Originally posted by synergy You are comparing two totally separate things and is a shameful argument. Little league football, and special olympics participants are not so called "professional athletes." Shameful argument my ass. What does your hated Title IX refer to? Are those professionals also? And I was responding to your comment that women should compete with men. I certainly see an anology between allowing similar folks, whether based on age, sex, weight, physical or mental impairments, to compete in sports based on their own cohorts. If you cannot understand the argument, it is not me who is shamed. But female Olympic athletes are called "professional athletes." But they in no way compete in the same playing field as men, in any sport. Period. Why is it, we have to separate the men and women in sports. In every other field of life, men and women compete together. Whether it be academics, job/career, music/entertainment....life in general. Why the double standard for sports? Again, your 'double standard' exists across all sports and includes more than just the athletes' gender. Just like it would be unfair to allow a 22 year-old man to play Little League ... and essentially destroy the opportunity for sport for the children ... women have their own opportunities to compete in sports. If you chose to not watch womens' sports whether amateur or professional that's your choice, but you have absolutely no right to impede other's opportunities.
Originally posted by SamFisher Why not congratulate today's gold medalists like Shaun Crawford, Dwayne Phillips, or even Dominican hurdler Felix Sanchez. Or even Moroccan Hiccham El-Guerrouj after his heroic victory in the 1500 the other day. I'm all for it. Why didn't you start a conbgratulatory thread on them instead of a critical one on the women? If they want to play up the female angle, then what about the Women's water polo team? They only won bronze, but still. These people work just as hard, have stories that are just as interesting, if not more so, and haven't been paraded around for the last few years ad aren't as hackneyed, and are also medalists. Enough with the soccer girls. They're good, ok. Now let's let the atheletes in Track and other sports that toil in obscurity for 4 years get some play. That had exposés on almost all of them. And if they last as many years as the womens' soccer, you'll probably get sick of hearing about them also. Don't you remember what it was like when Carl Lewis reigned?
think she snubbed Sam for Nomar? whatever - they're great athletes that formed the core of the most successful athletic team to represent the US in recent times. If you think they're overexposed I'd really love to hear what you have to say about the coverage of male professional athletes here in the States.
Congrats to the women for the GOLD!!! I don't understand why the world is full of haters. Cowboy haters, women haters, Gay haters, liberal haters, conservative haters, christian haters, dog haters. It seem everyone is so full of hate now days.
This is a consequence of the overexposure: They're not even close to the most successful athletic team to represent the US in recent times. That would be USA Womens softball, (60+ straight wins in int'l competition, gave up only one run the entire Olympics) Misty May & Kerri Walsh (some ridiculous winning streak) USA Women's basketball (another ridiculous winning streak) Cael Sanderson (150 something and 0 in wrestling -- going for the gold, relegated to highlights on Bravo. USA Mens sprinting, dominating the 100, 200, and 400 for the past 50 years. etc. etc etc. Look, congratulations to them, but they've had their time. It's done. And no more of this syrupy nonsense either.
got me there. But "not even close"? This has been their first Olympics representing America as a team. shame on me team? That's debatable but again - "not even close"? There are more? Should I have just amended my statement to "one of the most successful athletic teams to represent the US" so we can avoid these fun Clutch BBS arguments over semantics?
No, no, no. I don't care about semantics at all. Anyway, look, this is just a personal opinion of mine. I've seen and heard the same song and dance about USA Women's Soccer for 5 years. (this song and dance was responsible for the short lived USA womens soccer league - great idea that was.) I've had enough of them, and enough interviews with Mia Drab. They're media darllings, ok, they have been for years. Like I said, I wish the other athletes that work just as hard as they do and are just as successful - or even if they're not - would get a chance to be in the spotlight more since this is bascially their one big shot. These soccer chicks have been iconic pillars of womens sports (allegedly) for five years. How about giving the Hurdlers or the sprinters or the wrestlers or the rowers a little bit of play instead of subjecting me to watch Costas ask cutesy questions to Mia about how Nomar is doing -- tee hee! If you don't agree, then fine, I'm just saying I'm sick of them.
I can understand that Sam is personally sick of them. But one should also consider the millions of girls out there who play soccer in the US, and the positive effect this coverage has for them re: role models and reenforcing a positive worldview about female achievement. You don't get that with some Moroccan runner, and you don't have a comparable number or boys or girls running the 100, 200, or 400.
Well, I don't think that TV should pander to the desires of those aspiring young women. Men watch more sports than women or kids so these stations should show only what we want to see. Argh. Man power! woof woof.
Not even Serena Williams could take a set off any men's player currently in the top 100. A few years ago Serena Williams made the statement that she would like to play a man who was in the top 100. Well then this player by the name of Juan Carlos Ferraro( who was ranked around #120 at the time) challenged her, but she rebuffed and said no thanks. She knows as well as the world knows that no woman can compete in a man's game. Nobody please make any silly arguments of how Billy Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes in the 70's.
I read this whole thread hoping to see some pictures of the womens soccer team celebrating (much like the 'why we watch beach volleyball thread'), and all I get is this whining and debating. Sheeesshh.
