Sports: men v. women

There's a lot of interesting post-WC discussion going on. A male reporter on ESPN radio and a female columnist at ESPN both see a double-standard in being "too nice" to the defeated women, who blew a game they should have won and, in fact, won easily. The "choke" word should be applied, as most assuredly it would have been used in a comparable men's defeat. Women should be treated equally, which is to say, like men. Don't soften the gloves.

I agree with a bit of this.. At the same time, there was something refreshing about the WC final that you don't often see in men's sports any more. You used to in the 1950s but not any more. Good sportsmanship! Lack of individual arrogance! Men's sports have established a culture that brings out all the worst in aggressive and selfish behavior, it seems, and there was none of this in the women's world cup.

Yes, the women and their coach can be criticized. They lost this in the first 30 minutes, not being able to finish drives. The coach should not have replaced Megan Rapinoe -- in fact, the replacement is who missed the decisive penalty kick, and a very feeble attempt it was at that. In the PC the team totally choked.

But the women played with grace and honor that the men would do well to emulate. Women's sports can change the sports culture -- well, that's wishful thinking, but surely they can provide a model that reminds us what men's sports, too, used to be before it was taken over by greed, arrogance and testosterone jerks.