Kick Megan Rapinoe Out or I Will Never Watch Fotball Again
Megan Rapinoe is a two-fourth dimension World Loving cup winner, an Olympic gold medallist and the winner of the Ballon d'Or. She is also one of the most influential voices in sport.
The American has consistently spoken out about racism, sexism and homophobia and has been a leading voice in the campaign for equal pay for the The states women'south squad.
In 2016, Rapinoe became the showtime white American athlete to take a knee during the national anthem in a testify of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.
However, that decision - a gesture of protest against racial inequality and law brutality - left her feeling as though her international career was in jeopardy.
BBC Sport spoke to the 35-year-old most protest, white privilege and the global evolution of women'south football.
On taking a genu
Rapinoe writes in her autobiography, One Life, about the lack of support she received from Us Soccer and then-coach Jill Ellis when she took the knee for the national anthem.
"I'm proud of information technology, to exist honest. I'm proud of speaking my listen and doing the right thing. I feel this is how alter is made.
"Any fourth dimension I take someone try to explain or argue with me well-nigh kneeling or arguing, information technology'due south simply an incoherent, fumbling, patriotic mess, right? Taking a knee joint sharpened my understanding of what I did, how I supported Colin and sharpened my resolved in that.
"It was not a comfortable time. I certainly felt that at to the lowest degree my international career was a little chip in jeopardy.
"Information technology showed me a lot of true colours effectually me in a lot of unlike ways. The critics yell really loud and I had a federation who clearly didn't support me and, I felt, a jitney who actually didn't support me, just I had and then many people effectually me who always stuck by me and were with me the whole time.
"Just you lot have a choice of what yous do in the globe. You simply have to be prepared to wear the consequences of your deportment."
On more white athletes speaking out
For Rapinoe, white athletes should apply their platform to give others a voice.
"A lot of times, white athletes, particularly male athletes, don't feel the effects that other people practice; they don't experience the effects of racism, sexism, misogyny or pay inequity.
"We don't speak out because we are privileged and we don't have to. It comes in part from a lack of examination of your own life and the earth around you lot.
"For white people and probably white men in full general, they don't really have to analyse the world around them to exist successful. For case, if you're gay, you're constantly traversing a heteronormative world.
"While it is not necessarily people'south mistake - people that were born now didn't create the country the way it was created - that doesn't mean you lot don't have a responsibility to information technology."
On what being a public effigy ways to her
Rapinoe recently proposed to her long-term girlfriend, American basketball star Sue Bird.
"You can look similar me and be gay. You can look like Sue and be gay. That gives people the confidence to be yourself.
"I think that a lot of the time, the general stereotype is that being gay is harder; most people struggle with it or their family struggle with information technology.
"People say if y'all could do it again, yous wouldn't cull to exist gay, you wouldn't cull to have your life harder. Well, I disagree. I love existence gay. I call up it'southward awesome.
"I promise us just living our lives the ways that nosotros do, tin can start to show how positive it tin be, non just for u.s., only for club and the health for usa."
On the future of women's football
The 2020 National Women's Soccer League season was postponed in America because of the coronavirus pandemic, with a number of World Cup winners coming to England to play in the WSL.
"I think women's football in England is the same every bit in America - it is so far behind because of what we've had to overcome in the lack of investment.
"It'south 2020. How long has the Premier League been effectually? And we're only only seeing a society similar Manchester United put effort and pounds towards a women's team? Bluntly, information technology'due south disgraceful.
"I've had a few team-mates go abroad and play, while I'm preparation and trying to keep fit in the hopes that eventually nosotros'll be out of this hellscape.
"I want to go on playing. I'm definitely not anywhere near retirement - I admittedly want to play at the Olympics.
"Afterwards the Olympics I'll have to take a longer await at the next three years. We're a yr closer to the next World Cup and information technology'due south pretty enticing. We'll leave that one out in the open up…"
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Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54862689
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