I'm not one to bring attention to myself.
I never was.
I'm also not a fan of politics, but when you see something that's so corrupted, the spirit sometimes compels me to try and make things right by giving a point of view. Having a closed mind is never good. I like to get people out of their shells.
When I first started this blog, I had no intent of ever causing a stir or making people completely despise my stance on a topic to the point of making them want to punch me in the face. Even when I first started exploring the Internet more as a teenager, I knew it was pure idiocy to troll. Then I noticed that the name "Ann Coulter" was trending all over social media Thursday night. I know her from being a thorn in the side of the Clinton administration in the 1990's. To be frank, political commentary bored me to a great degree, because in truth, it's a bunch of arguments about nonexistent agenda and propaganda that is striving to be relevant.
Anyway, Ann Coulter wrote an article called "America's Favorite National Pastime: Hating Soccer." I'm plugging the article, but I'd much rather you read this bit of commentary from Ashley Burns of Uproxx because it pretty much sums up what I think about the article, plus, it includes some of it anyway. I digress. It's okay to not understand a phenomenon as it is occurring such as the World Cup, but there's bound to be a problem when you automatically put something down when you don't bother to do a little homework about it and the sport and talk to people about it that have played it or experienced it. Before you read more of this blog post, I would suggest you do some reading from those first, because this post will be long-winded, and I'm not going to have the time to give you a quick run of what goes on in that trainwreck.
Sports and politics never really were a big problem here in the United States, as (for the most part) the democracy that we hold doesn't intervene in sporting matters, that is unless it has something to do in the medicinal field. But to use your status to bring something to light and completely nitpick it to the point where you're just finding pointless things to criticize? That's like you're criticizing that little girl sitting in the corner of the cafeteria who's eating out of a The Magic School Bus lunchbox and forced to drink a pouch of strawberry milk because it was the only thing left. That little girl is stronger than you think. That little girl is me. That little girl has been a fan for their whole lifetime. That little girl is an athlete who looked up to international sports legends and is now inspiring youth to live their dreams and break through the concrete routine and fly free. There's a sleeping giant in the world of sports that one won't understand unless if that life is lived, and lived properly.
The mantra is that we are United States; united we stand, divided we fall. It has become evident through our governmental system that we're never going to get along, and there's always going to be something to despise because it isn't the "American way." What is that way, anyway? Baseball's an American sport, but it's derived from cricket and a game called rounders, both of which are popular in England. Basketball originated in Canada. Ice hockey has roots in Western Europe and Canada. American football is derived from rugby, which started in England. Are we going to unite with the world, or are we going to break away from tradition and be that annoying neighbor with the ten-foot wall that hates everyone around them? That's not how you build any kind of strength. No man is an island. The United States is a melting pot. Deal with it.
"Oh, soccer isn't American? It's a threat! Let's send over some troops and defend against those evil penalty kicks! It's lazy! We need to be more active! Obesity! It isn't good entertainment! We need revenue because we're in debt!"
Give me a freaking break.
Here's another argument that I'm going to throw in that I know I'll get flack for: We have a middle-aged woman who is a well-known political critic throwing stones when she herself lives in a glass house. Plus, she's written books and other pieces over the course of a few decades that have been under large amounts of scrutiny. She's a woman. A woman. You know, the gender that still throws the "inequality card" and has a select amount that downplays all things that don't show a strong feminine figure a la Disney princess films? It makes someone like me look absolutely stupid, like I don't know what I am talking about when I argue about a male-dominated industry. I might not know a whole bunch about sports, but with what I do know, you better be sick because I'll give you a clinic. I am proud of my feminine side, but I refuse to be associated with someone who is fighting for something that already exists to the open-minded. The close-minded brings about fear--the fear that you can't do something because you're a girl or because you might not be good enough. Sure, we might not have the strongest soccer team in the world, but you can tell we're getting stronger, and we have the fans that will live and die with the growth.
There are people that are familiar with her that know that Coulter is a troll, and she's writing about a sport not in the American "Big Four," and she's trying to make a big joke out of something that isn't shown all that often on mainstream television outside of ESPN or any other sports network. But then there are others that don't understand how agenda works, and will take this stuff as gospel. That's when you know there's a big problem. You can grab the innocent by the stones, and make yourself their god. If you're going to write something stupid, you better be that kind of stupid where you have half-decent reasoning behind the abysmal arguments. Yes, there's that capability of dragging the reader down to your level and beating them with experience, but it's also a reflection of the kind of person that you are: a close-minded person who won't delve into the true passion of sports, most notably football. Most political commentators have a knack for being the real American "shock jocks," but this is something that I, as a respected writer in my circles, refuse to stand for. In sports, I intend to inform with my opinion, and not shove it down someone's throat. I leave it open for the reader. This was more of a public service announcement that can be deemed worthy of you being crowned a legitimate "village idiot."
Granted, I often joke that women all secretly hate each other for subconscious reasons that they don't understand, and some of the same cases occur in men. The same things happen in politics. We unfortunately tolerate it, but when it attacks something that puts aside animosity for a set amount of time. There are people that know that people similar to Ann Coulter do this strictly to grab the attention, stir controversy, and not really care about what other people think about them. Believe me, there are people out there that have that mindset that they'll drop a bomb and walk away without caring for the reaction. I see it more often in everyday life than I care to share.
So let me tell you something, Ms. Coulter: I don't really care what you think, either. Whether you sit on a throne and read it, thanks for laughing or crying or whatever you do where you are. However, as a young woman who is scratching and clawing her way through a male-dominated industry of writing and sports journalism, you are a complete disgrace to not only the world of the working woman, but to the ideal perception of ethics and morality. You're the definition of a closed mind--one who won't open up to the cultures of what is around them, or the beauty of passion and how humanity can show error and talent in more ways than physical force and violence.
Do you want to know why women aren't paid the same way men are in this society? Not because we aren't worthy of it, but because of ridiculous editorials that knock down our standard to the point where we can't be taken seriously. I've been writing pieces for five years, and seeing a piece from you, a person who has been in this business for almost 30 years, I feel more ahead of the game than you ever were. Why? Because my writing is meant to inspire and to create new ways for people to think. You write in a prison. You post and people go "Oh God, not her again," and though you don't care, you should. You're wasting your time.
Don't mess with the sporting world--it's bigger and scarier and way more united than anything you've ever experienced in a political government. There's corruption everywhere, but at least it isn't hidden in sports. We play and remain united. We aren't fooled, we govern ourselves, and it promotes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What do you stand for?
You've got guts, my lady, but prepared to be mauled by your critics. I won't be there, but I'll pray for your soul. Really.
But for the time being... I know a lot of soccer enthusiasts are upset about this, and they pretty much want this woman hung by her earlobes. Or maybe get bit by Luis Suarez. I don't know. But maybe this is a learning experience for us too. Let's teach the close-minded a lesson. Soccer is here to stay.
EDIT: Ms. Coulter, since this was your intent to get attention for this, you got mine. Good for you. However, no deed goes unpunished. I gave a clear-minded perspective, and I bet way more people are going to agree with me than you.
--AZ
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