Seattle Reign and USA soccer star Megan Rapinoe is the latest athlete to sit or kneel in protest during the national anthem. Referred to as “one of the USA’s most skillful attackers and goal scorers”, in her official U.S. Soccer bio, Rapinoe won gold with the national team in the 2012 Olympics and helped lead the U.S. women to their 2015 World Cup victory.
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“It was a little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he’s standing for right now”, Rapinoe told reporters in IL after the match.
“I am disgusted with the way [Kaepernick] has been treated and the fans and hatred he has received in all of this”, Rapinoe told espnW’s Julie Foudy.
In doing so, Rapinoe joined a growing list of celebrity supporters of Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who refused to stand for the national anthem due to racial injustice in America.
The 31-year-old sportswoman added, “Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties”.
“The very least that I can do is continue the conversation with him by kneeling for the anthem”, she said following the 2-2 draw. “We don’t need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that’s really powerful”.
Rapinoe is the first non-black athlete to join in the recent wave of protests of the national anthem. “It is overtly racist”.
The 49ers have remained neutral on Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem. “Stay in your place, black man”.
By using a simple gesture to make a major statement, both of these high-profile athletes are using their platforms to encourage conversation about issues that face the Americans that they, in many ways, represent. “Just need to accept that [it is] not flawless, things are broken”, Rapinoe told Foudy.
“I think with Kaepernick it’s kind of interesting to see how people instead of looking at there’s a reason why he did it, they look at other things around it that don’t play a part”, Altidore told Sports Illustrated.
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Rapinoe, who is openly gay, related Kaepernick’s concerns about race to her own about gay rights in the United States. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder”, he is quoted as saying. 49ers safety Eric Reid and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane also showed their solidarity during the final week of the preseason.
