Megan Rapinoe speaks:“I think that I’m particularly and uniquely and very deeply American.'
U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe looks on prior to the Women's World Cup semifinal match against England on July 2 in Lyon, France.
It was the day before the Fourth of July, the most American of holidays, when U.S. World Cup star Megan Rapinoe was asked what she’d say to those who have branded her as unpatriotic because she refuses to sing the national anthem and uses her soccer fame to advocate for gay rights and other social justice causes.
Rapinoe — who is capable of grand gestures such as her smiling, take-me-as-I-am, arms-outstretched pose after she scored the second of her two goals inlast week — offered a nuanced and passionate response that’s worth attention. Her answer was especially appropriate on the eve of a holiday that celebrates the birth of a nation, one that was born out of dissent and has prided itself on being shaped by the free discussion of ideas.
“I think that I’m particularly and uniquely and very deeply American. If we want to talk about the ideals that we stand for — the songs and the anthem, what we were founded on — I think I’m extremely American,” she said Wednesday, a day of recovery for the U.S. women after“I think for detractors, I would have them look hard into what I’m saying and the actions that I’m doing. Maybe you don’t agree with every single way that I do it, and that can be discussed.
“And I feel very fortunate to be in this country. I’d never be able to do this in a lot of other places. But also that doesn’t mean we can’t get better. And it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t always strive to be better. I think this country was founded on a lot of great ideals, but it was also founded on slavery.
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