We want pretty losers

I eagerly turned on ESPN's Sports Reporters this morning. I don't watch the show every week. I get tired of listening to men drool over Tiger Woods, LeBron James and the Yankees and Red Sox.
But, I tuned in today because there was a different sports story that could be discussed. A couple years ago, the sports guys discussed Danica Patrick and how she was all hype and no substance. They said until she won a race, she would never be taken seriously.
Well, late Saturday night in Japan, Patrick won a race. She actually won it in dramatic fashion, passing Helio Castroneves on one of the final laps. In doing so, Patrick became the first woman to win an IRL event.
It's a pretty significant win.
After watching Patrick get bashed, trashed and laughed at for the past two years because she hadn't won a race, I couldn't wait to hear what the Sports Reporters had to say, now.
Well, the topics of discussion included the NBA Playoffs, Major League Baseball, the NFL Draft and, of course, Tiger Woods.
I wasn't shocked. This simply proved something I noticed a long time ago. Female athletes will never be taken seriously by men in this country.
Think about it. When are female athletes discussed on the sports talk shows?
Who is the top female golfer in the world? It's not Michelle Wie, but she's the one most talked about because of her inability to win.
Anna Kournikova was the most famous female athlete ever, partly because of her looks but mostly because she never won a title.
Danica Patrick was called the next Kournikova because of her looks and the fact she hadn't won. Now that she's won, as far as a lot of sports writers are concerned, there's nothing left to talk about.
Female athletes are only discussed for their failures.
Had you heard of Hope Solo before the U.S. women's soccer team lost and she ripped her coach? She was great for two years on the U.S. team and no one cared. Since she got booted from the team and ridiculed on sports talk shows for speaking her mind at last year's World Cup, Solo has been put back on the team and has helped the U.S. qualify for the Olympics.
Of course, no one cares about that. They'll only care when the team loses again and she blows her stack.
My girl Becky Hammon has been a great player with a spotless reputation for years. No one noticed until she because a Russian citizen and said she might play for the enemy in the Olympics. She's now become Public Enemy No. 1 with pages and pages and hundreds of angry comments on ESPN's message boards.
If you're a woman athlete in this country and you want to become well known, you won't do it by being successful. The most famous, most well-paid female athletes are pretty losers. That's just a fact.
Sorry Lorena Ochoa, but being the number one female golfer in the world will only get you second billing behind Michelle Wie. And, if Michelle Wie ever wins a tournament, then no one will care about her any more, either.
As for Danica Patrick, I think it's great that she finally broke through and made history. Unfortunately, she will now be placed on the backburner until the next Baywatch babe picks up a racquet or golf club and finishes 12th.