Aside from her status as one of the most accomplished players in the history of the United States Women’s National Team, superstar Megan Rapinoe might be best known for her strong social stances, including kneeling during the playing of the national anthem back in 2016. And fittingly, it seems that controversy followed her to her final match with the team.
Megan Rapinoe played her final match as a member of the United States Women’s National Team on Sunday night at Soldier Field in Chicago, serving as a captain for an international friendly against South Africa. But during the playing of the national anthem during the pregame ceremony, Rapinoe decided not to sing “The Star Spangled Banner,” according to The Daily Mail.
“Megan Rapinoe has not been singing the national anthem for years – a practice she started as part of her protest against racial inequality. On Sunday, the last time she took the field for the United States, that didn’t change,” The Daily Mail wrote on Sunday night.
Obviously, this move from Rapinoe led to lots of conversation about the topic on social media.
Megan Rapinoe captains the United States in her final match for the national team… but she does not sing during the national anthem | Daily Mail Online https://t.co/zCNeitIhpX
— ➕SITREP🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@magametada9941) September 25, 2023
Rapinoe is too full of herself. Shame on her for refusing to respect our National Anthem.
— Bassetlover8108986 (@bassetlover810) September 25, 2023
Megan Rapinoe stays silent during anthem at final @USWNT match https://t.co/0bWzmgoPuq via @MailSport Stubborn to the very end #football #soccer player.
— ProSoccerSF (@ProSoccerSF) September 25, 2023
Megan Rapinoe says goodbye to the USWNT with a 2-0 win https://t.co/FFk1M6w9B4 via @MailSport Good riddance! American players should be for America first, not take a knee or avoid the National Anthem and a person who does not support girls or women sports
— Don Lam (@don_tennis) September 25, 2023
She knelt during the anthem while starting a national team game. She fought for equal pay, and is outspoken about LGBTQ rights. Her true legacy, is laughing in a faces of all that told her to shut up and dribble. The sport, and the world is better because of Megan Rapinoe.
— Becky Grassl (@bgrassl15) September 24, 2023
been watching Rapinoe for over a decade so this is hard to stomach. if winning two WCs wasn’t enough she fought and won equal pay, consistently knelt for the anthem in support of Kaepernick and delivered the sickest cross in American history https://t.co/z9PBUeRgTo
— Lizzie Manno (@LizzieManno) September 24, 2023
To everyone who couldn't stand Megan Rapinoe and booed her when she kneeled for the anthem I KEEP RECEIPTS.
She won us the world cup, she played her hardest for #USWNT None of us deserve her
Never forget she will be richer and more accomplished than you haters will ever be
— Allan Pandaring Wu😻@ PRIMAL EXODUS EORZEA (@AllanPandaring) September 24, 2023
Rapinoe is an absolute legend in the sport, and she always fought for what she believed in.
