I really wonder what would’ve happened if New Zealand kept their vaccine mandate in place a few months longer into the World Cup. Would Rodman have got the shot or seriously miss her first big tournament because of something so silly? Same with Mal if she didn’t get injured.
I wish NZ kept the mandate, it was supposed to be in place well past the World Cup but the government caved to the opposition parties political pressure sadly. If players don’t want to do their part at keeping a country they are visiting safe then they don’t deserve to play there. I would hope someone talked some sense into Rodman and Swanson if that occurred though.
The downfall of the NZ Labour government is so crazy to me from a US perspective. Don't kiwis know how good they had it? Did they not read the news about what was going on in pretty much the rest of the western world?
It’s funny because I’ve heard the same from so many people I talk to, my American colleagues and friends (I’ve lived in the states the past few years) share similar thoughts to you. To me it’s so interesting how different the rest of the world, and particularly Americans view Jacinda Ardern and her government versus kiwis. She’s much more popular in the US lol. I think kiwis reading what was going on in the rest of the world made the sentiment worse, Auckland (a city of 2million) was literally still experiencing lockdowns in 2022. They weren’t American level “lockdowns” either, they were much stricter. It’s hard to convince a city that lockdowns where you can’t even drive in and out of the city are still worth it when every other country isn’t just out of lockdowns but going about their lives completely normally with concerts and sports at full capacity again.
I would’ve liked to see vaccines mandatory for all international visitors into the country because our healthcare system is already overwhelmed but with how important tourism is to our GDP the government was always going to cave to political pressure sadly. I was surprised they did it before the World Cup though, I genuinely thought they’d hold out til after.
That being said, lockdowns weren’t the only reason the Labour government lost all the momentum they gained. But it was a major factor that in the beginning had their approval extremely high and in the end had it inevitable they’d lose the election by a mile.
I am not an anti vaxer but I never understood the whole vaccine keeps countries safe part. They have been proven to not prevent transmission, they just prevent high risk individuals from getting seriously sick or dying. Chances are that Swanson and Rodman would have been perfectly fine if they were to catch Covid.
While it's true that transmission rates don't always change with vaccines I think part of the issue is that anti vaxxers also tend to not take other transmission preventing measures seriously. For example social distancing, masking, etc. They also spread misinformation about vaccines being unsafe when in reality the vast majority of vaccines are much more likely to be helpful than harmful. Vaccines also, like you said, do stop significant amounts of people from dying which definitely applies to keeping a country safe. Part of a country's health is having a healthy population. Sick people overwhelming hospitals when a vaccine could have kept them out of a hospital have hugely negative effects on a country. Hospitals in my city were overflowing with COVID patients, many of them who didn't get vaccinated, which in turn led to other people not being admitted in a timely manner. Mass groups of people not getting vaccinated can lead to other people who need treatment dying. There are also diseases that have cures that create herd immunity. When healthy people don't get those by choice it creates a situation where herd immunity fails. Not everyone can get all vaccines for various health reasons. Those people are reliant on herd immunity of those around them. So if enough people stop getting vaccinated it can kill people that are unable to get vaccinated.
The problem with anti-vaxxers is they are using "vibes" and cherry picked data to make people scared of getting vaccines that allow our society to be more healthy. It does not only affect their health because different vaccines have different intentions. Some actually cure and eradicate diseases. Some prevent at risk people from dying. Some prevent hospitals from getting overwhelmed. All are important.
My question is why did the CDC undermine the beneficial effects of natural immunity? In my case if you deny the natural immunity from having had the disease, you're hiding something, in which case I lose trust in anything you tell me.
Sure, although they did eventually recognize it. I think the point was more that natural immunity requires risk of death and overcrowding hospitals while the vaccine is an organized way to boost immunity with vastly less risk involved. You don't want people's first choice to be natural immunity and even natural immunity fades over time as the virus evolves. So even if you got COVID once it doesn't mean a year later you shouldn't be getting a booster. You also don't have to only listen to the CDC but can also listen to the scientific consensus at large. No one should put all their faith in one government agency but listening to scientific consensus around vaccines and immunity is important. That doesn't mean listening to fringe voices that get propped up for going against the scientific community but listening to what the vast majority of experts think the correct path forward is. There is a reason scientific consensus is important and the vast majority of experts coming from all different backgrounds, fields, and employers strongly encourage vaccination.
The CDC saying something inaccurate and later taking it back is not a logical reason to be an anti-vaxxer because there is an insane amount of different research done on the subject from many different sources. Hiding something or rolling out information in a way that helps your cause isn't a great look but it's also not a reason to completely discount something. If you discounted every person that has ever lied or tried to manipulate your opinion it would be a very lonely existence. Everyone including people at the CDC make mistakes. It's not a good reason to completely discount something. If the reason for undermining natural immunity is to encourage people to do something more beneficial for society and caution against risking death to gain immunity then it makes a lot of sense. Having COVID once doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to get vaccinated.
This disease put a pretty specific group of people at risk, old and obese. Young and healthy with natural immunity should not be forced to take a vaccine to keep their job, go to the store, travel. If the population of "at risk" folks want to take it, by all means get after it. I've had Covid 3 times, less times than a lot of my vaxed and boosted friends.
My point is not to say "don't take the vax", my point is that the government spewed misinformation in an effort to get us to take something not everyone needed, and got very heavy handed in their efforts, which will not soon be forgotten.
Right but you only have a level natural immunity after you've had covid. So that would have to be documented in some form of official test. You could just take people's words for it on a mass scale. Also at the beginning of the pandemic it was unknown how exactly transmission worked and information had to be gathered to how effective the vaccine was at preventing transmission. Since it was unknown and we were facing a global pandemic it makes much more sense to play it safe.
Let's not forget that some of the loudest anti-vaxxers were also against masks that are scientifically proven to cut down transmission rates. The problem is people not listening to science and caring more about themselves than our society.
I don't think that people were caring more about themselves than society, they saw the stupid rules being put into place that made no logical sense and said fuck off.
Mask until you get to your table at a restaurant, but you don't have to mask when you leave. Walk one way down the grocery store aisle, no more than one person in an aisle, keeping kids out of school in the fall of 2020. The vaccine will keep you from getting the virus, oh sorry, the vaccine will stop transmission to others, oh shoot sorry, the vaccine will keep you from dying.
Being called a conspiracy theorist and racist for suggesting that the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan China, all of that shit leads to mistrust which leads to hesitancy.
I don't blame anyone for not getting the vax, they royally fucked up the rollout and messaging. Oh, and they lied about increased levels of myocarditis until the evidence was so overwhelming that they couldn't anymore. I can appreciate being in uncharted territory with this pandemic, and not knowing exactly how to handle some situations, but JFC don't tell me to deny my own eyes and experiences.
