Hope Springs Eternal

Juliet Macur has written a number of thoughtful pieces in the New York Times on social issues involving soccer and other sports. But on Friday she took U.S. Soccer and the Women's National Team to task for allowing keeper Hope Solo to play against Mexico the night before in Rochester - when she extended her record streak shutouts to 73.  Solo was charged with assault back in June when she is alleged to have punched and injured her sister and nephew at a family party in Washington State.

"But look past the patina of glee and here’s what you will see: a team and a league — not named the N.F.L. this time — that are tone-deaf when it comes to domestic violence and how they handle players who have been accused of it," Macur wrote in Friday's Times.  She argued, "It takes a lot to match the N.F.L. these days when it comes to missteps in the handling of players charged with assaulting family members and loved ones. But Thursday, at a time when domestic violence in sports is dominating the national conversation, U.S. Soccer did just that — again — by keeping Solo in goal when she shouldn’t have been anywhere near it."

There are more than 300 comments to Macur's article on-line, some saying abuse is abuse and what's good for Ray Rice is good for Hope Solo, with others claiming that the cases are not comparable.

Neil Bueth, a spokesman for U.S. Soccer, recognized that Solo was dealing with a "personal situation" but then said, "At the same time, she has an opportunity to set a significant record that speaks to her hard work and dedication over the years with the national team.  While considering all factors involved, we believe that we should recognize that in the proper way.”  In other words, Solo is a marketable player and that trumps any off field behavior.