These Olympics, let’s remember to champion all athletes

When legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement (for the first time), I was the editor in chief of my college’s news magazine, the Campus Slate, at the New York Institute of Technology. We covered a wide range of subjects, driven by the interests of our reporters, and one of my staff writers asked me if he could write something summarizing his thoughts on what it was like to watch “the greats” — the famed athletes of his childhood — retire. I liked the idea, and it came together nicely.

Although I wasn’t the biggest sports fan in my youth, I could relate to the story.
But for me, the epitome of athleticism didn’t come in the form of an epic home run or, in Brady’s case, so many game-winning touchdowns. For me it was the whoosh of a soccer ball hitting the net at the back of the goal.

Like millions of other youth around the U.S., I grew up playing soccer, and some of my fondest memories from my adolescence and teenage years are of my days on the field.

So when I think of the greats, I don’t think of people like Derek Jeter or Brady. I think of women like Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo, Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd, among many others.

In this country, female athletes don’t get the same attention, or respect, as their male counterparts, and that’s almost understandable. Men’s sports have built entire industries from the ground up over the past century.

But there is much to be said about how hard women have worked to make sure they can have their moments of glory. Kathrine Switzer famously ran the Boston Marathon before women were allowed to; thousands have fought the wage gap that still affects sports today; and, of course, superstars like Serena Williams have cemented the idea that women athletes deserve the spotlight, too.

Women’s soccer isn’t the same, and I’m not sure at what point it became cool to tear down some of our country’s best athletes, but alas, it is our reality.

All teams, in every sport, have their ups and downs, and I’d agree with many that over the past few years, the U.S. women’s soccer team has gone through changes. They performed poorly at last year’s World Cup, losing early in the tournament to Sweden. And in the lowest of moments for some of our players, many of whom are previous World Cup winners and Olympic gold medalists, they were not welcomed back to our country with open arms.

Instead they were hit with this: “WOKE EQUALS FAILURE,” which Donald Trump posted to his Truth Social account last summer. “Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to hell!” (This was in reference to a penalty kick Rapinoe missed in the game against Sweden.)

It should come as a surprise to no one that conservative America hates the women’s national team. Why? Simply because for decades, its players have expressed “progressive” opinions about equal pay, social justice and LGBTQ rights, among other things that are largely unliked by the far right.

When the women are winning, the keyboard warriors are quiet. But when they lose? Well of course it’s because of their political and social beliefs.

I’m old enough to have thick skin, to read things like Trump’s comments and brush them off with an eye roll. But I can’t help but think about the little girls whose shoes I was once in. I think it’s fair to say they’d be genuinely affected by seeing something like what Trump wrote. I think about how difficult it must be for them to see their heroes, their greats, subjected to cruelty.

The Paris Olympic Games begin this week. There will be many female athletes, not just soccer players, representing our country. Their successes and their setbacks — their journeys — are so important. We need to remember that.

It’s always nice to see our athletes win, and our teams bring home gold. But if they don’t? Think about what you say before you say it, and think about who you’re saying it to.

As we cheer for those athletes, let’s remember that their worth isn’t measured solely by their victories, but also by their power to inspire. Let’s be careful in what we say, and ensure that our words foster encouragement, not disillusionment, for the next generation of greats.

Jordan Vallone is a senior editor who writes for the Bellmore, East Meadow and Merrick Heralds. Comments? jvallone@liherald.com.