Before we commence the USWNT autopsy, let’s get this out of the way first. Pretty much no one who uses the phrase “woke” these days knows what it actually means. 99.999% of people who rail against “wokeness” have zero clue what that expression truly means.
Erykah Badu coined the phrase “woke” back in 2008, and it wasn’t long until the word’s meaning got stolen and corrupted. Childish Gambino released the song “Redbone” in 2016, which uses the phrase “stay woke” repeatedly, and that was likely the last time anyone used the phrase in public correctly. If you don’t believe me, just look at the political career of Florida Governor Ron De Santis.
Agreed all around. #USWNT #USA lost due to player complacency and coaching incompetence.
Never should have done this STUPID, arrogant @FOXSports Ad campaign.
It was just asking for trouble. https://t.co/0DY1xqJTiU— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) August 6, 2023
Resting on Their Laurels
We bring up the so-called “woke mobs” because the far-right, MAGA crowd are out in full force today, using the phrase “woke,” to dance on the USWNT 2023 World Cup grave. We’ll get to them in a bit. First and foremost the United States Women’s National Team is now eliminated because they were complacent and lacking in leadership.
Doing that ad campaign embedded above was the kiss of death. It was like the sports version of the R.M.S. Titanic declaring itself unsinkable and then finding the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage. The USA had fun being the “ugly Americans” in the last Women’s World Cup, in 2019, and that was fine at the time.
You can be brash, abrasive and arrogant when you’re winning and winning big. You can’t do it now, when you entered the tournament severely injury depleted (although to be fair, the same could be said of all the leading contenders) and you only score four goals in four games (one in the last three). As Luke Skywalker said to Emperor Palpatine “your overconfidence is your weakness.
This was foreseeable, I did say during my guest segment on NTD News that this USWNT was going to have issues scoring, and that they would get through the group stage, but that achieving that could get ugly. However, I did NOT predict the earliest exit in USWNT WWC history.
So this was a bit shocking.
Vlatko Andonovski Needs to Be Sacked Tomorrow
Congrats Vlatko, you now have that dubious distinction on your CV. The USWNT head coach showed no acumen when it comes to forming his lineups, nor with substitution. This team was lacking leadership amongst the players, but their manager wasn’t able to do anything about it. The leadership of Becky Sauerbrunn was sorely missed.
This really should have been the World Cup of Lynn Williams, Sophia Smith (although she really choked today) and Trinity Rodman, not Megan Rapinoe (who was AWFUL today, appeared to be laughing? after skying her penalty attempt), and Vlatko didn’t seem to get the memo.
A lot that went wrong wasn’t his fault, but Jill Ellis was light years better than this guy. She never would have bottled an elimination match like this.
Congratulations to Sweden, you have now eliminated the world’s super power in the women’s game at the current World Cup and the last two Olympics.
StiCK tO spoRTS
carli lloyd was too woke in 2011 pic.twitter.com/UGnAS3ONvV https://t.co/Z1isCEKUzW
— oatmeal influencer (@acechhh) August 6, 2023
As we’ve said numerous times before, any time someone says “stick to sports,” what they’re really saying is “stick to sports because I disagree with your politics. However, if you express political beliefs that I agree with, then hey, you don’t have to stick to sports.”
For whatever reason, this seems to be more of a right-winger thing. You just don’t see people on the left screaming “STICK TO SPORTS!” during the nationalism loyalty oath and military-industrial complex informercials that transpire at every sporting event.
That said, no reason to celebrate the USWNT demise, just because you’re a deplorable MAGAhead. That is anti-American, in the purest sense. You really hate Megan Rapinoe that much?
You’re celebrating the demise of our national team?
This doesn’t sound like the kinds of ideas that Lee Greenwood or Toby Keith would espouse in their jingoistic songwriting!
Carli Lloyd- the Epitome of Both Things Can Be True
There is a lot to like and dislike about Carli Lloyd and her commentary this World Cup. Sometimes she has looked spot on. Other times she has looked like she has a personal and political axe to grind against her former teammates. And then there are times where she has looked like a total hypocrite.
All of these things can be true.
I do agree with her calling out the team for smiling and dancing after a goalless draw with Portugal, just because they survived and advanced. When you’re the #1 ranked team in the world, with all those stars on your shirt, the standard is much much higher. You simply cannot be happy after playing like trash, but going through anyway because you got lucky.
That said, there is a reason FOX hired Carli Lloyd. Ditto for Alexi Lalas.
They would fit in perfectly on FOX Nation (the FOX News Channel streaming service that next to nobody watches).
Maybe they can pivot to a political talk show on that network now.
Past their Prime
Abby Wambach, Tobin Heath and Lloyd weren’t on the team this time around. Rapinoe announced her retirement right before the tourney, and at this point, she was not meant to be anything beyond a sub. Alex Morgan was probably misused a bit by Andonovski, but she bottled her opportunities too.
At 34, this was probably her last World Cup. Unless you’re a goalkeeper, you don’t make the World Cup squad too often at age 38. Bummer for her to go out like this, because she never scored, and wasn’t good; at all. But don’t say she didn’t care, and didn’t have the drive, because her emotional post match media opps conveyed that desire and motivation. Workhorse defender Julie Ertz announced her USWNT retirement after the final whistle.
Alyssa Naeher would be 39 at the next World Cup, Lindsey Horan 33.
To put it bluntly, Father Time remains undefeated and now all the main players from the 2015 and 2019 champions are gone. The USWNT waited too long to do a refresh, reboot and revamping. The youth movement begins today.
Mallory Swanson, when you return from injury, this is your USWNT now.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.