hope solo...

It might be a bit premature to write the token Hope Solo blog since I haven't read her book yet. Maybe I don't have the whole picture, but since following the US women's national soccer team (USWNT) for the last 15-20 years (and by follow I mean occasionally obsess and/or stalk) I've followed her career from the beginning and had to insert my opinion after so much criticism over the last five years.

Solo is most known for controversy when I probably appreciate her most for her goalkeeping abilities. A year older than me, I was trying to wrap up high school when Hope was finishing her freshman year of college and earning her first cap (appearance) with the full USWNT in 2000. She was an alternate for the 2004 Olympic team before really becoming the starting keeper in 2005. I'm not sure anyone really knew who she was until the 2007 World Cup. Her father passed away just before the tournament and Solo dedicated the tournament to him earning some press. Things really went crazy when former USWNT head coach Greg Ryan benched Solo for the semifinal versus Brazil in favor of Briana Scurry. Brazil had their way with the USWNT that day as they rolled to a 4-0 win and Solo told a reporter after the game, "It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it's not 2004 anymore. It's not 2004. And it's 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past. It doesn't matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that's what I think." Most people only quote the first two sentences, but she's referencing 2004 because Ryan supposedly attributed Scurry's start to her strong performance in the 2004 Olympics.

My take: I agree with what Solo said. I was never a fan of Ryan and while I appreciated Scurry's tremendous career, I didn't think there was a need to change what wasn't broken. At the same time, I don't think it was the time to say it. I also don't think she should have even been accessible to reporters. As someone in PR, I don't think we're supposed to blame our own, so I'm not blaming anyone, but I think you need to know your personnel and the circumstances. It was obviously a volatile situation, but I think you have to know Hope would speak her mind so if you don't want to hear it, avoid putting her in that situation (this was also pre-twitter so there was more control).

Ironically enough Scurry was an alternate on the 2008 Olympic team when Solo posted a shutout in the gold medal game over Brazil. The 2011 World Cup was without a ton of controversy. The team lost and some have been critical of Solo's time spent with her family in the stands rather than congregating with the team, but I don't really care. It's hard to want to be around your team after a loss. She didn't ostracize her teammates (as far as I know) and she went and thanked her family. Not a big deal... to me.

Leading up to the 2012 Olympics, the USADA issued a public warning against Solo for taking a banned substance. It was a diuretic... not a performance enhancer and they figured out it was from a prescribed medication for "premenstrual purposes." Other than the public warning, there weren't any other penalties issued.

My take: Not a big deal. Some people have criticized her for being a distraction to the team before the tournament and suggesting she should have done a better job knowing what she was taking. I think athletes do have the responsibility of checking any medication to make sure it isn't banned. I don't know  whether Solo didn't check or just assumed it would be fine, but I don't think she was trying to disguise anything else with the diuretic and I don't think she was trying to bring attention to herself or be a distraction. She was publicly warned and had to tell everyone she was on premenstrual medication. Not the most embarrassing thing (there are tons of women taking birth control or some kind of medication for premenstrual purposes), but also not anything to brag about. In a bonus chapter of her book available online, Solo said, "Still, the burden of proof fell on me. Part of being a world-class athlete is keeping aware of everything that enters one’s body. I understood I needed to file a TUE—a therapeutic use exemption. I knew all the rules; I just hadn’t known there was anything in the drug that I needed to worry about. I couldn’t believe that my Olympic dreams could be ruined because of a medication I’d been taking for more than a year." She also mentions in the book the last athlete who tested positive for the drug was banned for two months. There's no way Solo does this on purpose or to bring attention to herself. Too dangerous.

After the second game of the tournament, Solo fired off some tweets directed to Brandi Chastain regarding her commentating. Solo was criticized for sparking controversy, serving as another distraction and heaven forbid, criticizing a '99 hero.

My take: You can read Solo's version in the bonus chapter, but I think the tweets were taken out of context. Solo and Chastain had a history and Solo had enough. I think she even felt like she was sticking up for her team, for the sport and even said, "When the tweets came across everyone’s Twitter feed, the bus erupted with cheers. 'Hell yeah, Hope,' my teammates cried. Pearcie and Abby and others offered up high fives. 'Somebody finally said it,' they said. It was a bonding moment for our team." I agree with Solo, Chastain is not a good commentator. I don't think it has anything to do with whether she's a '99er or not. I'm pretty critical of women's soccer commentators in general. I know sometimes executives think it's best to rely on a big name rather than big talent especially having worked with Anson Dorrance when he was broadcasting for the WUSA. Again, I question Solo's timing on the tweets, but after getting on the bus after a big win and getting an "onslaught" of negative feedback I can understand how she thought she was standing up for her team and the game. Those who had blown up Solo's phone (friends, family, twitter groupies) all applauded Solo's confrontation (can you call it a confrontation if it's on twitter?). Regardless, I don't think it was Solo trying to be a distraction. I think she thought she was standing up to the class bully (unfounded or not)... I can appreciate her intentions.

Since the Olympics Solo's been making public appearances and people will continue to critique her words and actions. I think that comes with the territory when you're on national tv and publish a tell-all book. I don't think Solo thrives in the public eye and she's more comfortable with her friends and around people she trusts. I know many are tired of people using the "troubled upbringing" as an excuse for crappy things. I don't think Solo would ever use it as an excuse, but I think she does tend to defend herself easily and question others easily and for that I'm not sure I can blame her.

My graduate degree would call me to question the treatment of Solo as a female compared to her male counterparts. Would anyone care if a male athlete had complained about getting benched in one of the biggest games of his career or tweeted to a commentator about a poor performance? I think it would make the news and I think people would either laugh at the guy (because he's not respected in his sport) or applaud him (because they would agree). Regardless, I don't think Solo's press persona should take away from her abilities on the field. She truly is an amazing goalkeeper and in 4-8 years someone else might be ready for her to be benched, but for now... play on!