Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Another hall of fame travesty

Last year the Soccer Hall of Fame thought it was just the bestest for inducting an all-female class; the first ever all-female class.

How does that saying go...? One step forward...before the patriarchy just squashes you and makes you remember why you've bought into all that postmodern musing on the quaint notion of progress.

This year the Hall of Fame is inducting, fresh off his lengthy legal battle over sexual harassment, eventual settlement, and admittance (kind of) of inappropriate behavior...drum roll please...University of North Carolina women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance.

National Soccer Hall of Fame, President Steve Baumann said:
"Anson Dorrance has set an unbelievable standard for American soccer coaches. His success at UNC is staggering and his World Championship with the U.S. women's national team has inspired coaches to higher levels of excellence."

Yes it was so excellent the way he got away with sexual innuendo, questioning of his players' personal lives, and kicking soccer balls at their backsides.

I am not so naive as to believe that Dorrance would not make it into the Hall of Fame some day. But that he was voted in right on the heels (no pun intended) of this settlement just gives me further evidence that Dorrance is sitting pretty in his office down in Chapel Hill and saying "Nah nahny poo-poo" to those of us who think what he did was not just inappropriate but illegal and that he got off with nary a scratch.

No comments: