Is this the home of the double standard or what? Hope Solo is one of the 2 greatest female goalkeepers in the history of the game.In my view she was the best. No other female keeper dominated the box like she did, had the shot blocking ability, or the confidence to come off her line. Her mistakes were far and dew between, as every great goalkeeper knows. No one is perfect, but she came to play in the big games never backed down. She came from a broken family, her father a homeless person struggling with mental issues.
So she is blunt, and clearly not the smartest person you ever met. She does some stupid things, says stupid things and never seems very repentant. Oh well, we can go through the history of Men players and her "transgressions" would not even register on the stupid meter. And that goes for any sport from soccer to the NBA, the NFL to our famed swimmers. But she gets ripped up, for just saying things that are politically incorrect.
The only reason she got sanctioned is because she is 35, and there is not another big tourney for 3 years, and which point we can throw her on the discarded athlete heap. It is so pathetic. US soccer making a stand, when everyone with half a brain knows they NEVER would have done it a couple of years ago when her services were still need. BS PR is what this is.
Which brings me to the close of my rant. Why do we feel like we need to elevate athletes to some moral high ground. Enjoy them for what they are, great athletes. As for the rest, most of them are just like everyone else...no hero's by any stretch. An as far as being a role model, Hope worked her behind off to be the best keeper in the word. Kudos to her!
