“You go to military posts when the National Anthem.the flag goes up, or the flag goes down, the entire post stops at that very moment out of respect for the flag and out of respect for the military, and I’m sorry this guy is just not respecting our Nation”, Hinkelman told WWNY-TV.
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She told American Soccer Now that the gesture was a “little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he’s standing for right now”.
In a statement released by the Spirit, they claimed the anthem was played early, due to Rapinoe’s “disrespect”.
The Spirit ownership made the executive decision to play the national anthem before any players were in the field on Wednesday to prevent Rapinoe from taking a knee while the Star Spangled Banner played.
“In light of Seattle Reign and U.S. Women’s National Team member Megan Rapinoe’s public declaration that she meant to “take a knee” during the United States’ National Anthem tonight, we made a decision to play the anthem in our stadium ahead of schedule rather than subject our fans and friends to the disrespect we feel such an act would represent”.
After the match, Rapinoe said she was saddened by the Spirit’s move.
“On behalf of more than 20 million living USA military veterans, I think most of us respect his right to not stand, but we also find the action highly regrettable”, American Legion National Commander Dale Barnett said.
While Megan Rapinoe and Colin Kaepernick state they will continue their protests with their professional teams, it will be interesting to see how Rapinoe’s protest affects her stint with the USWNT.
“… It was incredibly distasteful, four days before (the anniversary of) one of the worst tragedies in our country (9/11), to say that I tried to hijack this event”. Megan stated she will meet with the veterans prior to the match, but at this point, it is still her intention to kneel during the national anthem. “We strongly feel that there are better ways to begin a conversation about a cause than tarnishing a tradition that is so important to so many”. “We need a more substantiative conversation around race relations and the way people of color are treated”. That’s why I’m doing this. She has played for Seattle since 2013.
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Since coming out in 2012, Rapinoe has been devoted advocate for LGBT rights and has worked with the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and other organizations.
