Speaking after the match, Rapinoe explained why she chose to kneel during the anthem.
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Count lesbian soccer star and Olympic gold medalist Megan Rapinoe among the supporters of Colin Kaepernick.
“We understand this may be seen as an extraordinary step, but believe it was the best option to avoid taking focus away from the game on such an important night for our franchise”, the Spirit said in a statement.
On Sunday night, she knelt during the national anthem and said being gay helped her empathize with the struggle for minority rights.
That’s when I-politically-fell head over heels for a player whom we have since learned time and again is fearless on and off the field.
Rapinoe, who helped the US women’s team win two FIFA Women’s World Cups and a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, said that her knee was “a nod to Kaepernick”. “I think he’s trying to send a specific message, and people are trying to make it seem as if he doesn’t respect the country and he’s disrespecting veterans and stuff like that”. This year the WNBA issued fines to players for wearing unauthorized shirts supporting Black Lives Matter in the wake of the killings of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, by police, then rescinded the fines.
Rapinoe, who plays for the Seattle Reign in the NWSL, didn’t have a chance to do the same before Wednesday’s game.
Following her protest last week, Rapinoe told ESPN’s Julie Foudy that she was “disgusted” with the way Kaepernick had been treated throughout his protest.
Wherever you might stand on the issue, the conversation is still very much on-going.
President Obama and US women’s national soccer team member Megan Rapinoe each spoke over the Labor Day weekend on the issue of Colin Kaepernick’s declining to stand for the national anthem, the president striking a diplomatic tone and Rapinoe taking a much more direct approach.
Rapinoe has also said that being openly gay influenced her decision to take a stand, because she feels there are times she stands with her hand over her heart during the anthem despite not having her liberties protected.
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“It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it”.