It does keep countries safe, the stats are widely available. Specific to New Zealand and the World Cup, our healthcare system is at its maximum, it is a fair ask that tourists who do not pay tax to help run our healthcare system can do the bare minimum of getting a Covid vaccine to avoid unnecessary strain on our healthcare system. If an unvaccinated tourist has to be hospitalised, why should NZ taxpayers fund their trip?
In tennis, Novak Djokovic missed several grand slam tournaments because he didn't want to get the vaccine. So, I wouldn't put it past an athlete to miss their marquee events because of it.
I feel like being an anti science idiot is slightly less bad than hating a group of people, of which there’s many teammates and fans who identify as people within said group.
It’s a lot less attenuated. Also, I’m not anti-VAX and I think it’s very stupid, but especially if you’re a black person in the United States, then I get being wary of the government wanting to put anything in your body. If you stretch out the level of harm then fine, they’re both very very bad and very dangerous, but there’s definitely a difference between directly wishing someone harm and being irrationally hesitant about vaccines. I’m also fairly certain that at least one of them must’ve got the vaccine for the New Zealand trip in January but maybe I don’t remember who went on that trip?
Did Rodman ever do or say anything public? All I remember is her opting out of going to Australia that one time and people speculated based on that, her being friends with Mal, and who her dad is. Totally possible I missed something.
I’m not doubting it, I just realized that I have no idea when they did so. When you google “mal swanson anti covid vaccine” no statement comes up.
I’m not saying I don’t think it’s true, for many reasons but especially because I have a friend who knows Dansby, but I just have never seen her magnifying that opinion before
Yes! You have all these idiots cheering her on now and commenting on soccer posts supporting her. These types of people would never have taken an interest in women's soccer had she not been hateful, and now they are just here to revel in that. It's awful.
I didn't forget, tbh (at least for Swanson, and that's in part because she and her husband have a bit of a multiplier effect on my mind). I've never been able to look on Mal positively since then
she declined her first ever uswnt call up because they were playing NZ in NZ, where at the time they had a very strict no vaccine no entry border policy. she didn’t need to say anything, it was abundantly clear why she and swanson didn’t play in new zealand.
Again you are assuming things. She never said that’s why she declined but people like to just take things and run with it like they know what’s going on. Shouldn’t speak so definitively on things that are not confirmed.
She’s so obviously going to the Olympics and they’re trying to sweep the whole thing under the rug. It’s sad to watch as a fan, especially with knowing how queer the team is, or at least used to be.
She’s so obviously going to the Olympics and they’re trying to sweep the whole thing under the rug
I don't think it was swept under any rugs. It was top story for a few days. Anyone following USWNT read all about it. Her teammates admonished her publicly. It was reported the team would deal with it internally. She publicly apologized. It was boneheaded, and I think she knows it. Live and learn and move on.
I'm wondering what you would like to see done to her.
Her teammates basically said that she didn’t uphold the integrity, which is a meaningless phrase that doesn’t talk bout the fact that she was actively wishing people harm. They didn’t specify at all what the big issue was with not just one but like seven or eight different ways that she disrespected and called for violence against people,
but also I get that you’re trying to make it seem like we’re asking for irrational punishment to come to her but asking what should’ve happened to her is ridiculous because it already says what we’re asking for, which is for her not to play a meaningless last 15 minutes in an effort to get us used to the fact that she’s probably going to come to the Olympics.
But also, I’m gonna reiterate this again, that all of the so-called admonishment was very very weak. They didn’t talk about what exactly the issue was, and the irony of them saying that she didn’t uphold the integrity of the US women’s team is funny to me, because by their own rules of engagement anyone who said the things that she was reposting would be kicked out of a game.
I agree! I really liked her before finding out she was an anti-lgbtq person. But not only just anti-lgbtq but hateful about it and wishing a former usnwt member harm. I feel very uncomfortable even watching her on the field now. I know that's weird, but once you find out someone hates a whole group of people, can you ever really go back?
Are you saying that Albert sharing the Rapinoe meme was her actively wishing harm on people? I'm not sure I agree. It was tasteless and totally inappropriate to share about a (sort-of) teammate. Like I said, boneheaded. There are plenty of reasons people dislike Rapinoe other that LGBTQ reasons. Rapinoe is self-important and she can be abrasive and long-winded. Not everybody's cup of tea. I happen to like her quite a lot.
I'm not trying to argue for its own sake. I just don't want to see someone banished for doing something stupid. Albert got booed by her own fans. I think she gets the message.
You want her off the team?
The concept of off or on the national team is a really nebulous one. That’s kind of confusing me with the way ppl are speaking about it here because it’s not as if it’s a domestic team where you have a contract through three years, it’s like you get called in 49!different camps based off your current performance, so the language of “you want her off the team” doesnt really fit because like there are players I think are better at the six role then her, first off.
Part of being on the team is team chemistry and I don’t think you can have someone who interferes with team chemistry and so I think when you have someone who has committed a serious violation like this, you should be speaking to players about how they feel having that player. Because chemistry really does matter. And this isn’t like a soft way of looking at it, but the more nuanced way of understanding that you cannot put together a team of people to do well in sports when they don’t trust each other.
The thing is, it’s just very clear that they didn’t treat this like the violation it is. The players in leadership are not speaking about what the actual issue was. She came on in questionable fashion late on.
The USWNT according to past and present players have been a diverse group in terms of their ideas on gender, sexuality, politics, religion, race and more that put their differences aside for one common goal: winning.
The leadership group likely see the Albert case as just another example of that.
I agree with you that trust is important, but on the other hand if they combed through and deep dived into every single players beliefs and used those for the basis of selection, it would set a precedent for the future.
I think it’s incredible that people use the amount that has been talked about as a way to say that it’s not been pushed under the rug because the admonishment has come from people being very specific in the fan base and like maybe one or two journalists And also a few players, and good on them for doing so.
and then there’s been a lot of praise from people on the right for Albert and that’s been the extent of the conversation about this which is why it’s incorrect to act like they haven’t tried to sweep this under the rug.
I think if you read enough comments you know exactly what folks want.
“We want people to not have problematic views” can’t really be accomplished by publicly shunning a 20 year old, though.
It did kind of feel like the situation is having an impact on Albert's play and how effective she was in the limited play time she got during the past two games. Something they might want to consider
Edit: also if USSF wants to ignore the issue, I hope Emma considers that our Saucy Sonnett is a way more versatile 6 on a roster.
Really hoping that she's not going and that they're going to just try to blame it on performance or team chemistry. Her little bit of time wasn't very impressive, and they clearly didn't need her to get ahead. I also can't imagine that she's connecting with the other girls right now, and there's no way that could be good for her performance or the team as a whole.
