My .02 pesos.
The American sport of football added the kicking game over time and it was really just a spin off of rugby's approach. After WW2, it sort of died off. Kicking in the game of American football is just meant to be a way to humanize the game a bit, put the ball in play and make something really difficult that few can do with accuracy in the event of a tie.
Where anyone dreamed up the idea that it was relevant and/or meaningful to let a female kick is just absurd. It proves no point to anyone except to the person claiming it has some magical impact. It's like streaking at Wimbledon. It's funny for a brief moment, but outside of that, it means absolutely zero.
Sarah isn't any sort of hero, she's a prop. In the purest sense of the world. Add your own terminology, but the leadership of either the athletic program, football team or university is using her. And the message to the football players is, we don't want you. Sarah is their role model, and their sport is non-competitive soccer. They can't handle the bloodsport that is the SEC where it takes a roster of 50 tough guys just to compete. That kind of person isn't welcome at Vanderbilt. That's the problem. Not surprisingly, it's being received loud and clear. They may not quit, but you can bet your ass they aren't going to try and win.
And let's be clear about something, Sarah doesn't represent top flight soccer. She's playing entitled, Title IX, everyone-gets-a-trophy soccer. The competitive landscape of women's soccer around the world is somewhere between cricket and field hockey. If Sarah is interested in taking on sexism in the world, she's got a planet full of people she can convince. But today? She's a pampered athlete in a pampered, hardly competitive sport. Not saying she doesn't work hard, not saying she doesn't have some skill, but the competition level doesn't come close to men's D-1 football, and it's nowhere near the level of competition that is global top flight soccer.
So look past Sarah and look at the people pulling the stunt. 1) ESPN 2) Vandy's athletic leadership.
Until you hit that crowd between the eyes, there will be more Sarah Fuller's to come.
This site leaks private information to Baylor Regents and Administration