Why did I click through on this? It’s Taylor Kwellman and Alexi Lalas advising Hope Solo to sit down, like a good girl. When ESPN covers women’s sports equitably, then it can stage this discussion however it likes. Until then, I don’t care to hear Twellman and Lalas opine about what Hope Solo should or shouldn’t do. This story gets more play than does the fact that USWNT players are gearing up to sue FIFA! ARGH.
The Sport Spectacle 
Thanks for highlighting this. There are far too many false equivalencies being thrown around with regard to Hope Solo and Ray Rice (I hesitate to put them in the same sentence because the cases are so vastly different). As you point out, there is a compelling, non-bullshit story right now involving the USWNT that has gotten very little traction (outside of Soccer Morning and Howler’s Dummy podcast).
At the end of the day, I think a lot of the problem is that men are the ones deciding which stories to run and men are the ones who are allowed to talk about it. Although some men are qualified to discuss these things (Jeff Kassouf) and men SHOULD be taking an interest, it is indefensible for the conversation to be limited only to Lalas and Twellman. Where are Julie Foudy, Allison McCann, or any of the many other women qualified to speak about this? As long as ESPNW runs headlines about players being mothers with regard to the NWSL final, I don’t see improvement coming anytime soon.
Of course the media is the problem here. An example. I read the Daily Telegraph. Today it has a 20 page sport pull out. How many of these pages are about women’s sport? Answer: NONE. It hasn’t mentioned the WWC lawsuit. (though it is hardly alone in the UK press in that) Until the press is regulated and a quota for women’s sport pages is brought in this problem will remain. The press might say people aren’t interested. Well how can we be with no coverage?
I find the Solo affair more sinister the more I think about it. As you’ve said this is not a new story. Why all the fuss now? On Twitter you mentioned Olivia Pope (a name that means nothing to me. Who is she?) who works for Roger Goodell. I suspect the NFL is behind the publicising of the Solo affair in order to try and divert attention from their own problems. If I’m right (and we’ll never know) it is shameful.
And congratulations to the women players who have had the courage to take on FIFA over the WWC. If there is any justice in this world they will win.