Why Do Folks Hate Megan Rapinoe? Backlash Defined

American soccer star Megan Rapinoe is famend for her athleticism, particularly her time on OL Reign within the Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League and on the U.S. nationwide crew. Nevertheless, what has made Megan stand out is her position as an advocate and activist. Plus, her typically brightly dyed hair certainly helps too.

Megan obtained the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden and was included within the TIME 100 Most Influential Folks of 2020. A lot of her advocacy facilities round LGBTQIA+ activism, together with with organizations just like the Homosexual, Lesbian, and Straight Schooling Community and Athlete Ally.

Regardless of her accolades and activist historical past, many individuals don’t love Megan. She has confronted backlash prior to now, particularly from extra conservative circles. So, why do some individuals hate Megan Rapinoe?

Megan’s outspoken and politically charged feedback have positioned her for harsh criticism. Whereas one fan on Reddit famous that she was “cocky,” that is solely the start of the problems individuals take with Megan. As a lesbian, she typically faces a slew of sexism and misogyny, solely made worse by her option to be vocal and unapologetic.

Through the Trump administration, Megan confirmed outward disapproval towards President Trump. In actual fact, she was adamant that she would not go to the White Home even when the U.S. crew gained the World Cup. “I am not going to the f–king White Home. No, I am not going to the White Home. We’re not gonna be invited. I doubt it,” she instructed Eight by Eight.

The MAGA crew was actually not pleased about this, particularly since Megan and the crew beforehand met with former President Barack Obama after a win in 2015.

To make issues extra tense, Megan known as Trump “sexist,” “misogynistic,” “racist” and “not a superb individual,” based on Yahoo! Sports activities.

Like NFL participant Colin Kaepernick, Megan made headlines for selecting to defy typical customs and kneel throughout the nationwide anthem earlier than video games. “White individuals had been mad. Whew, had been they mad! Conservative commentators within the media instantly began shouting and yelling that kneeling throughout the anthem disrespected the army,” she wrote for The Guardian.

And Megan was proper. The backlash from her protest rippled via the sporting world, making its approach to the mainstream media. Stress was so unhealthy that even Trump weighed in on it. “No. I do not assume so,” he stated to The Hill when requested if he believed Megan’s actions to be “applicable.”

In her piece for The Guardian, Megan defined how the outrage gave the impression to be a results of individuals taking her selection “personally.” “I hadn’t been anticipating something like this scale of shock. Once I’d campaigned for LGBTQ rights or pay fairness, I had all the time been warmly obtained,” she wrote in reflection.

On Nov. 11, 2023, Megan performed within the remaining sport of her profession. Within the 2023 NWSL Championship sport, she went down early with an Achilles damage and needed to be subbed out.

After the sport, Megan made a remark insinuating that she was an atheist, which sparked some outrage from Christians. “I’m not a non secular individual or something and if there was a God, like, that is proof that there isn’t,” Rapinoe stated in a post-game press convention, based on the New York Submit. “That is f–ked up. It’s simply f–ked up. Six minutes in and I eat my Achilles.”

Sage Steele, a sports activities commentator, took situation with this remark. “Narcissism at its most interesting,” she posted in response to a video of Megan’s remark following the damage.

This wasn’t the primary time the 2 had confronted off. Sage’s viewpoints on transgender rights had been beforehand branded as “bulls–t” by Megan throughout an interview with TIME.

“When Martina or Sage or whoever are speaking about this, individuals aren’t listening to it simply within the context of elite sports activities. They’re saying, ‘The remainder of my life, that is how I’m going to deal with trans individuals,'” she stated.