Anyone in the public eye - male, female, black, white, purple, canine, etc. Solo's fellow Olympian, Ryan Lochte, has been taken to task for his custom-made grills, trademarking "jeah!" and dissing his ex-girlfriend. Owens is just one example of the multitude of male athletes who are criticized left and right when they engage in something the media and/or fans find distasteful or just plain stupid. He and Solo should hang out and air their grievances. He has done reality television and over time has become known as an attention-seeker more than anything else. He once wrote a book largely to defend his public persona. And like Solo, he has publicly called out teammates and coaches. Like Solo, he was wildly talented in his prime, arguably the best at his position for a few years. In fact, Solo reminds me of an athlete whose career I have followed closely. No way is the criticism of Hope Solo due to her gender. Solo invites criticism just like male counterparts But plenty of folks will love that Solo always "hits" back. Solo will take some hits for how she comes across. By the same token, life and sports would be boring if everyone were Sally and Sammy Sunshine. "Brash" and "outspoken" are sometimes euphemisms for rude and self-absorbed. A little of Solo's attitude goes a long way. It has been my experience that she, at times, is off-putting to the media because she can take even innocuous questions as "attacks" against her or her teammates. It's likely part of what makes her so great at her job: Keepers thrive on facing confrontation. She seems to always be spoiling for a battle, which is her genuine personality. But the chip on her shoulder is real and omnipresent. Hope Solo is a fantastic goalkeeper on that there is zero debate. If a male athlete had a history of criticizing past teammates and coaches, picking a fight with a broadcaster (who also happened to be legendary in the sport) and generally having an edgy persona, then he indeed would get some criticism back. Chip on her shoulder is real, but Solo always hits back But as Lolo Jones and Dawn Harper could tell you, conflict is a publicity magnet. Hope Solo is a much more nuanced human being than the she said-she said with Brandi Chastain demonstrated. That meant conflict, backstory and hair in some cases got more ink than technical performance. One thing about the sports coverage coming out of the Olympics was male athletes were covered more for their ability and sport, where women were covered more from a personal angle. I think a male athlete might receive as much scrutiny, but the difference is there would be a larger volume of coverage about his sport, so it wouldn't be the only coverage he receives. Solo, female athletes covered differently I'd support Solo's brash and outspoken nature - if it wasn't so self-serving. We have a certain expectation our stars will learn to rise above and to accept the criticism that comes with elevated status.
ANNOYING LOUD TO GET SCRUTINY FROM TV
I don't think we would condone a male team star at the Olympics - say, the NBA's Kevin Durant - posting tweets blasting the TV commentary for his games.
We like our male athletes brash and outspoken, but usually we like it best when they're brash and outspoken about the correct topics. About her own benching in the 2007 Women's World Cup, about her own struggles on "Dancing with the Stars" and, most recently, about how annoying she found Brandi Chastain's commentary during NBC's Olympic broadcast. Yes, she is brash and outspoken - but about what? It seems she speaks out only when it serves the Hope Solo brand. I just don't think Hope Solo's behavior falls directly into this category. It's certainly a relevant question: Do we as a society respond differently to the behavior of our female sports stars? There is all kinds of evidence (Danica Patrick, Lolo Jones, Anna Kournikova) that we do, indeed, have different expectations for female athletes and male athletes. Would a male athlete be given the same scrutiny? Solo's outspokenness self-serving
ANNOYING LOUD TO GET SCRUTINY FROM UPGRADE
You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĭuring her book tour and the Olympics, Hope Solo has received criticism for being brash and outspoken.
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