Sunday, September 30, 2007
A Hopeless case
I have to say something about the benching of the goalkeeper. Earlier today on ESPN's sports reporters, the host of the show did his last word bit by comparing the benching of Solo to Tony Dungy replacing Manning with Sorgi. This despite Bob Ryan saying during the opening credits that little as he knew about soccer, when a team is completely outplayed and loses 4-0, more than the goalkeeper is at fault.
Keep it up Bob, you know a lot about soccer.
It is indicative of the US sports coverage obsession with tying the results of a game to a single person that a football match's outcome is tied to the goalie. They do this for football which is fairly rational- the QB has a lot to do with (in fact unless you are Dilfer playing for the Ravens, almost everything to do with) the offense.
They do it for baseball which is a bit more unfair but the starting pitcher has a lot to do with the defense- though I feel that the ERA is the absolute measure for a pitcher's success- not his win-loss numbers.
They do it for (ice) hockey- something I can't comment on since I have little familiarity with or interest in that sport.
And now they want to do it for real football.
Back off sports reporters. While a goalie's mistake occasionally costs a team a match, the match is won by the goal scorers. When a team scores no goals and loses, there is no point blaming the person in goal.
Especially when one of the goals is an own goal, it is pretty mean and ignorant to blame the goalie. If Brianna had a brilliant day after that in goal and not let in any other goals, the US would have still lost.
Coach Ryan's decision to bench Solo in favour of Scurry was definitely weird. But it most certainly didn't cost the US the match- they lost to a much better team with arguably the best forward in the game.
Marta- she won the match for Brazil, 'cos she scored goals- something the US didn't!
I have been following football for 30+ years and never have I seen the blame for multi-goal thrashing laid at the goalie's door.
Keep it up Bob, you know a lot about soccer.
It is indicative of the US sports coverage obsession with tying the results of a game to a single person that a football match's outcome is tied to the goalie. They do this for football which is fairly rational- the QB has a lot to do with (in fact unless you are Dilfer playing for the Ravens, almost everything to do with) the offense.
They do it for baseball which is a bit more unfair but the starting pitcher has a lot to do with the defense- though I feel that the ERA is the absolute measure for a pitcher's success- not his win-loss numbers.
They do it for (ice) hockey- something I can't comment on since I have little familiarity with or interest in that sport.
And now they want to do it for real football.
Back off sports reporters. While a goalie's mistake occasionally costs a team a match, the match is won by the goal scorers. When a team scores no goals and loses, there is no point blaming the person in goal.
Especially when one of the goals is an own goal, it is pretty mean and ignorant to blame the goalie. If Brianna had a brilliant day after that in goal and not let in any other goals, the US would have still lost.
Coach Ryan's decision to bench Solo in favour of Scurry was definitely weird. But it most certainly didn't cost the US the match- they lost to a much better team with arguably the best forward in the game.
Marta- she won the match for Brazil, 'cos she scored goals- something the US didn't!
I have been following football for 30+ years and never have I seen the blame for multi-goal thrashing laid at the goalie's door.
