At the Rio Olympics, the U.S. women's soccer team fell in a quarterfinals heartbreaker to Sweden. After the U.S. lost a penalty shoot-out—forfeiting an Olympic medal for the first time—goalkeeper Hope Solo called the Swedish players "a bunch of cowards" for their more conservative playing tactics. Sweden went on to win silver. The U.S. team went home.
Wednesday, U.S. Soccer announced it had terminated Solo's contract and suspended her from the team for six months for "conduct that is counter to the organization's principles," effectively firing her and giving the team time to find a replacement goalkeeper, according to The New York Times.
Yes, Solo's comments were, without a doubt, unsportsmanlike. They were an ugly low blow to add to the disappointment of a a Team USA loss. Solo herself—with a previous ban, domestic violence charges, and nasty Twitter rants to her name—is often a disappointment. But, like the general counsel for the U.S. team's players' association said, "She was fired for making comments that a man never would have been fired for."
This is an important point, especially when you consider Team USA's other Olympic-sized scandal, Ryan Lochte. Lochte, author of a shittily maintained lie that embarrassed himself, his teammates, the United States, and most humans with half a brain, has yet to be punished, and he plans on swimming in Tokyo in 2020. He might even be on Dancing with the Stars. And he was indicted by the police in an international incident. All Solo did—no matter how unsportsmanlike—was call Sweden a name.
U.S. Soccer is obviously not in charge of Lochte's punishment. But someone is. And if Solo can get kicked off a team and potentially never play for the U.S. again, then Lochte should get more than a stern talking to, some lost endorsements, and a new reality TV show deal.
