This is the Olympics, the celebration of all that is good about how athletic competition can bridge the differences among people around the globe. It takes an egregiously bad call or an ugly display of poor sportsmanship or xenophobia to elicit boos and jeers from fans.
Unless your name is Neymar or Hope Solo.
Two of the world’s best soccer players have been hearing from fans at the Rio Olympics. Neymar was booed for his play during Brazil’s first game and Solo was reminded of her concerns over the Zika virus during the United States’ first game.
It didn’t help matters that the Brazil-South Africa match, unlike other matches that preceded the Opening Ceremonies, was played before a crowd that nearly filled the 70,000-seat stadium in Brasilia. Although he is used to attracting global attention playing for Barcelona, Neymar admitted that “the first game is always the most difficult due to the anxiety of the competition starting.”
Solo, the stellar goalkeeper for the U.S. team that has won multiple World Cups and Olympic gold medals, expressed concern over the Zika virus on social media, and that did not go unnoticed in Brazil. In the American’s opening victory over New Zealand and again Saturday in the 1-0 victory over France, she was greeted with “Zika” jeers every time she touched the ball.
Solo, 35, has legitimate concerns because she hopes to start a family with her husband Jerramy Stevens.
“I wish people would understand that I did my due diligence before coming to Brazil,” she said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “It was a personal decision I had to make alongside my husband and it’s not something I just spoke about without getting educated on.”
It is her comment in May that “I’m not sure I’m even going to be leaving the hotel room, outside of practice” that fans most likely remember, though. That and her multiple tweets about her mosquito repellent obsession.
At least for Neymar, there’s a way out of this. All he has to do is lead his team to some wins.