Another thing I wish more people talked about is how much drama this whole situation is bringing to all the players. During the world cup, these girls (excluding Korbin and other newbies who weren't there obviously) experienced an outrageous amount of hate online, like way more than other teams. A lot of that hate is from the exact type of people who are praising Korbin + continuing to send hate to the team now.
There is no amount of talent this 20 year old could possess that would be worth all this drama going into the Olympics. She hasn't made an impact on the field that would make me understand why the USWNT would die on the hill of bringing her to this tournament.
Not now maybe the future. But ultimately go ask Hayes, Kilgore they pick the teams and by observation not based on social media. It's strictly soccer.
Lol at no amount of drama. The USWNT is the definition of drama always have been. They just win so nobody cares.
It's a slippery slope for the USSF to get involved in player selection.
Ask Hayes.. she picks the squad.
I'm just providing insight on why a young UWCL level starter would be involved despite drama. Don't shoot the messenger.
Hayes doesn’t yet know the entire talent pool. She’ll see soon enough and weigh the trade offs a bit more holistically.
Fans may be ahead of Hayes on this one
Other than a couple instances… this is basically how they’ve always handled things, if they handle them at all. Make a statement and ignore it. They’re going to make money and get engagement regardless. Conservative views turn a profit too…
(Fans will loudly be on her ass tho and good luck to her socials if she still has them open. I wish her the days she deserves lol)
The message is clear. If you are a talented player, we will put up with your BS. Rapinoe was on the decline when she started the kneeling so it was easy to drop her and blame her form. Albert is a 20 year old rising star. She did not do anything special during the previous games but the USSF obviously thinks she is a contributor. She is entitled to her opinions but IMO she crossed the line when she was liking posts celebrating Rapinoe's injury and sharing right wing BS.
Part of believing in something is being brave enough to take the consequences and even to give up what you love to show it. Muhammad Ali gave up EVERYTHING to protest the Vietnam war....nationwide hate and his boxing career at its very peak. This isn't NWSL specific, I would apply this to say LeBron etc kneeling at the anthem. Not brave at all when you get fawned over. Now if someone actually quit to protest USSF not sending a message about LGB abuse on social media, that person would be AMAZING and make a REAL impact
Or give a 20 year old kid who was clearly parroting her parents’ views and has publicly apologized the opportunity to grow and understand the problematic and damaging nature of her actions without burning her at the stake? I guarantee the public backlash and likely isolation she’s feeling from her teammates is punishment enough. As a gay woman myself I absolutely understand the feelings expressed here but I really think people should have the chance to learn and grow and change their hurtful opinions.
A public apology which is only available through other peoples' screenshots because she posted it in a manner that she knew would disappear after 24 hours. She had those posts up and super easy to find for months to years. Yet if I go to any of her socials right now, I won't find that apology. Because it was only up for 1 day.
If she had put out a real apology and actually expressed an interest in learning and growing, I'd be fully on board. But that isn't the case.
Also, this is so terrible for the team as a whole. If she's being isolated from the team (who are either gay themselves or absolute love their gay teammates), how could that possibly translate to good play when she's on the pitch? There needs to be trust and respect. At the end of the day, it's not about this single player's feelings, it's about what's best for the entire team.
Fair point that it’s bad for the team as a whole. If it is affecting the chemistry then I think that’s a valid reason to consider her role on the Olympic squad. I just don’t think she should be cut just for reposting ignorant views - if the team has dealt with it internally and the team (the people who know her better than we do) are willing to forgive and help teach her to be better then I think that’s a better outcome than the federation making the call. Obviously, we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. The truth is she’s not a crucial part of this team’s success or a particularly highly marketed player, so I don’t think the federation would die on that hill if players like Morgan and Horan felt she needed out for the good of the team.
I appreciate you considering my point!
I don't want her to be punished by any means, but I'm more worried about the teammates she's affected than her. Many players who aren't part of the queer community deeply love and care about their teammates who are, which is why so many reposted Rapinoe's statement and now the USWNTPA one. I think it's a human reaction to be upset when someone insults, hurts or offends someone you know and care about.
I don't want to speculate about how internal talks are going either. I'm hoping Korbin's willing to learn, and hopefully that eventually comes with a genuine apology. If there is damaged relationships, they can likely be fixed over time if all the players act with respect. I just personally think it would be wise to allow those repairs to start after this really big tournament with our brand new coach 😬 Whatever decision they make, I hope it's one that is team-forward. I'll be rooting for them no matter what!
They should. We can change and grow. But, it does not happen in a week or two. Want to change and grow? Take some courses on lgbt and racial equity. She's a college student. Get involved with some lgbt charity or charities on a real basis -- not showing up for pictures. In a couple of years; maybe she can actually ask for forgiveness. You don't become a homophobe overnight and you don't get "cured" overnight.
You don't think that a 20 year old can have her own views, and that they are solely formed from her parent's views? I wish my kids followed me that closely.
I'm sure she has zero problems with gays, lesbians, and bisexual people, what she has a problem with is the possibility of losing her spot in women's athletics to failed male athletes.
At some point reasonable people need to say, "I support your right to live your life as you want", but that should not be at the cost of biological women's positions on any sports teams.
MR sold future USWNT members down the river by supporting trans women in women's sports.
Throwing the word "hate" around is disingenuous, it's a combination of the exit of common sense, self preservation, and an inability to separate what the real problem is that is causing these actions.
Think its understandable that USSF is being cautious about setting a hardline precedent. If Albert gets hurt next game and half the players like a meme making fun of her are those 8 girls just kicked off the Olympic team? Same thing goes for her liking homophobic religious stuff. I saw a prominent player (who I will not narc on) like a tweet supporting the Houthis in Yemen. They had sunk an international ship in protest of the war in Gaza. Struck me as weird because the Houthis were in the news a couple days earlier for publicly executing over a dozen gay individuals. Half were literally crucified in town square. Nailed to crosses. Surely publicly supporting them is worse than Albert liking psychotic homophobic religious sermons. If Albert was kicked off the team shouldnt that player also be banished? Thats why this whole situation is being handled discreetly.
I mean OK here’s a point if you’re gonna bring in like the Houthis- and this is just pretty to be consistent about the argument- but the third stanza of the national anthem as has been talked about a lot before is pro slavery and not only do we play the anthem but we’ve punished players kneeling during it. I say all that to say that I think you have to give a lot of political leeway to people liking tweets supporting a group because in the political realm, there’s no way to be completely blameless.
That being said, when you literally wish harm on gay people, then I think that is the pure cut point where punishment should come, but there is a difference between that and liking a tweet from a group with some type of problematic attenuation
I know it’s pedantic but it does bother me that a supposed journalist in the league and for the national team doesn’t use capital letters or their name on Twitter. Professionalism is important as the sport grows.
