A journalist scolds an athlete at the risk of sounding like a schoolmarm. Or do I mean an idiot?
Armour lowered the boom. “Hope Solo is a distraction U.S. Soccer can no longer afford. . .” her lecture began. “Solo has embarrassed her team and the country she represents one time too many.” Armour didn’t explain who Solo was distracting, or what she was distracting them from, or why this was a horrible thing to do, but whatever. It’s always safe to call someone who annoys you a distraction.
Yes, Solo was a distraction—but perhaps a distraction helpful to her team, not a burden on it. The U.S. lost and she took the heat. But ambiguities rarely get in the way of a seasoned finger-wagger.
