The Associated Press gushed about President-elect Joe Biden inviting Sarah Fuller to Wednesday’s inauguration. If her name escapes you, she was the first woman to score (she kicked two extra points with opposing players refusing to rush her) in a Power Five conference football game this past season.
This is identity politics and Democrats playing up to female voters, plain and simple. The AP reports:
“Fuller helped Vanderbilt win the Southeastern Conference women's soccer tournament as the goalkeeper. She helped out the football team while it was dealing with COVID-19 issues.”
Helped out the football team, AP? No, she was a token woman used to impress easily wowed media, a walking publicity stunt who did little or nothing to help the football team. The football team used a real kicker, a male, to do the difficult job of field goal kicking. He's the person who literally helped the football team. Fuller scored points for social justice warriors who are poisoning sports for traditional fans.
"It's an honor to be invited to participate in one of America's greatest traditions," Fuller revealed on social media.
"This historic inauguration is especially meaningful for American women and girls. The glass ceilings are breaking," Fuller tweeted. The AP mentioned that she included the Twitter handles for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Biden and their woke inaugural committee.
Glass ceilings breaking? What, did Megan Rapinoe just handle the kicking chores for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday evening? Missed that.
Several weeks ago, Fuller kicked off the start of the second half of a Vanderbilt game. In a subsequent game she kicked two points after touchdown – while the opposing players merely watched instead of attempting to block her kicks. It was like when the big kids were playing ball and then they let little brother tap the ball, run around the bases and give him high fives before resuming the real game.
It was a slap in the face to full-time football players everywhere when Fuller received co-Southeastern Conference special teams player of the week. AND her uniform went to the College Football Hall of Fame!
Fuller’s name and faux fame are all over internet coverage of the inauguration.
In the Washington Post’s treatment of Fuller mania, Des Bieler called Fuller a “trailblazer.” Talk about a disservice to Lewis & Clark!
Media claim Vanderbilt’s football team was struggling mightily to find a place-kicker amidst the ravages of COVID-19. That doesn’t wash though. Prior to the arrival of soccer-style kickers, offensive lineman often handled kicking duties. Any member of any college football team could kick extra points or squib a kickoff 30 yards like Fuller did.
Bieler also raved about Fuller’s halftime speech in her first game when the Commodores got smoked by Missouri. Fuller said she felt “my speeches and everything weirdly fit better with our football team more so than with our (women’s) soccer team.” Profound!
With Fuller moving beyond token football appearances to the mega stage of a presidential inauguration, Bieler wrote:
“Now Fuller will add her voice to ‘Celebrating America,’ a program set to air in prime time Wednesday, several hours after Biden and Harris are sworn in. Fuller’s accomplishment will be highlighted along with those of other ‘everyday Americans who have stepped up in their communities,’ organizers said.
Thank the good Lord that Fuller stepped up for her community, which obviously had a woeful shortage of female football kickers.
This isn’t an attack on Fuller. It is a well-aimed jab at politically correct, woke, sensationalist sports media. We really need more sensible sports writers than we need female kickers in the male sport of college football.
