Women in sports have long been robbed of the recognition given to their male counterparts. So in the interest of promoting equality, let us all take a moment to recognize five sportswomen who are every bit as much garbage humans as the male villains we know as household names.
Yvonne de Ligne, figure skater
O.J. Simpson, Rae Carruth, Aaron Hernandez and Oskar Pistorius are known for their murdering ways, but a female figure skater from Belgium did it first. She was accomplished enough to finish in fifth place in the world championships and take sixth in the 1932 Olympics. But even with all that success she strived for more, including arranging the murder of her husband. De Ligne was sentenced to 15 years in prison — 18 years less than Simpson got for simply stealing back his own memorabilia. So disrespectful De Ligne’s criminal achievements.
Kim Mulkey, basketball coach
When people talk about the constant churn of terrible news surrounding Baylor’s athletic program, you always hear names like Art Briles or Ken Starr. Some may even go old school and mention how former Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss tried to cover up his own misdeeds by claiming one of his murdered players had drug ties. A clever strategy!
But sadly, few mention women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who said that the best way to deal with Baylor’s critics is to “knock them right in the face.” She also told a reporter asking about the scandal that she was “tired of hearing about it” and to “move on, find another story to write.”
Mulkey sounds absolutely awful. It’s time she gets the lack of respect she deserves!
Julie Hermann, administrator
Julie Hermann took over as the director of athletics for the embattled Rutgers program in May 2013. She was fired just two years later after it came out that while a volleyball coach at Tennessee, she discouraged a former assistant from getting pregnant and then lied about the existence of a video proving she did. Hermann also was accused by former players at Tennessee of being mentally abusive, and the parents of a Rutgers football player say she fabricated a story about meeting with them to discuss their son’s status. There may have also been other stuff, but the sports media likely didn’t bother to report it simply because they don’t think it’s worth the time and energy to uncover dirt about female administrators. Double standard!
Hope Solo, goalkeeper
Young female athletes have a lot of pressure on them to grow up to be a good player on the field and a good person off. Hope Solo is evidence that there is another way. It’s possible to be a successful female athlete and also a piece of trash as loathsome as the most awful male athlete. Hopefully Solo’s story can get out there enough to let awful little girls know that they can be themselves as long as they do well at sports.
Tony Harding, figure skater/boxer
Whiny, pouty, entitled. Tonya Harding was everything some claim the most pampered NBA stars of today are. And she had all those traits before she played a role the brutal attack of her skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan. But today she’s seen as more of a punchline than a monster. How demeaning.
