People Should Be Happy For Carli Lloyd, Not Attacking Her
Apr 4, 2020, 6:22 PM
Carli Lloyd #10 of the United States shoots during a match against England in the SheBelieves Cup at Exploria Stadium on March 05, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Being a professional athlete is something that the average person can not really relate to. That is especially so when it comes to signing multi-million dollar contracts because that is either something that is not even in the mindset of the typical person.
What is odd is when people get mad when athletes have success which is then followed by a windfall of money in their next deal. Mad, may not be the right word. Maybe that word should be jealous.
Carli Lloyd is a member of the U.S. national women’s soccer team and is one of the most celebrated soccer players in the world. She has won two World Cups, named FIFA player of the year twice and appeared in three Olympics with two gold medals. In short: she is really good.
Being good in a professional sport comes perks and one of those she showed off on Twitter about her new car.
Thank you @VW for my new ride!! Loving the new 2020 Atlas Cross Sport. Proud to be part of the #VWFamily pic.twitter.com/0TaZzkZaEv
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) March 30, 2020
This new Volkswagon that Lloyd is driving is very likely tied to the partnership between the women’s national team and the car company which began just over a year ago. Success should be celebrated but there is always that “one person” who gets mad about stuff like this.
Her Twitter mentions were filled with a lot of hate and some of that might have to be with so many people being impacted by COVID-19 whether it be from sickness, death, or loss of a job. Yes, there is a lot to be sad about right now but Lloyd responded in a few follow up tweets about how she is trying to look at the bright side of things rather than the pandemic that is impacting everyone.
It is sad that I have to explain myself but I am choosing to be thankful. Thankful for my health. For time with my husband. I am choosing to put a smile on my face despite what is going on. It has given me a new appreciation for life.
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) March 30, 2020
People Are Just Jealous
Success can breed contention at any level and KSL Sports Scott Mitchell has been in a similar situation when he was in the NFL and earned a sizable contract with the Detroit Lions. The main point is that people get jealous when they see others succeed.
“You can’t relate to Kyle Van Noy… you hear about the big contract and it is not something you relate to, and I have been in that situation,” Mitchell said. “Most people actually are jealous and it is just general human nature that people are not happy for you.
“They say, ‘I have all these problems in my life,’ and I think it is the same thing now with coronavirus and Cari Lloyd saying, ‘hey I am excited about this.’ I agree with Carli Lloyd, you need to live your life and going about your business as much as possible. People are jealous and find a way to tear you down and make a comment to diminish anything you can do.”
Mitchell has a lot of experience with people not liking him from an athletic standpoint. When you are an NFL starting quarterback that comes with the territory of being the face of a franchise and very likely the highest-paid player on the team.
However, the one that hits Mitchell the worse is when he was a freshman in high school and made the varsity baseball team as one of the starting pitchers, but there were others who were envious of his early success.
“The list came out and I got a uniform and that is why I wear No. 19 because I was the last guy to get a uniform because I was a freshman and it was the only one left. To me, it was like, ‘this is cool,'” Mitchell said. “I got a varsity jersey but not only that but I got a jacket, too. I had a varsity baseball jacket and I am a ninth grader in junior high school and the next day I wore it to school and nobody talked to me. I was just excited. I wasn’t there to rub it anyone’s face or hurt anyone’s feelings. I was just excited for what I had done and accomplished.”
This continued for Mitchell when he was being recruited out of high school and then in the NFL when he earned a large free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions. In each of those moments, all he wanted to do was be excited for all of the hard work finally paying off.
“I just wanted to be excited and celebrate it but there were not people in your corner, that is just the way it was,” Mitchell said.
Being excited about one’s accomplishment should not be looked down upon. These athletes like Lloyd and Mitchell put in thousands upon thousands of hours to perfect their craft to reach high points in their careers, and that is something that should be celebrated.
Tune into KSL’s Unrivaled every Monday through Friday, 7-9 p.m., or download the KSL NewsRadio app to subscribe to the podcast.
