all the time -- ask Charles Barkley or Colin Kaepernick. She already paid a price for her past incidents. This just reeks of retaliation for her leading the fight for equal pay for the women's national soccer team. Still waiting for Ryan Lochte to be suspended from US Swimming -- what he did was way more harmful to Brazil than Solo's sore loser comments against Sweden. Inequality.
72
None of the athletes whom you mentioned has any relationship with the U.S. Soccer Federation. Every sport's governing body has the right to conduct its own affairs as it sees fit, just as every state has the right to set its own speed limits and sales tax rates.
Further, paying a price for past incidents, and learning from those incidents, are two different things. The statement from USSF made it clear that it is the latter that was more important.
Finally, the statement that she is somehow leading anything is dubious. This is a person who was once publicly disowned by a near-unanimous vote by her teammates. Nearly all of those teammates have moved on, but I still have to wonder whether she has ever been wholeheartedly accepted by any succeeding version of the USWNT. The team has plenty of other leaders who can do the job when it comes to pay negotiations or anything else.
As an interesting aside, Solo's national career could easily have been at an end nine years ago, when she butted heads with her teammates at the WWC in China. The new coach who came on board after that tournament could easily have taken the path of least resistance and gone with a new keeper who was more palatable to the team, but she gave Solo a second chance. And who was that coach? None other than Pia Sundhage, whom Solo so famously badmouthed earlier this month.
Further, paying a price for past incidents, and learning from those incidents, are two different things. The statement from USSF made it clear that it is the latter that was more important.
Finally, the statement that she is somehow leading anything is dubious. This is a person who was once publicly disowned by a near-unanimous vote by her teammates. Nearly all of those teammates have moved on, but I still have to wonder whether she has ever been wholeheartedly accepted by any succeeding version of the USWNT. The team has plenty of other leaders who can do the job when it comes to pay negotiations or anything else.
As an interesting aside, Solo's national career could easily have been at an end nine years ago, when she butted heads with her teammates at the WWC in China. The new coach who came on board after that tournament could easily have taken the path of least resistance and gone with a new keeper who was more palatable to the team, but she gave Solo a second chance. And who was that coach? None other than Pia Sundhage, whom Solo so famously badmouthed earlier this month.
2
U.S. Soccer has no control over what U.S. Swimming does. U.S. Soccer made the correct decision. This is not just a penalty for "speaking her mind" -- she disparaged an opponent, showing poor sportsmanship and poor judgment. And it's far from the first time she's found herself in trouble.
Inequality? If so, let's come down harder on male athletes, rather than excuse Hope's repeated poor behavior.
Inequality? If so, let's come down harder on male athletes, rather than excuse Hope's repeated poor behavior.
2
She was wearing a USA jersey while playing for the USA.
Sir Charles and whats-his-name Kaepernack play for professional teams where hundreds of millions of dollar are at play.
Lochte will be suspended.
The two examples are neither morally nor financially equivalent.
Sir Charles and whats-his-name Kaepernack play for professional teams where hundreds of millions of dollar are at play.
Lochte will be suspended.
The two examples are neither morally nor financially equivalent.
5
Still "me me me," she needs help. To do that, she needs to grow up. Kind of sad, because they are two sides of the same coin, getting help and growing up.
18
In short, people who are concerned about double standards, as well as Solo herself, should consider the wisdom of the old saying: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.