Megan Rapinoe Claimed She Was ‘Blackballed’ For Standing Up in Solidarity With NFL Star Colin Kaepernick in 2016: “Started Getting Left Off Rosters”

Women’s soccer without Megan Rapinoe would not have been the same as it is now. The athlete’s persona perfectly aligns with the sport – bold and straightforward. Furthermore, her soccer expertise is not hidden from the world, given the number of accolades she has bagged. Apart from actively being a sports person, Rapinoe is also an activist. The star soccer player never stepped back and always stood beside what was right. 

In the same vein, Megan once knelt before a friendly soccer match back in 2016 in support of Colin Kaepernick. Nonetheless, with time, she felt left out of the Olympic team. 

Megan Rapinoe during the kneeling movement

NFL superstar, Colin Kaepernick, started the kneeling movement back in 2016 against police brutality and racial discrimination. The athlete is a football quarterback and also an activist, just like the soccer entity. Many athletes supported his fight to abolish the thought of judging somebody based on their skin color; undoubtedly Megan was one of them. 

Initially, the footballer sat during the national anthem of a pre-season game. However, he changed his position to kneeling to show more respect for those who fight for the country. Taking a knee became a symbol of protest against racial prejudice in the nation since then. 

Soon after that, Megan decided to show her support for the football enthusiast. In September, the soccer star knelt for the first time during the national anthem. It was a friendly match against Thailand. Following this, she took a knee at several other games despite facing heavy criticism. 

Nonetheless, her gesture didn’t receive much acceptance from the federation. In 2019, Megan spoke regarding the same through an article published in ‘The Players’ Tribune’. 

“The federation was not very supportive, publicly or privately,” Megan wrote. “I started getting left off rosters. It was never directly connected to my kneeling. They told me, ‘You’re not really at the level you need to be.’”

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USWNT’s participation in the 2016 Rio Olympics was noteworthy. Even though Megan suffered an ACL injury, the athlete didn’t lose her momentum. However, she followed the kneeling movement even at that time. Therefore, she felt like they were keeping her out of the team, and “it was over” for her.

Megan felt rejected

The soccer aficionado never stopped fighting against the wrongs. Colin Kaepernick’s case is one such example. But it was a tough time for Megan as well. She received criticism for taking a knee and was also going through one of the worst injuries. Following that, Megan felt blackballed since it took her five months to get rostered for the Olympics.

“So yes, I felt as though I was being blackballed a bit,” the Olympic legend mentioned in her article. “Maybe that’s harsh, but it’s how I felt. It was never explicit, but how can I put this? It felt like maybe if I faded off into the sunset, that would’ve been just fine.”

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Nevertheless, who can stop Megan Rapinoe from a comeback? Ups and downs are a part of life, but the athlete didn’t take much time to get back to her foot again.