LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Megan Rapinoe is alleged to have led the USWNT in a “shameful” rejection of the national anthem at the 2023 World Cup.
The bulk of the USWNT starting lineup refrained from singing the national anthem during the World Cup group stage, including during their last match against Portugal, when they were held to a scoreless tie.
Although Rapinoe did not initiate that competition, Megyn Kelly, an American journalist and television personality, claims that the 38-year-old is the brains behind the USWNT’s controversial decision to forgo the playing of the national anthem.
“Megan Rapinoe, she’s the leader of all this… She’s not a starter. So that’s why she’s not on camera when they’re doing the national anthem, but she’s behind a lot of this,”
Kelly said while hosting the Megyn Kelly Show. She went on to insist that she won’t be supporting the USWNT in the knockout stages after the “shameful” actions of Rapinoe and a number of her team-mates.
“She’s (Rapinoe) poisoned the entire team against the country for which they play,” Kelly added. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not rooting for them.
“I’m not with them. I hope they lose…It’s shameful. These girls are shameful. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.”
Rapinoe is a well-known activist who uses her platform to raise awareness of social issues and has never shied away from fusing sports and politics.
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She previously protested by kneeling during the anthem in solidarity of Colin Kaepernick, saying she would never feel the same way about the national anthem again.
Before the Portugal game, only Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz, and Lindsey Horan participated in the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner; Kelly has referred to the other members of the team as “morons.”
“They won’t put their hands on their hearts,” she continued. “They don’t feel prideful when they’re out there even though they’re representing the United States of America. Yes, we’ve got some flaws.
“Yes, there have been some warts, but we’re so much more good than we are bad. I mean, they look like they don’t even want to be there.
“It’s like some sort of inconvenience to be representing the USA. These morons on the women’s soccer team continue to embarrass us on the national stage.”
The debate surrounding the national anthem is not going to go away anytime soon. The USWNT’s match against Sweden in the World Cup’s round of 16 on Sunday will determine whether or not things have changed.