Colin Kaepernick won’t stop kneeling for the national anthem until he sees “significant change,” and another high-profile member of the sports world isn’t planning to stop joining him in protest anytime soon. Seattle Reign FC midfielder and United States women’s national soccer team standout Megan Rapinoe took a knee during the national anthem prior to her team’s match against the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, citing the fact that she is a “gay American” who knows “what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties.” On Tuesday, Rapinoe clarified that she plans on taking her protest to the national stage.
Rapinoe, in speaking with Grant Wahl of SI.com, indicated that she has no plans to stop protesting in this fashion, and that extends to the next match for the U.S. Women’s National Team. That match will take place on Sept. 15, and Rapinoe’s choice would certainly come under greater scrutiny as a direct representative of the United States, though the sport’s governing body in the country isn’t commenting on the issue just yet. This is also contingent on whether Rapinoe is named to the roster for the match against Thailand.
It has already been quite interesting to decipher the coverage and backlash surrounding Rapinoe’s choice in comparison to that of Kaepernick’s, with the caveat that “burnout” factor potentially comes into play given the life span of the story. Rest assured, though, that if Rapinoe extends this gesture for another week into a match alongside teammates dressed in red, white and blue, the national conversation will begin churning again.
