Ever since video surfaced of Ray Rice dragging his unconscious wife (then fiancée) from an elevator following their “physical altercation,” domestic violence has been at the forefront of media attention. Perhaps this is because Rice’s case marks one of many within professional sports.
However, recent events have proven that domestic violence issues are not just evident within the men’s side of professional sports, but also within women’s. Hope Solo, a goalkeeper for the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team and for Seattle Reign FC, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree domestic violence assault in Washington state. The charges stem from a June 21 altercation with her sister-in-law and 17-year-old nephew at a family gathering. Solo has pleaded not guilty and her case is set for Nov. 4. If convicted she could face up to six months in jail.
Since being charged, Solo has been allowed to continue playing soccer professionally. Several weeks ago, Solo broke the international record with 73 shutouts as goalkeeper. Solo’s case has garnered a lot of media attention and controversy within public opinion. Many are outraged that Solo has been allowed to continue playing and cite her case as exemplifying a double standard between men and women when it comes to domestic violence.
U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati spoke about the organization’s decision to let Solo keep playing saying, “Based on the information, U.S. Soccer stands by our decision to allow her to participate with the team as the legal process unfolds. If new information becomes available we will carefully consider it.”
This begs the question, should Hope Solo be allowed to keep playing? Coming at a pivotal time for domestic violence issues and awareness within American culture, many compare Solo’s case to Rice’s and feel she should also be punished. Recently, one of Solo’s own teammates spoke out against the famous U.S. goalkeeper. Jill Lloyden who plays for FC Kansas City and is also a member of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team wrote an editorial for USA Today saying that the league can no longer “turn a blind eye” towards these kinds of issues.
“Speaking out on these issues is not always easy. Solo is my teammate and a personal mentor. But I cannot stand by as young fans receive the message that this behavior — even if the allegations proved to be inaccurate — can go unnoticed,” said Lloyden.
For many years, Hope has been a shining star on the national women’s soccer team, a team known for their award-winning success. However, is condemning her that easy? In the case of the Ray Rice incident, the public was able to form opinion based off of the visual evidence that was provided when those videos surfaced; it’s hard to argue with the footage those videos provided. In Solo’s case, whether she is guilty or not has yet to be determined.
In his article “No, Hope Solo Is Not ‘Like’ Ray Rice,” Ta-Nehisi Coates argues that the two athletes are affiliated with different traditions of violence. While Rice’s actions are categorized under the tradition of violence against women, Solo’s actions fall under the category of misdemeanor assault.
“If she is guilty she should be punished. And perhaps we do need to have a conversation about punishing athletes for assaulting people. But we don’t need Ray Rice to make that case,” Coates said.
Coates also begs the question that if Ray Rice were accused of assaulting his younger brother and his 17-year old nephew, would we be having this conversation? Perhaps we might, but it would be extremely different.
Addressing overarching issues regarding domestic violence is a positive that has come out of the Rice and Solo charges. However, making comparisons or perpetuating the sensationalization of these stories does little to work towards a solution. Hope Solo should not be condemned simply because it would negate the double standard between men and women in professional sports.
We need to stop finding ways to perpetuate an agenda and work towards addressing the issue staring us in the face. Do we really need people like Ray Rice and Hope Solo to start a conversation about domestic violence? The answer should be no.