Trump’s Bigotry Is Fuel for Megan Rapinoe’s Success

As a former NFL player, I know athlete activism is always going to draw the ire of people in positions of power

Donté Stallworth
GEN

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Megan Rapinoe of the USA celebrates scoring the first goal during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France Final match on July 07, 2019. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Megan Rapinoe isn’t done talking about equal pay.

Following her team’s World Cup victory, the dynamic midfielder and co-captain of the U.S. women’s soccer team has been making the public rounds over the past few weeks. There was the victory parade in New York, appearances on late-night talk shows, and news just this week of a major book deal with Penguin Press.

Rapinoe has been on fire — and she’s been using her elevated platform to talk about the issues she holds dearest.

In March, Rapinoe was one of the 28 women to file a gender discrimination suit against the United States Soccer Federation in pursuit of pay equal to their male counterparts. She also refused to participate in the national anthem throughout the World Cup as an act of solidarity with those who’ve experienced racial profiling and police brutality. She also recently became the first openly gay athlete to pose for Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue.

Oh, and she has insisted for months now that she wouldn’t visit the White House if her team won the World Cup — which they did — prompting predictable

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