Hope Solo interview on The Today Show

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Comment by Gromit on August 17, 2012 at 16:37

Lars wrote : "I contend that if you play soccer -- the world´s game -- as a professional at the top level with all that that encompasses, then you have earned the right to do nothing for the rest of your life should you chose to. You should be able to earn enough to essentially not need to work much. You have earned yourself a rest from the rat race."

Amazing... and truely indecent ! How a about a factory worker, a miner, a garbage man/women, a nursing auxiliary ? Don't you think their daily working-life  is at least as hard as a football-player, man or woman ? And that after 10 years, they too could have the right to rest for the rest of their life ?. No, they have to really work harder and harder for 40 years, only to finish their life miserably. They don't have the choice to keep working just to survive, even if they deserved to rest more than any football-player. But you militate here for the rich to have the right to rest because your respect lies only on wealth and rich, not on the poor.

It's over, Lars. Don't rely on me anymore to talk with you on the subject again. I'll just ignore you. You went too far for me and I woudn't want to become too much unpleasant. As I said already, I'm not a diplomat and I always speak my mind. Enough is enough for me.

Comment by Gromit on August 17, 2012 at 12:22

But dear Lars, once more (I already said it to you and you never answered), why, oh why do you want to force the women who play football to become professionaly inactive at the end of their football career ? You stop playing football at 30 and that's it, you'll never work again in any way for the rest of your life ? What do you want ? They stay at home, cook, knit, walk the dog and wait for their husband/boy friend/girl friend to come back home ? Is that your conception of a life ? Is that your conception of Women ? A football-player who plays 10 years don't work 40 years, it's compete non-sense. There is not a single football-player (men or women) who, after his/her career has ended) doen'st do anything and doesn't earn any money, even when he's really wealthy.

So, all your usual arithmetics are absolutely menaningless.

But you are very close to win by default because I'm getting tired of answering to you.

Comment by Gromit on August 16, 2012 at 15:52

I'll pass over the fact that you tell us your Wolfsburg's dream for the 1000th times, dear Lars ;o)

I won't do about what I see as a ridiculous plea (sorry to be so honest in my expression) : $ 500,000 of salary. In which world are you living ? It is the highest salary ever paid (Marta's, best player in the world) and it ruined two top US teams consecutively, Los Angeles Sol and FC Gold Pride.I explained it less than two days agao in a new discussion. Rather than commenting it, you prefer ignore it as if it never existed, and keep your head in the sand.

No, it doesn't seem to be "reasonable" to me. But it's the same old song between us, over and over, isn't it ? I must admit that you are a man of conviction too, who is not afraid to repeat your credo in a loop, till your interlocutor's exhaustion maybe. Are you trying to win by default ? ;o)

Comment by Gromit on August 16, 2012 at 10:49

@Lars - If Hope Solo went and played abroad - she already dii t actually in 2005 for Lyon, she played 7 matches - she can't (or you can't) expect to be paid $500 000 a year, that is 400 000 €, that is more than 33 000 € a month. It's clearly impossible in Europe. The highest salary in Lyon is circa 5 000 €. In a period of economical crisis, it's already a good salary (let's not compare with men footballer's salary which are out of this world), but to common run of people, particularly when you have bonuses, a car, maybe an accomodation and no health expenses. And you work 2 hours a day.

After that, it can be argued whether the salary could be a bit higher or not, I won't do it here and now. Just to say that the gap between  5 000 and 33 000 € is much too big to have any chance of success. Marta's salary (precisely 33 000 € a month) helped to kill two top US clubs (I wrote about it in a specific discussion).

Comment by Gromit on August 15, 2012 at 23:35

I read the 25 pages of Hope Solo's book and that really made me laugh.

She can complain about Brandi Chastain and writes blah blah blah but one thing is sure : Chastain was absolutely right when she said that Rachel Buelher is the weak point of USA's defense. She is the girl who was in charge of Sinclair against Canada : 3 goals for the Canadian. She was in charge of Ogimi against Japan : Ogimi scored. And who was in charge of Homare Sawa at the 117' corner at the 2011 WC Final ? Guess...

Another thing that is quite funny is Hope Solo complaining that Canada was about to play "physical" against USA in SF. Poor, poor, poor little US' players who never ever play physical against the others ! We were several here to be scared of what Canada was about to do in this tournament with many fouls committed. And we all noticed and confessed that our fears were in vain. Canada didn't play hard but just played well. And the match against USA was not a "bloodbath" as Solo infamously wrote page 16. Even the so-called deliberately stomp on Lloyd's head is pure interpretation as many video replays easily demonstrate.

Solo complains that "the Canadians were bitter and ungracious afterward." Well, Hope, when you rightly  feel you have been stolen and that the referee was playing with the other side in Olympics Semi-Final, yes, you can be bitter and ungracious.

Comment by Zinzi on August 15, 2012 at 22:49

I pre-ordered her book. Still waiting for it, but can't wait to read it!

Comment by Women's Soccer United on August 15, 2012 at 22:15

Very interesting, here is the full epilogue on Harper Collins. Here is the details from ESPNW

Comment by Women's Soccer United on August 15, 2012 at 22:11

No @Crystal I will take a look, thanks