The long saga of the Hope Solo-U.S. Soccer relationship is one of the more riveting in sports history. A story whose incredible victories and harsh conflicts have taken place in full view of the public. During that time, Solo has been at times hostile to—and eventually vindicated against—UU.S. Soccer; indeed, her legal fight is an auspicious harbinger for present football stars’ very similar quest. There have certainly been highs and lows along the way with Massello doing battle in courts/ us soccer. Here’s a look back on the ride she took…
The Rise and Fall
Solo, whose career with U.S. Soccer peaked in 2015 as part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup-winning side, went on to win golds at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games before turning professional full-time after hanging up her gloves for Seattle Reign FC in August that year. It was a pinnacle that involved more triumphs and awards. But Solo returned to the jarring truth at home. One revealing moment from the Netflix documentary Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer comes when Solo admits she did not even have a written contract with the Federation. The missed opportunity to provide Solo and her teammates health insurance, 401(k) plans, or pregnancy leave.
The incident escalated when Solo, along with teammates such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, refused to end her protest due to wage inequality for U.S. soccer players. The lawsuit alleged the top women’s players were paid far less than their male counterparts and that they would not share in any of the high profits reaped from wins by a mostly more popular men’s team. Yet developments in the case suddenly took a sharp turn following last summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The controversial fallout
Her comments continued to provoke controversy after the elimination of Team USA in a penalty shootout loss against Sweden, as she labelled the Swedish team as “a bunch of cowards. The comment got Solo suspended and then fired by U.S. Soccer. That, she said, felt like “everything was stripped away,” dreams gone, money gone, and awards lost.
The snap fallout was exacerbated by Solo, who blamed her teammates for not having her back. Even after trying to soldier on with her equal pay lawsuit, she was greeted by silence from the people who once stood behind [the] movement. The former classmates got in on the act by filing a class action lawsuit of their own. Solo filed her case individually back in 2018.
Settlement Solo Critique
The USWNT, in 2022, agreed to a $24 million settlement with U.S. Soccer. It was widely viewed as a landmark for gender equal pay, but Solo slammed the settlement. To her, the settlement was less about effecting genuine reform than publicly placating a riled-up populace. She was upset that what she believed to be a grand moment for women’s sports had passed and would always pass her kids by in history—aan opportunity missed not because the political climate wasn’t right but because too many powerful people simply didn’t care.
Leveson yourselves and A Note on Storytelling
However, Solo has had personal struggles along the way. She began having domestic issues when her nephew started assaulting and threatening the life of their sister in 2014. Even though the charges were dismissed, it was still a dark corner of her world. In 2022, Solo was arrested for DWI when she drove and passed out behind the wheel with her twins in the car. She pleaded guilty to the charges and has taken steps aimed at rehabilitating herself since that time in an ad hoc proceeding with a concession from her counsel ascribing severity of harm.
Where Is Hope Solo Now?
Now, Hope Solo is slowly starting to rebuild a life. With Solo entered into the 2023 class of inductees for the National Soccer Hall of Fame, she may be turning a corner off the field. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, where she lives, she writes and tries to find peace amidst a yearning for her father. Speaking of families, Solo is a mother to twins and married (outwardly at least) to former NFL player Jerramy Stevens, with whom she has…
She has seemingly gone off of social media for the most part, but she’s still doing her thing. The former USWNT goalkeeper has hosted a podcast, Hope Solo Speaks, which enables her to opine on several issues in the public domain. Yet while her public life is wracked by controversy and personal crises, Solo has emerged as a symbol of both resilience and complexity in the world of sports.
It’s a powerful, sticky reminder of all the peaks and valleys that come with being an athlete in public life. Her incredible accomplishments on the soccer field and her troubles off it have been woven into a narrative that still fascinates, beyond questions of celebrity or justice to themes about forgiveness and progress.
