Piers Morgan has gone all out against the US Women’s National Team and Megan Rapinoe once again for not respecting their country’s national anthem. In his latest X (earlier known as Twitter) post, Morgan reposted a tweet from journalist Alexi Lalas, which shows the US ice hockey team singing the USA national anthem ‘Star Spangled Banner’ very passionately.
He took a dig at the USWNT and legend Megan Rapinoe by asking them not to play for the country if they did not have such zeal. Few players were earlier accused of not singing the national anthem in the World Cup or on other previous occasions. Quoting the tweet, Morgan said, “Brilliant. If you can’t bring yourself to sing your National Anthem with this kind of passion, don’t play sport for your country. cc @USWNT @mPinoe”.
Brilliant. If you can’t bring yourself to sing your National Anthem with this kind of passion, don’t play sport for your country.
cc @USWNT @mPinoe https://t.co/tqB7ED5WVl— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 7, 2024
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While this reaction was definitely a sudden one, what have the previous instances looked like? What has Rapinoe been up to?
Megan Rapinoe’s protest saga against the US National Anthem
The issue of the national anthem and the USWNT is not a new thing. Going back to 2016, Megan Rapinoe, a claimed activist for equality, started protesting against the US national anthem. Known to be vocal against inequality, Rapinoe stopped singing the anthem and took a knee as a part of her peaceful dissent. But it wasn’t just her who took this step.
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The US women’s team, except for a few players like Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz, and Lindsey Horan, did not sing the national anthem during the group stages of the 2023 World Cup. Even then, Rapinoe was accused of ‘poisoning the team despite not starting in the eleven. An American journalist, Megan Kelly, said, “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.”
Additionally, Piers Morgan’s feud with the retired icon goes back to 2019, when he called her arrogant for the same issue of protesting against the national anthem. However, nothing ever stopped the two-time Olympic gold medal winner. The player in her last game against South Africa late last year still ignored the US national anthem.
READ MORE – “Getting That Olympic Gold Medal Baby!” – USMNT Legend Drops Bold Prediction For Emma Hayes & USWNT
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Morgan announced before the 2023 World Cup that she would retire from soccer in 2023 itself, after the end of that particular season. However, the USWNT and Megan Rapinoe’s journey ended in real disappointment. The team was knocked out by Sweden in the round of 16, with Rapinoe missing one of the penalties.
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