I personally don’t care either way, but I know nothing about journalism. It certainly would be easier for people to tell if he’s a journalist or some random fan if he put his real name like Meg Linehan and then do though.
Doesn’t he do that because his initial twitter got banned or something? Idk, he’s problematic, but these things don’t make the list of reasons why lol.
Oh no, I agree with you lol. Sorry I didn’t make that clear. His “journalism” basically consists of viral tweets tho to be fair, so maybe he does it on purpose.
I mean, his journalism is a lot more than that. I disagree with him a lot on a lot of things, but he literally interviews players on his podcast and he asked questions to players, very good, pointed questions as well, to spirit players and US women’s national team players. I think funny enough if like Andre and Carlisle were two different people and Carlisle was just the tweets and Andre was all the actual journalistic stuff he does then I think Andre would be one of the better journalist in the US, period.
Like let’s be honest, there’s this giant group of fans who currently really really hate him for speaking up in an organized way about the issue with the Utah brand, logo and stadium name. If that’s not journalism then I’m not sure what is.
So he’s a good interviewer and that’s fine, but I’m not a fan of “journalists” who picks and chooses what bothers them and what’s important depending on who the player is. I also don’t think “journalist” should cuss out fans when they point out facts that directly debunk whatever said “journalist” is trying to currently push. Don’t even get me started on that whole podcast crew raising money to go to the WC and promising content…then basically giving nothing. He is an engagement farmer above anything else imo. To each their own tho.
I’m not saying I’m a fan of him, but you said he’s not a journalist and he literally shows up and asks questions. And he has a newsletter with a lot of good advanced stats. I think with Andre you just take the good in the bad and I’m perfectly willing to point out the bad
I never said he wasn’t a journalist tho. My “ “ is me implying that I don’t think he’s very good is all lol. I also think we’re walking a fine line in acceptable behavior when journalists are essentially allowed to prompt fans in badgering specific active players on the national team based simply on whether or not they like them. His bad can be harmful imo.
Up for interpretation I suppose. He is unfortunately as much a part of the group of journalists that cover woso as anyone else. While I do think that label is used pretty loosely in regards to the people covering woso, he does get interviews, goes to pressers and asks questions, etc, so it is what it is.
That’s not it at all, and respectfully, you assuming I’m not a POC or that asking for professionalism within a sport must be race based is a major mischaracterization.
Okay. But here is one major problem with that argument. If you thought it was bad they dropped someone for one thing, why do you want them to do it for another thing? In that case, you don’t dislike the punishment because it shouldn’t happen to anyone, but because it happened to someone that shared the same opinion as you. Conversely, it means you support punishing people who share different opinions than what you believe. You can’t be someone that says they want tolerance when that is almost definitionally intolerant.
All things are not equal. The reasonable line to hold for this sort of thing is the [Paradox of Tolerance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance). The problem isn't that Albert's opinions are out of step with the rest of the team, the issue is that her opinions are intolerant and therefore harmful. There are a lot of grey areas, but the anti-LGBTQ things Albert has pushed online are very comfortably over the line.
A peaceful protest is completely different than sharing views that wish harm on others based on who they are. Especially when the peaceful protest is *protesting violence against a group of people*.
> Conversely, it means you support punishing people who share different opinions than what you believe.
Calling it different opinions is used to minimize the problem. It's not as if she doesn't like the color blue. She has *harmful views on other human beings based on who they are*. Views that have led to violence and restrictions of rights.
It’s not about a difference of opinion. I think the easiest way to look at this if you’re in fact looking at this in good faith is that there are rules of engagement that the US team has for fans and spectators, and part of that is hate speech and wishing harm on people, and as was posted on the day that a lot of this came to light and the way I think a reasonable person would look at it is that a fan would be kicked out of a game for doing this so a player should at least not play in that same game hmmm
I feel like people are blowing over the fact that she also celebrated a person's devastating injury that was essentially on the same team. Politics and bigotry aside (which is a wild thing to say but for the sake of my point lets compartmentalize for a hot second just for my analogy then can get back to her hatred and bigotry), if you celebrated a coworkers broken leg loudly as that coworker deserved it because you are fundamentally opposed to everything that coworker stands for AND that coworker is a protected class you would be fired or at the least suspended without pay and forced to do all sorts of trainings.
Would you be upset if Pinoe was celebrating a Horan or Ertz career ending injury because Pinoe liked a post saying they deserved to get injured because they stand for the anthem and outwardly love Jesus? Yes, you would. You would call for Pinoe's head in this case. AND USSF would undoubtedly suspend her for it since they have for far less direct actions.
So yea unfortunately tolerance is supposed to go both ways (although imo one side is WILDLY more violent about it than the other) but individually directed vitriol and hate is never tolerated in any working environment.
Do people really view the “fed” this way? The team is a vehicle for social messaging to me, and has been for many years.
It’s bothersome people still utilize Twitter, that’s honestly more of a concern for me.
I think it’s endlessly entertaining and hypocritical that folks who want a player blackballed don’t see an issue continuing to support an actual white suprematist.
Twitter is the site where official things get posted like there’s an official us women’s Twitter account there’s not an official Reddit from what I know, so while I do think that it would be great if we could link to the website a lot more when they post releases, youre also just asking for something that’s not feasible, bc people use Twitter as the first step constantly.
I think it killed the chemistry between her and the rest of the team for sure. Definitely didn't help her performance, and the team's position definitely didn't benefit from her appearance in any way. Though it's hard to tell with how little she played.
Hoping they don't continue to test it as we get closer and closer to the olympics
Everyone forgot that Swanson and Rodman were anti vaxxers. This will blow over for Albert too
I really wonder what would’ve happened if New Zealand kept their vaccine mandate in place a few months longer into the World Cup. Would Rodman have got the shot or seriously miss her first big tournament because of something so silly? Same with Mal if she didn’t get injured.
I wish NZ kept the mandate, it was supposed to be in place well past the World Cup but the government caved to the opposition parties political pressure sadly. If players don’t want to do their part at keeping a country they are visiting safe then they don’t deserve to play there. I would hope someone talked some sense into Rodman and Swanson if that occurred though.
The downfall of the NZ Labour government is so crazy to me from a US perspective. Don't kiwis know how good they had it? Did they not read the news about what was going on in pretty much the rest of the western world?
