If you've been following the latest sports news, then you probably know that the US Women's Soccer team is in the World Cup. They are scheduled to play the Netherlands in the gold medal match later today.
On any other occasion, this patriotic American would be rooting hard for our ladies, and chanting "USA". However, I cannot bring myself to do that for this match; indeed, I almost hope that the Netherlands will win. Let me explain why this is.
In case you didn't get the memo, the national team's Megan Rapinoe has declared that, should the US team win, she would not be visiting "the fu***** White House" (it is an accepted custom for the president to invite championship teams to the residence). The midfielder (and national team CAPTAIN) has also said she will "probably never" salute/stand for the national anthem again. I'm sorry (well, actually not), but this is not a winning attitude, and it doesn't fly with me.
Let me break this down for you; I've always been of the opinion that, regardless of their political beliefs, athletes should show respect for the country that they represent. By refusing to stand for the flag and anthem, Ms. Rapinoe has shown a deep disrespect for the United States. Not only that, she is the captain of the national team; thus, she should exude leadership by example. Rapinoe has failed to do this.
Digressing for a moment, do you want to know why quarterback Colin Kaepernick can't find a job anywhere in professional football? The reason is not because of the color of his skin, or because he is being "blacklisted" (as he so often claims). It is because he is a disrespectful, snot-nosed punk of a person...and he doesn't have much game anyway. Kaepernick should consider himself damn lucky to have any sort of deal with Nike (burn their shoes anyway). Hey Colin, "put that in your pipe and smoke it"!
Anyways, back to the matter at hand. Myself, I've never coached any type of sports team. Nonetheless, if I was a coach, I would lay down the law. One of my simple rules would be, to quote the movie "Miracle", "the name on the front is more important than the name on the back". Simply put, if you want to play on my team, you will show respect. That means that when the anthem plays, you will STAND....OR YOU WILL SIT FOR THE ENTIRE GAME!
I don't care what your political beliefs are. I don't even care if we lose because you're not playing. Everyone, from the captain down to the most reserve bench players, will stand and respect the flag. If you're not willing to do that, then not only are you not worthy of being a team leader, you're not worthy of taking the same court, ice, or field as everyone else. I would even have a mind to dismiss you; if you're not going to have a winning attitude, perhaps the team would be better off without your services. I may take some flak for this, but that's the way it is, and that's the way it would be.
By allowing Megan Rapinoe to play today (along with apparent supporters Ali Krieger, Becky ("Sour-Face"?) Sauerbrunn, and Ashlyn Harris), the coach of the US team is sending a message that he (she?) will tolerate this disrespect, as long as the team wins. The coach doesn't care about leadership and attitude; all he/she cares about is "getting paid". This is something that I do not, and cannot, support. The Women's National Team should play their game with honor and dignity. If they aren't willing to do so (even though I hate to say this), then I guess it's "go Netherlands" for me. "Sad"!
No comments:
Post a Comment