Megan Rapinoe has been a fixture on the United States Women's National soccer team for years. Any soccer fan you ask will be familiar with her for one reason or another, be it her trademark hair, her ability to score in some of the trickiest situations or maybe her refusal to stand during the United States National anthem. With the Women's World Cup in full swing, all eyes are on Megan Rapinoe and the USA gals as they continue to advance, hoping to snag a record-breaking 4th World Cup win. But soccer isn't the only thing that has the media buzzing.
Megan Rapinoe has been a source of great controversy in this year's games. She's taken a lot of criticism for her over-zealous goal celebrations when the USA faced off against a far less prepared Thailand team. She's also been in the media in recent years for very publicly supporting football star Colin Kaepernick. In a show of solidarity during the last NWSL season, Megan knelt during the USA national anthem before each game. At the time, when that debate was at the center of both athletics and politics Rapinoe stood firm in her solidarity despite the backlash she received from fans and the federation alike. She continues to show support for Kaepernick and his cause while playing in France on what is the biggest stage in women's soccer. She's changed it up a bit for the World Cup, however. Instead of kneeling during the USA's anthem she has decided to stand quietly with her hands behind her back while the anthem plays and the rest of her teammates sing along.
This, of course, has ruffled the feathers of those who consider her actions to be rude, disrespectful or unpatriotic but I for one applaud her for continuing to commit to what she believes is right. By forgoing the kneeling part of the demonstration, Rapinoe is taking out what is arguably the most 'disruptive' part of the whole routine. I can understand where people, especially those who belong to older generations, view this as unacceptable but at the same time, Rapinoe's choices to not participate in the anthem don't stop the rest of her team, the staff, the commentators, the fans or anyone else for that matter, from participating in the anthem with as much pride and vigor as they choose. I for one support Megan's choices and much like she, I don't intend to make it any more difficult for those who want to indulge in the National anthem to do so.
The anthem isn't the only thing that has Megan in the spotlight. After a close game against Spain in the round of 16, Megan was stopped by post game reporters to answer questions about the team, their next steps and what it was like to be the one to score the goals that would send the team to the quarter-finals and one step closer to that fourth championship star.
At her core, Megan Rapinoe is an athlete, a soccer phenom and arguably the backbone of this team, especially now during something as important as the World Cup. Rapinoe has scored a total of 5 goals this cup all of which have been absolutely crucial to the survival of this team. She's been the one to get the momentum going, score the equalizer and the winning goal, sometimes all in one game. With that said, Megan Rapinoe and the rest of the team are more than just athletes. it may be their one love and what they make their living doing, but soccer isn't the only thing they know or care about and Megan Rapinoe lets her soccer skills speak for themselves on the pitch but off the field...she lets her activism shine.
In that post-game media blitz, one reporter asked Rapinoe if she was excited to go to the White House. It's easy to assume that the reporter was referencing a post-cup visit similar to the one that the team attended in 2015 with an invitation from President Barak Obama. Megan said in response, "I'm not goin' to the F#@%ing White House". She also said that she didn't expect to be invited by the current administration whether the team takes home the trophy or not. Once again Megan Rapinoe turns heads with her words. Just like with the anthem, opinions on her actions are mixed She's garnered support from big names in politics like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, who invited Megan and the team the House of representatives. She's also been praised for her unapologetic words by Kamala Harris on Twitter. Megan has said many times that she stands by her words, minus the foul language and it's obvious that her team stands with her too. Players like Ali Kreiger, Ashlyn Harris and Christen Press taking to Twitter to give her a virtual pat on the back for saying something that others didn't have the courage to say.
Once again, I admire Rapinoe for saying what she said. She has voiced time and time again her issues with the current administration and I a appreciate that when questioned about it, she didn't do a 180 and say things she didn't believe. Anyone who follows Megan Rapinoe on any social media knows how she feels when it comes to politics so for those who are appalled by her honesty, shouldn't be shocked. Also, the reporter, who I'm sure had some idea of Megan's stance chose to ask that question to her, not to other players. That reporter knew full well what kind of response they were going to ger. Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT are also not the only sports team to refuse an invitation to the capital under Trump so what makes this such a sensational story. Is it because she's a woman who had the guts to be honest and decline a would be invitation to the home of a man who does everything in his power to make things harder for LGBTQ+ identified people, women and people of color? Probably. But I'm proud of her for sticking to what she believes and being vocal about her stance because that's what's needed to make a change. We need verbal and action based continual commitment to making things better and that's what Megan Rapinoe is accomplishing. And I'm excited to see what she does next
As a kid, she was my player. The one I watched for, the one I wanted to be, the one I dreamed of playing beside in the world cup as a little kid playing peewee soccer. I wasn't an Abby Wambach or Alex Morgan kid, not even Mia Hamm, I was a Rapinoe fan through and through. I believe that she truly is a game changer and I can't wait to see what she does next both on and off the pitch.
