Over the weekend, Rapinoe joined a growing list of athletes that said they would join San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in his decision to kneel during the National Anthem in protest of ongoing discrimination throughout the country.
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Team officials chose to play the anthem early, before Rapinoe, a member of the Seattle Reign, was on the field. In a report by Screamer, it’s said that Megan Rapinoe chose to kneel during the National Anthem before an NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) game between the Seattle Reign and the Red Stars.
The anthem played while the teams were still in their locker rooms.
The statement goes on to explain that team owner Bill Lynch is a veteran, and that the Anthem has often been played before sports games as sign of respect to the military since World War II.
Bill Lynch, the Spirit’s owner, a veteran of the military, made a decision to have his PA system play the national anthem before the players took the field, thus denying Rapinoe the chance for her protest.
“It was very intentional”, Rapinoe said after performing the protest over the weekend.
We will continue to encourage all Reign FC players to participate in the pre-match ceremony, which honors those who have served and made sacrifices on our behalf.
Kaepernick drew attention when he remained seated on the bench before a preseason game against Green Bay.
After the game, Rapinoe told espnW’s: ‘I am disgusted with the way he has been treated and the fans and hatred he has received in all of this. “If nothing else, he’s generated more conversation about issues that have to be talked about”. 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.
The 31-year-old Rapinoe has played for Seattle since 2013, after a stint with the French team Olympique Lyon. The United States, which had won three straight gold medals in the sport, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Sweden.
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Rapinoe came out in 2012 and since then has used her voice to advocate for LGBT causes and organizations including the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, and she saw the connections between her experience of homophobia and Kaepernick’s experience of racism. The Reign also recognize that you may be offended by their player’s actions, but they will not let that offense force a change in behavior. The players claim that members of the team make in some cases up to four times less than their male national team counterparts.
