After the game yesterday -- and around the country's sports pages today -- there was plenty of talk about the men's team, what's wrong with them, and why the women's team is functioning so much better.

Lisa Leslie criticized the players not in Athens: "I hope they're at home feeling they could've done more to help. Especially if we don't win the gold. I think it's more shame on them. The guys who are here, they're fighting and still learning. The ones who are not here, I'm a little bit...I'm not happy with them, let's leave it at that."

Tamika Catchings said the same thing, somewhat more subtly: "Everyone of us who was asked to play by USA Basketball is here. I'm not trying to be critical. They (the men) have their lives to lead."

The women's program is doing beautifully in Athens, while the men's program looks shaky. But we -- and the players -- are in danger of becoming just a little too self-congratulatory.

The men's game around the world has progressed further than the women's game. As a result, the men's team faces relatively tougher competition. Even if all the best men's players were there, they wouldn't have a cakewalk through Athens.

Nor do I fault the NBA who didn't show up.

NBA players, unlike WNBA players, have a brutal 82-game season followed by months of playoffs. The short summer is their only chance to rest and get back in shape for next year.

The men's players, unlike the women's players, are famous around the world, and thus might be terrorism targets. I think the security concerns surrounding Athens have been way overblown (knock on wood), but I might not feel the same way if my own life were at stake, and I can't really fault someone who assesses the risk differently than I do.

The men's players, unlike the women's players, face constant media scrutiny and criticism. Every game is an excuse for the press to spin the usual story about how the U.S. players are too flashy, too lazy, too selfish, too arrogant (too black?), while the international players are smart, fundamentally-sound team players.

If the men win, they've only done what's expected; if they lose, they've embarrassed us. Is there another Olympic sport where our players make bigger headlines by losing than by winning? Is it any surprise then that some players decide to take the summer off?

I love every minute of watching the women play. It's awesome that all of our best players (other than Holdsclaw) are there. It's awesome how they function as a team. It's awesome how the older players mentor the younger. It's awesome how great players don't mind sitting on the bench. It's awesome how they win.

The women's program deserves to be celebrated for all of those reasons and more. But that celebration can do without all of the holier-than-thou comparisons to the men's team.