USWNT living rent free in Oogie’s head.

Ogie likes watching adolescent boys, yikes.

Ogie, why don’t you like women?

Why?

Serious question, why can't you enjoy women's sports for what they are? I'm not saying be a huge fan, follow all of it or watch every game, but it's not all terrible.

Serious question, why can't you enjoy women's sports for what they are? I'm not saying be a huge fan, follow all of it or watch every game, but it's not all terrible.

Agreed. I don't even like soccer but the World Cup gets my attention for both genders. I'm sure there are pretty superficial reasons why I enjoy pretty much any worldwide competition you wrap the American flag in but it still is worth watching.

You can follow whatever you want. But what is the point of spectator sport? I don't mean the point of playing sport, I mean the point of watching it. I would argue that it is twofold- (a) to root for a team with whom you identify for whatever reason and (b) to marvel at human athleticism/achievement. The USWNT may qualify for some under (a), but it certainly does not measure up under (b), as anyone who has a friend or son who played at Libertyville High School has probably watched many soccer games played at a higher level than this women's World Cup. And really, the interest people like Julie DiCaro - and indeed of most of the U.S. media- have in this is obviously more political than either (a) or (b).

I don't agree with (b). I think you can view a sport through the lens of the rules that restrict those who would be better at the sport. The NFL is the only sport I like better than NCAA football and NCAA basketball, and that kind of depends on if my favorite college sports team is likely to win 5 games or 7 games for the next season. It's obvious that NCAA sports aren't as good as pro sports in terms of which teams are better but it still can be enjoyable to watch.

However, your last point is right on. The whole story of the womens team seems to be multiple political statements. There is something that seems strange for someone choosing to represent the United States on the world stage to be using that position to protest.

This isn't direct specifically at you because I don't believe you've ever expressed the opinion that America is not exceptional/borders suck, but like Curious Hair has pointed out a couple times, it seems the fact that these are women is what allows the jingoism liberal sanction.

Because the entire idea of international competition kind of puts lie to the concept of "One World". And at its best international competition is a proxy for war.

I'm with you on preferring college football and basketball, but I do think our rooting interests have something to do with that.

And I get your point about rules restrictions. That's why my interest in college hoops dropped precipitously as they slowly changed the rules to make them more like the NBA. In 1978 college basketball and the NBA were almost like two different sports. Rule changes have created a situation where today's college basketball is really just like the NBA but with lesser players.

I think the idea that "girls can do anything that boys can do" still really struggles with how wide the gap is between the two in terms of virtually any athletic competition. I mean, when I was bored and finding "people on twitter" there were people talking about some ultra marathoner(which I guess is a sport?) being able to win competitions against men.

So, you get a womens team that is so far ahead of just about everyone in the world, and the mens team that didn't even make the last World Cup and you get a chance at least for a little bit to act like that means something more than the fact that the mens side of soccer is far more competitive.

I think if you really look at our society and culture, advertising is the culprit behind so many of our problems. The marketer's job is to create desire. And there is big money in making people want things that they previously didn't or perhaps even couldn't have.

With regard to women this means creating desires that had heretofore been the province mainly of men. Sure, our wives have many more options than their grandmothers, but I'm not sure they're happier. We have more options too and I don't know if we're happier either.

In any case, it's gotten to such a point that even acknowledging the obvious fact that there is a difference between men and women renders one a pariah in certain social circles.

I think these things are all related, i.e. the treatment of human beings as fungible consumer units which is made much easier by the pretense that sexual/biological differences do not exist.

There is no reason a woman can't be just as good of an accountant as a man even at the highest level. I would say, in general though, that battle isn't really being fought any more. Anyone who asks for a "male accountant" would be pretty dumb.

The only reason there has been any pushback against the team is the coupling of their play with their inequality of pay. Inequality of pay leads very naturally to the question of whether the are performing the same job and at the same level.

I don't watch much soccer so I can't tell if the women's team is playing a different game than the men. In basketball, it is pretty clear.

I like women. I like sports. I like women who play sports. I like women who like sports. Play on!

I don't even think the pay should have anything to do with the level of play. Do the women bring in more money? I don't know. It sure seems like they're more popular, at least on the surface.

I don't even think the pay should have anything to do with the level of play. Do the women bring in more money? I don't know. It sure seems like they're more popular, at least on the surface.

That's obviously the case. It would be idiotic to argue otherwise.

How much money is generated for a Women's World Cup vs a Men's World Cup?

What percentage of the amount generated do the women get vs. the percentage the men get?