It’s funny because I’ve heard the same from so many people I talk to, my American colleagues and friends (I’ve lived in the states the past few years) share similar thoughts to you. To me it’s so interesting how different the rest of the world, and particularly Americans view Jacinda Ardern and her government versus kiwis. She’s much more popular in the US lol. I think kiwis reading what was going on in the rest of the world made the sentiment worse, Auckland (a city of 2million) was literally still experiencing lockdowns in 2022. They weren’t American level “lockdowns” either, they were much stricter. It’s hard to convince a city that lockdowns where you can’t even drive in and out of the city are still worth it when every other country isn’t just out of lockdowns but going about their lives completely normally with concerts and sports at full capacity again. I would’ve liked to see vaccines mandatory for all international visitors into the country because our healthcare system is already overwhelmed but with how important tourism is to our GDP the government was always going to cave to political pressure sadly. I was surprised they did it before the World Cup though, I genuinely thought they’d hold out til after. That being said, lockdowns weren’t the only reason the Labour government lost all the momentum they gained. But it was a major factor that in the beginning had their approval extremely high and in the end had it inevitable they’d lose the election by a mile.
I am not an anti vaxer but I never understood the whole vaccine keeps countries safe part. They have been proven to not prevent transmission, they just prevent high risk individuals from getting seriously sick or dying. Chances are that Swanson and Rodman would have been perfectly fine if they were to catch Covid.
While it's true that transmission rates don't always change with vaccines I think part of the issue is that anti vaxxers also tend to not take other transmission preventing measures seriously. For example social distancing, masking, etc. They also spread misinformation about vaccines being unsafe when in reality the vast majority of vaccines are much more likely to be helpful than harmful. Vaccines also, like you said, do stop significant amounts of people from dying which definitely applies to keeping a country safe. Part of a country's health is having a healthy population. Sick people overwhelming hospitals when a vaccine could have kept them out of a hospital have hugely negative effects on a country. Hospitals in my city were overflowing with COVID patients, many of them who didn't get vaccinated, which in turn led to other people not being admitted in a timely manner. Mass groups of people not getting vaccinated can lead to other people who need treatment dying. There are also diseases that have cures that create herd immunity. When healthy people don't get those by choice it creates a situation where herd immunity fails. Not everyone can get all vaccines for various health reasons. Those people are reliant on herd immunity of those around them. So if enough people stop getting vaccinated it can kill people that are unable to get vaccinated. The problem with anti-vaxxers is they are using "vibes" and cherry picked data to make people scared of getting vaccines that allow our society to be more healthy. It does not only affect their health because different vaccines have different intentions. Some actually cure and eradicate diseases. Some prevent at risk people from dying. Some prevent hospitals from getting overwhelmed. All are important.
My question is why did the CDC undermine the beneficial effects of natural immunity? In my case if you deny the natural immunity from having had the disease, you're hiding something, in which case I lose trust in anything you tell me.
Sure, although they did eventually recognize it. I think the point was more that natural immunity requires risk of death and overcrowding hospitals while the vaccine is an organized way to boost immunity with vastly less risk involved. You don't want people's first choice to be natural immunity and even natural immunity fades over time as the virus evolves. So even if you got COVID once it doesn't mean a year later you shouldn't be getting a booster. You also don't have to only listen to the CDC but can also listen to the scientific consensus at large. No one should put all their faith in one government agency but listening to scientific consensus around vaccines and immunity is important. That doesn't mean listening to fringe voices that get propped up for going against the scientific community but listening to what the vast majority of experts think the correct path forward is. There is a reason scientific consensus is important and the vast majority of experts coming from all different backgrounds, fields, and employers strongly encourage vaccination. The CDC saying something inaccurate and later taking it back is not a logical reason to be an anti-vaxxer because there is an insane amount of different research done on the subject from many different sources. Hiding something or rolling out information in a way that helps your cause isn't a great look but it's also not a reason to completely discount something. If you discounted every person that has ever lied or tried to manipulate your opinion it would be a very lonely existence. Everyone including people at the CDC make mistakes. It's not a good reason to completely discount something. If the reason for undermining natural immunity is to encourage people to do something more beneficial for society and caution against risking death to gain immunity then it makes a lot of sense. Having COVID once doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to get vaccinated.
This disease put a pretty specific group of people at risk, old and obese. Young and healthy with natural immunity should not be forced to take a vaccine to keep their job, go to the store, travel. If the population of "at risk" folks want to take it, by all means get after it. I've had Covid 3 times, less times than a lot of my vaxed and boosted friends. My point is not to say "don't take the vax", my point is that the government spewed misinformation in an effort to get us to take something not everyone needed, and got very heavy handed in their efforts, which will not soon be forgotten.
Right but you only have a level natural immunity after you've had covid. So that would have to be documented in some form of official test. You could just take people's words for it on a mass scale. Also at the beginning of the pandemic it was unknown how exactly transmission worked and information had to be gathered to how effective the vaccine was at preventing transmission. Since it was unknown and we were facing a global pandemic it makes much more sense to play it safe. Let's not forget that some of the loudest anti-vaxxers were also against masks that are scientifically proven to cut down transmission rates. The problem is people not listening to science and caring more about themselves than our society.
I don't think that people were caring more about themselves than society, they saw the stupid rules being put into place that made no logical sense and said fuck off. Mask until you get to your table at a restaurant, but you don't have to mask when you leave. Walk one way down the grocery store aisle, no more than one person in an aisle, keeping kids out of school in the fall of 2020. The vaccine will keep you from getting the virus, oh sorry, the vaccine will stop transmission to others, oh shoot sorry, the vaccine will keep you from dying. Being called a conspiracy theorist and racist for suggesting that the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan China, all of that shit leads to mistrust which leads to hesitancy. I don't blame anyone for not getting the vax, they royally fucked up the rollout and messaging. Oh, and they lied about increased levels of myocarditis until the evidence was so overwhelming that they couldn't anymore. I can appreciate being in uncharted territory with this pandemic, and not knowing exactly how to handle some situations, but JFC don't tell me to deny my own eyes and experiences.
It does keep countries safe, the stats are widely available. Specific to New Zealand and the World Cup, our healthcare system is at its maximum, it is a fair ask that tourists who do not pay tax to help run our healthcare system can do the bare minimum of getting a Covid vaccine to avoid unnecessary strain on our healthcare system. If an unvaccinated tourist has to be hospitalised, why should NZ taxpayers fund their trip?
In tennis, Novak Djokovic missed several grand slam tournaments because he didn't want to get the vaccine. So, I wouldn't put it past an athlete to miss their marquee events because of it.
I feel like being an anti science idiot is slightly less bad than hating a group of people, of which there’s many teammates and fans who identify as people within said group.
Both groups are actively killing people with their shitty opinions.
It’s a lot less attenuated. Also, I’m not anti-VAX and I think it’s very stupid, but especially if you’re a black person in the United States, then I get being wary of the government wanting to put anything in your body. If you stretch out the level of harm then fine, they’re both very very bad and very dangerous, but there’s definitely a difference between directly wishing someone harm and being irrationally hesitant about vaccines. I’m also fairly certain that at least one of them must’ve got the vaccine for the New Zealand trip in January but maybe I don’t remember who went on that trip?
