Since scoring six goals at the 2015 Women's World Cup, including an instantly iconic hat-trick in the final game, Carli Lloyd's star has exploded. Her website has endured a hype-induced crash, she's been interviewed on "Good Morning America" and "Today" and experts estimate her appearance fee is now around $30,000.
But as she's finding out, with newfound gobs of fame and fortune to handle comes newfound trolls and haters. On Twitter, she has dealt with these people in a number of different ways.
When someone on Twitter recently questioned how Lloyd could possibly be keeping up with her soccer duties while enjoying her moment in the sun, Lloyd responded with an upbeat, playful message emphasizing her mental fortitude.
Soon after, a troll rolled through and got to the point, claiming that she was caught up in living like a celebrity and valued it more than her soccer career.
Just, no. Lloyd tried flushing her doubters with positivity and a motivating spirit, but when the reigning Women's World Cup Golden Ball winner is accused of suddenly not caring about her sport, it's understandable to see her fire back:
Shortly thereafter, Kobe Bryant, an ardent USWNT supporter who is no stranger to dealing with unscrupulous criticism, rolled through to provide Lloyd with the blueprint for handling Twitter trolls: ignore 'em.
While it's fantastic to see great athletes back each other up when Twitter users post nonsense to agitate for a reply, it's important to note that they're just that: random, meaningless and conspicuous to a fault -- hardly worthy of any attention from the likes of Lloyd and Bryant.
Reading and reacting: Important when playing actual sports, not so much on Twitter.
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