[SVK]

(07-25-2012 07:31 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

An an aside, the USA women's national team is the best women's soccer team in the world, ranked #1. Now WTF is up with the men's team, they didn't even qualify.

I think it's because in USA soccer is perceived as a safer and less masculine alternative to (American) football and thus very popular with school-age girls. As a spectator sport, soccer is simply not very popular in America at all, while in most of the world it's probably the most popular sport by a large margin (most of Europe, Asia, Central and South America). You might have more women playing soccer in USA than men. Plus women's sports in general, especially in 'masculine' sports, are simply on a much much lower level and thus you could have all kinds of surprises in competitions.

(07-26-2012 02:02 AM)basilransom Wrote:  

If I have any daughters, I will not be putting them in any sports. The closest they will get is maybe ballet lessons and hiking. I wouldn't want a manjawed skrillex specimen bearing my name.

If I had daughters I would definitely encourage (maybe even force) them to do feminine sports. Ballet, dancing, figure skating, gymnastics, yoga, etc... I don't see nothing but benefit in those. Everybody needs good regular exercise to be healthy, fit and toned. Some religious groups in USA discourage women sports as un-ladylike and their girls have even worse rates of obesity than general population. We rally against fatties but now we would want to discourage sports for women? WTF?