You Have To Respect Brazilian Fans For Chanting "ZIKA!" At Hope Solo Mid-Game

Pra quem perdeu o carinho da torcida brasileira gritando "oooo zika" pra Hope Solo pic.twitter.com/yL8MhKsK8f

— Ciro Hamen (@cirohamen) August 3, 2016

LBS-Brazilian fans were not too kind to Hope Solo as the US women’s national team made its debut at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio on Wednesday.

The US defeated New Zealand 2-0 to win its first game in Group G. New Zealand only managed four shots — 1 on goal — which was stopped by Solo.

Not only was Solo booed by the fans when she touched the ball, but she heard a loud “Zika” chant when she kicked it.



Obviously I am glad that the USWNT whooped up on New Zealand, but it's time to put Patriotism on the back burner and give credit where it's due. You can say a lot of things about the people of Rio, but you can't say they aren't self aware. The Olympics might be well on their way to becoming an abject disaster, but I'll be damned if Brazil is going to let you forget that they are their abject disaster. In essence they are the asshole relative that the family has no problem criticizing as long as that criticism comes from within the family. Come to think of it, these Olympic games and Hope Solo have quite a bit in common. Just two completely unforgivable entities that are embraced by those close to them despite their inherent flaws. 

Anyway, there's something to be said for being so quick to embrace your failures and the citizens of Rio mocking Hope Solo for her understandable, yet overblown fear of disease carrying mosquitoes is just that. It's kinda like B-Rabbit stepping to the mic in '8 Mile'. Acknowledge all of your flaws first and you basically drop the mic on your detractors. All the fans have to do is slip in a couple chants about poop water,  political unrest, and imminent danger and all the sudden they will have rendered the rest of the outspoken 1st and 2nd world speechless. Zika jokes just don't pack the same bite when the people they are directed at have already used that material self deprecatingly. One liners about an epidemic just don't have the same effect when the intended recipients have taken to melodically screaming it's namesake in an effort to taunt an athlete whose deathly afraid of bugs, but never scared of bloodying the entirety of her family reunion. Brazilians might now know how to exterminate an insect, but they sure know how to silence a critic.