There weren’t many people on hand to watch FC Kansas City defeat the Chicago Red Stars 3-2 in Bridgeview, IL tonight. The official attendance was 2,068, but reality was a tiny fraction of that. You could pretty much count the total number of fans by sight and make a general estimate if you really wanted to.
There was at least one hard core Christen Press supporter there however, sporting a home made sign with a montage of images and the phrase: #DogsForChristen.
The #DogsForChristen hash tag trended on Twitter, top ten nationally, August 16th-17th. It refers to US Soccer fans Tweeting lovable photos of adorable dogs at Christen Press, in order to cheer her up following the USA’s shocking unexpected exit from the 2016 Summer Olympics. Press missed a penalty kick, very badly actually, in the penultimate moment of the game, and the haunting image of what was a tremendous upset at the hands of Sweden made Christen Press trend worldwide on Twitter Friday, August 15th.
We have some of the highlights of #DogsForChristen embedded at bottom of this post below.
Press, the Chicago Red Stars team captain, did not speak with the media in the club’s first game back from the Olympic break (Sunday night’s 2-2 draw with the Seattle Reign, which is now known as the Megan Rapinoe kneeling during the national anthem game).
Christen Press was requested for media availability postgame tonight, but again, did not speak with the assembled media. Actually, she hasn’t done a Red Stars post game press conference since early June. Given that her last name is literally Press you got to love the irony, right? Especially since she’s the team captain, and up until the very final moment’s the home team’s only goal scorer.
To be fair, when she does do media interviews, Press really is a fantastic, thoughtful and very engaging soundbite. After the game tonight, no Red Stars players at all were made available to the media, and just one from KC talked to the room of journalists.
#USWNT we still love you. This is 4 you @ChristenPress #DogsForChristen pic.twitter.com/f57ZFA25Tw
— Jeremy Ross (@JeremyAdamRoss) August 14, 2016
The lack of player media availability has been a severe issue in Chicago all season long, and for the NWSL in general. It’s a topic we’ve written about in length on several occasions, but there doesn’t seem to be any effort made at all to change it.
The problem seems to getting worse, and it’s hurting media turnout at games.
In the long run, it will continue being a severe hindrance to the growth of the league. Red Stars Coach Rory Dames answered a question on #DogsForChristen though.
#NationalDogDay #DogsForChristen here ya go sunshine @ChristenPress pic.twitter.com/8OkX6z8Q3m
— c for cheney (@oharashugs) August 26, 2016
“Probably a better question for Christen, but from a coaching stand point, it’s nice to see that when one of your players goes through a real hard time that people, the soccer community and people outside the soccer community show support for them and help pick them up,” Dames said.
“It’s always a nice thing to see. Twitter isn’t always a nice place, so it’s nice to see it used in a positive way.”
Press is truly a first-teamer regarding animal rights as she appeared in an adorable PETA ad that premiered on the eve of the Olympics knockout round. You can watch the YouTube of the Christen Press PETA ad, alongside her precious pup Morena, who was rescued from a recycling center in Oakland, California below:
Press isn’t the first US Soccer star to appear in a PETA ad, USMNT Goalkeeper Tim Howard participated in a PSA as well.
Dames made a great point there about the power of Twitter; when Red Stars Owner Arnim Whisler
https://twitter.com/arnimiii/status/764522892432445441
We couldn’t find any interview of Press herself discussing #DogsForChristen. The closest thing we could find to a quote anywhere was this Tweet below.
Thank you all. ????? ?#BestFansInTheWorld #DogsForChristen
— Christen Press (@ChristenPress) August 14, 2016
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.