US Women’s Soccer Deemed “Cocky” & “Arrogant”? Thank Goodness No Champion Has Ever Acted Like This Before
Today, the USWNT celebrates their dominant World Cup win in front of a massive New York City crowd, yet not everyone has decided to join in the festivities. Therefore, UNPLUGG’D Staff Writer Bryce Phillips decided to call some folks out on their BS
On Sunday, the United States Women’s National Team won their fourth World Cup title, beating the Netherlands 2–0. The game was an exciting end to a strong tournament that has many rethinking the landscape of women’s soccer on the club level even after World Cup Fever dies down.
While the dust is settling on the US Women’s second straight World Cup win, the internet police has uncovered a scandal of the highest order: the USWNT publicly celebrating their achievements.
As the Daily Mail points out in their article, “World rolls its eyes as ‘cocky’ US team proclaim their own “GREATNESS” after World Cup victory,” the “world” is not happy with a group of athletes conducting themselves in such a “cocky” and “arrogant” way. The Daily Mail thankfully did the deep investigating through the bowels of Twitter to expose the US Women’s Soccer Team. After reading through the article, I can firmly say that the evidence does indeed speak for itself.
But not in the way The Daily Mail would expect.
Evidence #1:
“Having defeated The Netherlands 2–0, the players were seen jumping around the dressing room and spraying each other with bottles of champagne.”
Yes, I agree, Daily Mail. It was completely offensive of the USWNT to engage in this non-traditional celebration. The nerve of these ladies to not sit stoically in the locker room as sporting tradition dictates is insufferable. They might as well have just slapped the world directly in the face with their arrogant, champagne-fueled insanity.
Did they not listen to Birdman and Lil Wayne’s anti-celebration anthem (Don’t) Pop Bottles?! Weezy put it best when he crooned:
Okay sit quietly in the locker room and don’t pop bottles.
Pour a glass of water, “Quiet down friend, rehydrate!”
If you can’t win with class, please leave this celebration
Get up out the locker room with your hubristic goggles
Teams have bought into Tunechi’s anti-celebration culture for years and the USWNT have the gall to burn it all down over one game?! Did they miss the Cavaliers and the entire city of Cleveland politely discussing how valiantly fellow sportsmanship exemplars Draymond Green and Steph Curry fought, even in defeat? That is how a true champion revels in their accomplishments. That is how role models handle themselves in victory, ladies.
Speaking of those level-headed Warriors, Golden State kept their champagne budget to a measly $400,000 dollars after they brought home the 2018 NBA Championship. That is barely enough for each player to hold up their own bottle of bottom-shelf champagne as they are photographed for their commemorative NBA Champion Statuettes. Obviously, champions have more self-respect than to show-off such a swanky statuette, but it is a nice keepsake to have tucked away in a shadowbox that only they will ever see.
Evidence # 2:
“Videos taken by players and support staff show captain Megan Rapinoe being greeted with cheers and applause by her teammates.”
I cannot believe the players who grinded alongside Megan Rapinoe as she recovered from a torn ACL and bounced back with one of the best tournaments possible, winning both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball of the tournament, cheered for her as she entered the locker room. I loath seeing athletes feel such devotion to each other that they genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
And it wasn’t just Megan Rapinoe they were happy to see. Exclusive video evidence from the post-game celebration has shown multiple sections of the team relishing in each other’s company. Notably, a cohort of players are clearly seen cheering as Alex Morgan dances to Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz’ Get Low. To ruin such a wholesome song with such blasphemous behavior is jarring for viewers to watch.
As a coach of female sports at the high-school level, this indulgence of team bonding sticks in my craw the most. My players may not always perform to the best of their abilities, but they know that they are never to show enthusiasm towards their teammates or their achievements. Ever. Period. It is as simple as that. Call me old-fashioned, but I expect my players to follow the lead of gracious male athletes like Deion Sanders and Kobe Bryant. Nothing flashy. Do your job, mind your own business, and under no circumstances show emotion.
Evidence #3:
Lead Investigator Crypto Connect brings up a good point. If there is anything the world hates more than tweets that are incomprehensible due to grammatical errors, it is the misuse of the word dominant. Some things in our society are to be protected at all costs. I am not the only person who would gladly die on the hill of Merriam-Webster’s definition of dominant.
Any actual sports fan who operates on unbiased statistics knows that the USWNT’s numbers tell the true story. Do you really call breaking the record for most team goals in a FIFA Women’s World Cup with a paltry 26 goals superior? If you do, you probably are the same person that would argue that the USWNT never trailing in the tournament means they were in a superior position throughout the tournament. Allowing opponents to score 3 goals on them throughout the entirety of the competition is inexcusable.
Before you think you have the edge in the dominance debate, don’t you dare come at me with individual records, like Alex Morgan tying the record for most goals in a Women’s World Cup game with five. Disregard the fact that players from the USWNT accounted for four of the eight possible individual awards offered at the end of the tournament. Everybody knows that true power comes from team strength, not a single player.
I hate when Fake News tries to convince us of a side’s dominance when the stats clearly say otherwise.
Look, I am fully okay if someone disagrees with how the USWNT chose to celebrate their World Cup victory. It is 100% their right as a living, breathing human being to not enjoy how the team chose to commemorate its title. Cursing or alcohol consumption may be against their personal beliefs and causes them to cringe at the post game celebrations. That is completely understandable. Maybe your moral compass aligns better with a simple golf clap or sip of victory tea. But to paint this as some atrocity of classlessness or arrogance screams click bait of the highest order.
Teams and athletes celebrating their hearts out is not a new phenomenon. Champagne-soaked celebrations in baseball can be traced back to the 1950’s. Championship Parades for NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA Champions are heralded as moments for us to get to see our favorite athletes with their guards down as they revel in their achievements alongside fans. What seems to be the more concerning phenomenon is the blatant sexist undertones found throughout the coverage and reaction to the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Celebrations are so frequent in sports they have become expectations to viewers. Video game versions of the sports even boast when they add new celebration animations to new editions. James Harden emphatically “cooks it up” to roaring fans, but Alex Morgan disrespectfully sips tea. Athletes across all sports copy Lebron’s passionate “silencer,” while pundits are offended by Megan Rapinoe’s posing. Cam Newton heroically unveils his Superman logo and Alex Morgan villainously counts to 5. US Men’s standouts Weston McKennie and Christain Pulisic’s choreographed “whoah” was joyously shared throughout the Twitterverse as the USWNT players were frequently told to focus more on the game and less on celebrations.
What makes this USWNT celebratory soirée such a travesty is the clear double standard perpetuated by an unfortunately vocal section of people. Are you really that offended by Ashlyn Harris’ Instagram story (which should be enshrined in the Smithsonian Institute) or are you just looking to cash in on the anti-USWNT bandwagon to get some quick clicks and likes? If these female athletes celebrating is so offensive, I want to see the same hot takes when Paul Pogba dabs at the 2022 World Cup. I want the same negative spin when Rob Gronkowski spikes a football so hard it reaches the Earth’s core. I want pundit diatribes against all MLB players celebratory handshakes.
If sports are officially joining the “No Fun League,” well, I expect to see this same outrage for all genders.
Bryce Phillips is a new contributor to the staff in the realm of everything sports and popular culture. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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