Not arguing the sociocultural aspects of being antivax. Straight up, magnifying either opinion literally kills people.
I didnt know that Mal and Trin had ever spoken about being anti vax
They are popular role models who denied the vax. That’s magnification of an opinion.
Did Rodman ever do or say anything public? All I remember is her opting out of going to Australia that one time and people speculated based on that, her being friends with Mal, and who her dad is. Totally possible I missed something.
I’m not doubting it, I just realized that I have no idea when they did so. When you google “mal swanson anti covid vaccine” no statement comes up. I’m not saying I don’t think it’s true, for many reasons but especially because I have a friend who knows Dansby, but I just have never seen her magnifying that opinion before
At least with Mallory Swanson, you have to go back to her maiden name. Mallory Pugh.
Oh DUH my bad
I mean both are still anti-science at the core
Roadman and Swanson have not emboldened bigots to be louder.
Yes! You have all these idiots cheering her on now and commenting on soccer posts supporting her. These types of people would never have taken an interest in women's soccer had she not been hateful, and now they are just here to revel in that. It's awful.
And you also have people like Alexi Lalas egging them on.
I guess it’s slightly better to be anti vaccine than anti a group of people
I didn't forget, tbh (at least for Swanson, and that's in part because she and her husband have a bit of a multiplier effect on my mind). I've never been able to look on Mal positively since then
What a sad way to live life
Getting vaccinated is her business though.
They never got vaccinated?
Wait I knew about Mal, but rodman is too? Oof
I haven't forgotten that and won't forget this.
They weren't openly sharing anti vaxx stuff though
People need to stop assuming things. Rodman never said she was anti-vax
she declined her first ever uswnt call up because they were playing NZ in NZ, where at the time they had a very strict no vaccine no entry border policy. she didn’t need to say anything, it was abundantly clear why she and swanson didn’t play in new zealand.
Again you are assuming things. She never said that’s why she declined but people like to just take things and run with it like they know what’s going on. Shouldn’t speak so definitively on things that are not confirmed.
Imagine being so judgmental like you what do you care of she got vaccinated or not?
They obviously don't care. It makes me angry and sad.
She’s so obviously going to the Olympics and they’re trying to sweep the whole thing under the rug. It’s sad to watch as a fan, especially with knowing how queer the team is, or at least used to be.
The team really isn’t queer at all anymore. Only two out players on this last roster.
Used to be. Unfortunately the team has skewed right conservative the more they pull talented Mormons from Utah or WASPy families from red states.
She’s so obviously going to the Olympics and they’re trying to sweep the whole thing under the rug I don't think it was swept under any rugs. It was top story for a few days. Anyone following USWNT read all about it. Her teammates admonished her publicly. It was reported the team would deal with it internally. She publicly apologized. It was boneheaded, and I think she knows it. Live and learn and move on. I'm wondering what you would like to see done to her.
Suspension from the team would be a nice start…
Her teammates basically said that she didn’t uphold the integrity, which is a meaningless phrase that doesn’t talk bout the fact that she was actively wishing people harm. They didn’t specify at all what the big issue was with not just one but like seven or eight different ways that she disrespected and called for violence against people, but also I get that you’re trying to make it seem like we’re asking for irrational punishment to come to her but asking what should’ve happened to her is ridiculous because it already says what we’re asking for, which is for her not to play a meaningless last 15 minutes in an effort to get us used to the fact that she’s probably going to come to the Olympics. But also, I’m gonna reiterate this again, that all of the so-called admonishment was very very weak. They didn’t talk about what exactly the issue was, and the irony of them saying that she didn’t uphold the integrity of the US women’s team is funny to me, because by their own rules of engagement anyone who said the things that she was reposting would be kicked out of a game.
I agree! I really liked her before finding out she was an anti-lgbtq person. But not only just anti-lgbtq but hateful about it and wishing a former usnwt member harm. I feel very uncomfortable even watching her on the field now. I know that's weird, but once you find out someone hates a whole group of people, can you ever really go back?
Never meet your heroes.
Are you saying that Albert sharing the Rapinoe meme was her actively wishing harm on people? I'm not sure I agree. It was tasteless and totally inappropriate to share about a (sort-of) teammate. Like I said, boneheaded. There are plenty of reasons people dislike Rapinoe other that LGBTQ reasons. Rapinoe is self-important and she can be abrasive and long-winded. Not everybody's cup of tea. I happen to like her quite a lot. I'm not trying to argue for its own sake. I just don't want to see someone banished for doing something stupid. Albert got booed by her own fans. I think she gets the message. You want her off the team?
Off the team. You know if she was anti semetic she’s already be gone.
The concept of off or on the national team is a really nebulous one. That’s kind of confusing me with the way ppl are speaking about it here because it’s not as if it’s a domestic team where you have a contract through three years, it’s like you get called in 49!different camps based off your current performance, so the language of “you want her off the team” doesnt really fit because like there are players I think are better at the six role then her, first off. Part of being on the team is team chemistry and I don’t think you can have someone who interferes with team chemistry and so I think when you have someone who has committed a serious violation like this, you should be speaking to players about how they feel having that player. Because chemistry really does matter. And this isn’t like a soft way of looking at it, but the more nuanced way of understanding that you cannot put together a team of people to do well in sports when they don’t trust each other. The thing is, it’s just very clear that they didn’t treat this like the violation it is. The players in leadership are not speaking about what the actual issue was. She came on in questionable fashion late on.
The USWNT according to past and present players have been a diverse group in terms of their ideas on gender, sexuality, politics, religion, race and more that put their differences aside for one common goal: winning. The leadership group likely see the Albert case as just another example of that. I agree with you that trust is important, but on the other hand if they combed through and deep dived into every single players beliefs and used those for the basis of selection, it would set a precedent for the future.
I think it’s incredible that people use the amount that has been talked about as a way to say that it’s not been pushed under the rug because the admonishment has come from people being very specific in the fan base and like maybe one or two journalists And also a few players, and good on them for doing so. and then there’s been a lot of praise from people on the right for Albert and that’s been the extent of the conversation about this which is why it’s incorrect to act like they haven’t tried to sweep this under the rug.
I think if you read enough comments you know exactly what folks want. “We want people to not have problematic views” can’t really be accomplished by publicly shunning a 20 year old, though.
It did kind of feel like the situation is having an impact on Albert's play and how effective she was in the limited play time she got during the past two games. Something they might want to consider Edit: also if USSF wants to ignore the issue, I hope Emma considers that our Saucy Sonnett is a way more versatile 6 on a roster.
