283 College Manor Drive
Arnold, MD 21012
February 3, 2004
To the Capital:
Shame on you for wasting nearly 25 inches of valuable newspaper space on the anti-soccer drivel of a Knight-Ridder News columnist (“Sex Appeal: Soccer needs to sell self to shed bore of image,” Feb. 1, 2004). Thousands of your young readers devoted to “the beautiful game” would LOVE to see themselves and their sport gain the positive press they so richly deserve.
Columnist David Whitley fuels the misogynist bent with his ill-conceived acceptance of FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s comments that women need to sex themselves up to gain acceptance as athletes. He completely misses the point with his column’s parting shot: “If you want to convince people there’s real beauty in soccer, you first have to give them a reason to look.” What he should have said was “Why waste your time trying to edify a close-minded, narrow-viewed population?”
And here’s what I say: Since when is sport defined by what males—a minority of the world’s population—think it should be?
I grew up a female athlete in the early days of Title IX. I played the “traditional” sports of basketball and softball—indeed, my high school only formed a soccer team my senior year. Until my daughter began playing the game in 1997, I was clueless about the world’s most popular sport. Those of us who have spent countless hours on soccer sidelines can tell you it’s thrilling to see your timid kindergartener blossom into a strong, confident, powerful young woman. Soccer—and all sport—transforms lives, on and off the field.
“Bore of image”??? Tell that to the rainbow of fans—young and old, male and female—who packed World Cup venues, WUSA and MLS stadiums to see players of both genders. The tragic failure of the women’s professional soccer league lies not with the devoted fans but with the unwillingness of corporate sponsors to extend beyond their comfort (profit) zones. Blatter and Whitley didn’t speak the truth about women needing to be sexy to be accepted—they pandered to a population that fears strong, intelligent, capable and confident women. And there’s no place for such blatherings in the pages of the Capital.
Yours,
Colleen O’Neill Yanchulis
Arnold
410-518-6397