by Shelby Talcott
U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe ignored the national anthem before the Women’s World Cup game against Thailand on Tuesday.
Rapinoe, who is openly gay, had previously said she would never sing the national anthem again as an ‘f-you’ to President Donald Trump. She announced that she would “never put my hand over my heart” or sing the national anthem in an interview with Yahoo News in May.
“I’ll probably never put my hand over my heart,” Rapinoe said in May. “I’ll probably never sing the national anthem again.”
She was seen standing silently without her hand over her heart when the national anthem played on Tuesday while her teammates sang and placed their hands over their hearts, The Blaze reported. Many people took to social media in response showing both their support and disagreement with her decision.
https://twitter.com/MeredithLClark/status/1138519951885705216
so weird to have a scowl while your national anthem, the one that gave you the freedom to pretty much actually PLAY in this game @mPinoe #USWNT
— Swami The Mighty G8R 🐊🦏 (@SwamiG8R) June 11, 2019
“Because I’m as talented as I am, I get to be here, you don’t get to tell me if I can be here or not,” she told Yahoo News. “So it’s kind of a good ‘f-you’ to any sort of inequality or bad sentiments that the [Trump] administration might have towards people who don’t look exactly like him. Which, God help us if we all looked like him. Scary. Really scary. Ahh, disturbing.”
Rapinoe became the first white athlete to kneel during the national anthem in 2016, supporting former professional football player Colin Kaepernick. The former NFL quarterback made headlines when he knelt during the anthem before a game three years ago. Kaepernick has said that kneeling during the national anthem was a way to protest against police brutality and racism.
After Rapinoe knelt, U.S. soccer gave a statement and adopted a rule that requires players to “stand and honor the flag.” Rapinoe has said that she was not happy with this decision and with the statement.
“Using this blanketed patriotism as a defense against what the protest actually is was pretty cowardly. I think the NFL does it,” Rapinoe told Yahoo Sports. “I felt like the statement from U.S. Soccer, and then the rule they made without ever talking to me, that was the same as what the NFL was doing – just to not have the conversation, to try to just stop me from doing what I’m doing instead of at least having a conversation, and trying to figure out a [solution] that makes sense for everyone.”
Rapinoe is a captain on the U.S. women’s soccer team. The team beat Thailand 13-0 on Tuesday. The women’s soccer team is currently suing the United States Soccer Federation for “purposeful gender discrimination” in an effort to gain equal pay, according to The News York Times.
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Shelby Talcott is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Shelby on Twitter.
Photo “Megan Rapione” by Jamie Smed. CC BY 2.0.
So here’s the deal: they want equal pay with men’s soccer. I’m not inclined to give them any pay if as representatives of the United States they fabricate some left-wing nutjob fantasy that they are entitled to make a mockery of patriotism. They aren’t as good as men, and their business does not draw the same crowds; if they make as much as men, then janitors should make the same as brain surgeons, because the amount people are willing to pay for their services has nothing to do with what they earn.
Don’t be proud of the Megan’s and the Collin’s, don’t “love them sooo much, Why? because they are not “protesting” for the sake of others, they are not “protesting” the President of the United States. They are, in fact, being very selfish and narcissistic. They are trying to get attention above and beyond their teammates and trying desperately to be singled out and noticed and talked about by the press and the people. Just trying to get the spotlight on themselves. Our Flag, our Anthem and our devotion to this country has done nothing to them, they are not protesting anything, certainly not President Trump or race relations by disrespecting our country, the one that made it possible for them to be where they are; the one that they are representing on a world stage, the one paying for that representation. The one where people fought and died to allow them the freedom they enjoy. They both have wasted perfect opportunities to use their status to bring people together for positive change for the causes they “claim” to care about and instead embarrassed our country by being foul mouthed, unappreciative, children more interested in having the spotlight than solving problems. It is so obvious.
nailed it.
[…] 2: https://tennesseestar.com/2019/06/13/us-womens-soccer-player-ignored-the-national-anthem-as-an-f-you… […]
Trump disrespects the US Intelligence agencies on a regular basis, and that is completely un-American. This soccer team is playing for a country they hate…..their protest sounds hypocritical
The same Intelligence agencies used to fabricate the lies that led to a two year investigation that could prove nothing. Purge all of them.
Trump tells the truth about US Intelligence agencies on a regular basis. You can twist things to fit your narrative all day long but in the end, there is a big difference between telling the truth or identifying an undesirable condition, which Megan Rapinoe is more than welcome to do, and just blatantly disrespecting the country that you represent in order to draw attention to yourself so you can be invited onto shows for interviews because you are considered controversial, or so you can (and I predict that she will) write a book that will be put on the New York Times (Fake) Best-seller (bogus) List. Go ahead, Hate Trump, but stop hating America.
She”s why I’ll be rooting against the U.S. women.
She doesn’t represent my country. Why should I blindly root for that failed abortion?
Send this ignorant twit home. Disrespectful to ALL Americans.
What a show of great disrespect for our country and the men and women who served and died for us. First of all the National Anthem has NOTHING to do with Trump or any other President in the Oval Office. It has to do with respect and support for our country as a whole and for the men and women who fought and are still fighting for this county. I wonder if this kids father or mother or siblings have served in the military and how embarrassed they must feel at this show of disrespect.
This woman is not a true American Patriot and I would prefer she not play at all! Her attitude is just unacceptable!
Sad, very sad. I was a 100% fan and supporter of women’s USA soccer. These women are just as talented as the men they don’t flop around on the field faking injury like the men players and they are under paid. But thanks to this anti American bitch, we no longer record, watch, go to, nor support the USA women’s team as long as this anti American birch is on the team. Why would you keep a person like this on the team. Politics does not mix with sports. If she hates Trump that much go picket on the White House Lawn, not in a sport people watch to enjoy and get away from politics.
Megan Rapinoe, you are just another highly paid athlete who thinks the world cares about your most personal and intimate life. Megan, we don’t care! When you can no longer play, you will fade into the shadows; and we will move on to the next big star! But you offend us when you disrespect our anthem and our flag. Your net worth is about $2,000,000. Could you really make that kind of money anywhere else in the world? Or could you enjoy the kind of freedoms you have here in the USA? Perhaps you should consider moving. After all, there’s another younger, more talented soccer star just waiting to take your place here in the good ole USA.
👍well said. That rapinoe should be dumped in Russia or a country in the Middle East. Bet she’d STFU pretty quick then.
Why would you play on a team that represents what you despise…
Sounds a bit hypocritical to me.
If you are not happy with the US and what it stands for, quit the team and try to play for another country that represents you interest better: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Russia, China, Thailand, France, the list of possibilities is very long.
Then you can have your self respect and all the freedom you want.
That would be too inconvenient for these spoiled millennials!
Donald Trump isn’t anti-gay, he’s never been known to bash or discriminate gays! Where doe’s she get her information? She might be able to play a game of soccer but she’s just plain WRONG!!
Megan Rapinoe is just a stupid jock
Agree
time to let the men who identify as a female out there to play also…..equity is equity……don;t care if she likes president or not……national anthem and flag represent our country….not a person or a group…..if she does not believe in this then she should not be on the US as in United States team…..period…..
Not sure why this person is paid to play for the country she rejects. Winning at all cost should not be the rule here.
TAKE AWAY HER/HIS/IT MONEY THAN WE SEE HOW SHE/IT/HE FEELS ABOUT IT !!!!