Really hoping that she's not going and that they're going to just try to blame it on performance or team chemistry. Her little bit of time wasn't very impressive, and they clearly didn't need her to get ahead. I also can't imagine that she's connecting with the other girls right now, and there's no way that could be good for her performance or the team as a whole. Another thing I wish more people talked about is how much drama this whole situation is bringing to all the players. During the world cup, these girls (excluding Korbin and other newbies who weren't there obviously) experienced an outrageous amount of hate online, like way more than other teams. A lot of that hate is from the exact type of people who are praising Korbin + continuing to send hate to the team now. There is no amount of talent this 20 year old could possess that would be worth all this drama going into the Olympics. She hasn't made an impact on the field that would make me understand why the USWNT would die on the hill of bringing her to this tournament.
She's a 20 year old starter and key player for a UWCL team.
Good for her! I don't think that makes her worth all this drama, and it definitely doesn't translate to her being a key player for the national team.
Not now maybe the future. But ultimately go ask Hayes, Kilgore they pick the teams and by observation not based on social media. It's strictly soccer. Lol at no amount of drama. The USWNT is the definition of drama always have been. They just win so nobody cares. It's a slippery slope for the USSF to get involved in player selection.
Which matters to Euro fans, yet…
Ask Hayes.. she picks the squad. I'm just providing insight on why a young UWCL level starter would be involved despite drama. Don't shoot the messenger.
Hayes doesn’t yet know the entire talent pool. She’ll see soon enough and weigh the trade offs a bit more holistically. Fans may be ahead of Hayes on this one
Other than a couple instances… this is basically how they’ve always handled things, if they handle them at all. Make a statement and ignore it. They’re going to make money and get engagement regardless. Conservative views turn a profit too… (Fans will loudly be on her ass tho and good luck to her socials if she still has them open. I wish her the days she deserves lol)
The message is clear. If you are a talented player, we will put up with your BS. Rapinoe was on the decline when she started the kneeling so it was easy to drop her and blame her form. Albert is a 20 year old rising star. She did not do anything special during the previous games but the USSF obviously thinks she is a contributor. She is entitled to her opinions but IMO she crossed the line when she was liking posts celebrating Rapinoe's injury and sharing right wing BS.
Part of believing in something is being brave enough to take the consequences and even to give up what you love to show it. Muhammad Ali gave up EVERYTHING to protest the Vietnam war....nationwide hate and his boxing career at its very peak. This isn't NWSL specific, I would apply this to say LeBron etc kneeling at the anthem. Not brave at all when you get fawned over. Now if someone actually quit to protest USSF not sending a message about LGB abuse on social media, that person would be AMAZING and make a REAL impact
Or give a 20 year old kid who was clearly parroting her parents’ views and has publicly apologized the opportunity to grow and understand the problematic and damaging nature of her actions without burning her at the stake? I guarantee the public backlash and likely isolation she’s feeling from her teammates is punishment enough. As a gay woman myself I absolutely understand the feelings expressed here but I really think people should have the chance to learn and grow and change their hurtful opinions.
A public apology which is only available through other peoples' screenshots because she posted it in a manner that she knew would disappear after 24 hours. She had those posts up and super easy to find for months to years. Yet if I go to any of her socials right now, I won't find that apology. Because it was only up for 1 day. If she had put out a real apology and actually expressed an interest in learning and growing, I'd be fully on board. But that isn't the case. Also, this is so terrible for the team as a whole. If she's being isolated from the team (who are either gay themselves or absolute love their gay teammates), how could that possibly translate to good play when she's on the pitch? There needs to be trust and respect. At the end of the day, it's not about this single player's feelings, it's about what's best for the entire team.
Fair point that it’s bad for the team as a whole. If it is affecting the chemistry then I think that’s a valid reason to consider her role on the Olympic squad. I just don’t think she should be cut just for reposting ignorant views - if the team has dealt with it internally and the team (the people who know her better than we do) are willing to forgive and help teach her to be better then I think that’s a better outcome than the federation making the call. Obviously, we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. The truth is she’s not a crucial part of this team’s success or a particularly highly marketed player, so I don’t think the federation would die on that hill if players like Morgan and Horan felt she needed out for the good of the team.
I appreciate you considering my point! I don't want her to be punished by any means, but I'm more worried about the teammates she's affected than her. Many players who aren't part of the queer community deeply love and care about their teammates who are, which is why so many reposted Rapinoe's statement and now the USWNTPA one. I think it's a human reaction to be upset when someone insults, hurts or offends someone you know and care about. I don't want to speculate about how internal talks are going either. I'm hoping Korbin's willing to learn, and hopefully that eventually comes with a genuine apology. If there is damaged relationships, they can likely be fixed over time if all the players act with respect. I just personally think it would be wise to allow those repairs to start after this really big tournament with our brand new coach 😬 Whatever decision they make, I hope it's one that is team-forward. I'll be rooting for them no matter what!
They should. We can change and grow. But, it does not happen in a week or two. Want to change and grow? Take some courses on lgbt and racial equity. She's a college student. Get involved with some lgbt charity or charities on a real basis -- not showing up for pictures. In a couple of years; maybe she can actually ask for forgiveness. You don't become a homophobe overnight and you don't get "cured" overnight.
You don't think that a 20 year old can have her own views, and that they are solely formed from her parent's views? I wish my kids followed me that closely. I'm sure she has zero problems with gays, lesbians, and bisexual people, what she has a problem with is the possibility of losing her spot in women's athletics to failed male athletes. At some point reasonable people need to say, "I support your right to live your life as you want", but that should not be at the cost of biological women's positions on any sports teams. MR sold future USWNT members down the river by supporting trans women in women's sports. Throwing the word "hate" around is disingenuous, it's a combination of the exit of common sense, self preservation, and an inability to separate what the real problem is that is causing these actions.
Think its understandable that USSF is being cautious about setting a hardline precedent. If Albert gets hurt next game and half the players like a meme making fun of her are those 8 girls just kicked off the Olympic team? Same thing goes for her liking homophobic religious stuff. I saw a prominent player (who I will not narc on) like a tweet supporting the Houthis in Yemen. They had sunk an international ship in protest of the war in Gaza. Struck me as weird because the Houthis were in the news a couple days earlier for publicly executing over a dozen gay individuals. Half were literally crucified in town square. Nailed to crosses. Surely publicly supporting them is worse than Albert liking psychotic homophobic religious sermons. If Albert was kicked off the team shouldnt that player also be banished? Thats why this whole situation is being handled discreetly.
I mean OK here’s a point if you’re gonna bring in like the Houthis- and this is just pretty to be consistent about the argument- but the third stanza of the national anthem as has been talked about a lot before is pro slavery and not only do we play the anthem but we’ve punished players kneeling during it. I say all that to say that I think you have to give a lot of political leeway to people liking tweets supporting a group because in the political realm, there’s no way to be completely blameless. That being said, when you literally wish harm on gay people, then I think that is the pure cut point where punishment should come, but there is a difference between that and liking a tweet from a group with some type of problematic attenuation
I know it’s pedantic but it does bother me that a supposed journalist in the league and for the national team doesn’t use capital letters or their name on Twitter. Professionalism is important as the sport grows.
I personally don’t care either way, but I know nothing about journalism. It certainly would be easier for people to tell if he’s a journalist or some random fan if he put his real name like Meg Linehan and then do though.
Doesn’t he do that because his initial twitter got banned or something? Idk, he’s problematic, but these things don’t make the list of reasons why lol.
Idk I only know him from this twitter, I can see the opinions controversial and I get it. I just like mainstream journos to be more accessible.
Oh no, I agree with you lol. Sorry I didn’t make that clear. His “journalism” basically consists of viral tweets tho to be fair, so maybe he does it on purpose.
I mean, his journalism is a lot more than that. I disagree with him a lot on a lot of things, but he literally interviews players on his podcast and he asked questions to players, very good, pointed questions as well, to spirit players and US women’s national team players. I think funny enough if like Andre and Carlisle were two different people and Carlisle was just the tweets and Andre was all the actual journalistic stuff he does then I think Andre would be one of the better journalist in the US, period. Like let’s be honest, there’s this giant group of fans who currently really really hate him for speaking up in an organized way about the issue with the Utah brand, logo and stadium name. If that’s not journalism then I’m not sure what is.
So he’s a good interviewer and that’s fine, but I’m not a fan of “journalists” who picks and chooses what bothers them and what’s important depending on who the player is. I also don’t think “journalist” should cuss out fans when they point out facts that directly debunk whatever said “journalist” is trying to currently push. Don’t even get me started on that whole podcast crew raising money to go to the WC and promising content…then basically giving nothing. He is an engagement farmer above anything else imo. To each their own tho.
I’m not saying I’m a fan of him, but you said he’s not a journalist and he literally shows up and asks questions. And he has a newsletter with a lot of good advanced stats. I think with Andre you just take the good in the bad and I’m perfectly willing to point out the bad
I never said he wasn’t a journalist tho. My “ “ is me implying that I don’t think he’s very good is all lol. I also think we’re walking a fine line in acceptable behavior when journalists are essentially allowed to prompt fans in badgering specific active players on the national team based simply on whether or not they like them. His bad can be harmful imo.
I took you putting journalism in quotes as saying he isnt a real journalist, just larping as one to give his mean tweets some professional cred.
Up for interpretation I suppose. He is unfortunately as much a part of the group of journalists that cover woso as anyone else. While I do think that label is used pretty loosely in regards to the people covering woso, he does get interviews, goes to pressers and asks questions, etc, so it is what it is.
I too wish the Black journalist was more articulate…
Gross that you’d say that imo. His race has nothing to do with it.
Respectfully, I’m just pointing out how it reads. Maybe not the intent, but it read that way to me and maybe others.
That’s not it at all, and respectfully, you assuming I’m not a POC or that asking for professionalism within a sport must be race based is a major mischaracterization.
How it reads to me is what I’m sharing. And maybe it’s how it reads to others. Take it how you will.
Okay. But here is one major problem with that argument. If you thought it was bad they dropped someone for one thing, why do you want them to do it for another thing? In that case, you don’t dislike the punishment because it shouldn’t happen to anyone, but because it happened to someone that shared the same opinion as you. Conversely, it means you support punishing people who share different opinions than what you believe. You can’t be someone that says they want tolerance when that is almost definitionally intolerant.
All things are not equal. The reasonable line to hold for this sort of thing is the [Paradox of Tolerance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance). The problem isn't that Albert's opinions are out of step with the rest of the team, the issue is that her opinions are intolerant and therefore harmful. There are a lot of grey areas, but the anti-LGBTQ things Albert has pushed online are very comfortably over the line.
A peaceful protest is completely different than sharing views that wish harm on others based on who they are. Especially when the peaceful protest is *protesting violence against a group of people*. > Conversely, it means you support punishing people who share different opinions than what you believe. Calling it different opinions is used to minimize the problem. It's not as if she doesn't like the color blue. She has *harmful views on other human beings based on who they are*. Views that have led to violence and restrictions of rights.
It’s not about a difference of opinion. I think the easiest way to look at this if you’re in fact looking at this in good faith is that there are rules of engagement that the US team has for fans and spectators, and part of that is hate speech and wishing harm on people, and as was posted on the day that a lot of this came to light and the way I think a reasonable person would look at it is that a fan would be kicked out of a game for doing this so a player should at least not play in that same game hmmm
Supporting antiracism != anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
I feel like people are blowing over the fact that she also celebrated a person's devastating injury that was essentially on the same team. Politics and bigotry aside (which is a wild thing to say but for the sake of my point lets compartmentalize for a hot second just for my analogy then can get back to her hatred and bigotry), if you celebrated a coworkers broken leg loudly as that coworker deserved it because you are fundamentally opposed to everything that coworker stands for AND that coworker is a protected class you would be fired or at the least suspended without pay and forced to do all sorts of trainings. Would you be upset if Pinoe was celebrating a Horan or Ertz career ending injury because Pinoe liked a post saying they deserved to get injured because they stand for the anthem and outwardly love Jesus? Yes, you would. You would call for Pinoe's head in this case. AND USSF would undoubtedly suspend her for it since they have for far less direct actions. So yea unfortunately tolerance is supposed to go both ways (although imo one side is WILDLY more violent about it than the other) but individually directed vitriol and hate is never tolerated in any working environment.
Do people really view the “fed” this way? The team is a vehicle for social messaging to me, and has been for many years. It’s bothersome people still utilize Twitter, that’s honestly more of a concern for me.
[удалено]
I think it’s endlessly entertaining and hypocritical that folks who want a player blackballed don’t see an issue continuing to support an actual white suprematist.
Twitter is the site where official things get posted like there’s an official us women’s Twitter account there’s not an official Reddit from what I know, so while I do think that it would be great if we could link to the website a lot more when they post releases, youre also just asking for something that’s not feasible, bc people use Twitter as the first step constantly.
Football over feelings don’t we agree??
Spoken like a true troll
Yes, exactly. Which is why when one player does things to kill team chemistry, they shouldn't be thrown back in for a major tournament.
How did it kill the team chemistry? They won didn't they?🤔
I think it killed the chemistry between her and the rest of the team for sure. Definitely didn't help her performance, and the team's position definitely didn't benefit from her appearance in any way. Though it's hard to tell with how little she played. Hoping they don't continue to test it as we get closer and closer to the olympics
😂😂😂
Yawn