Megan Rapinoe Joins Colin Kaepernick, Kneels During National Anthem

Sunday night in Chicago, U.S. Women’s National Team star Megan Rapinoe kneeled during the national anthem before a NWSL game between her Seattle Reign and the host Red Stars. It was, she confirmed after the game, exactly what it appeared to be: a show of solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s ongoing protests against police brutality and state racism. It’s also one she intends to keep up, according to American Soccer Now:

“It was a little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he’s standing for right now. I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn’t. [...] Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties. It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it. It’s important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this. We don’t need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that’s really powerful.”

You don’t get too much more red, white, and blue than Rapinoe, a national sports hero who once celebrated a goal by grabbing a microphone and singing “Born In The U.S.A.”and has spoken her mind during her career, something she did even more directly than usual when talking with ESPN:

“I am disgusted with the way he has been treated and the fans and hatred he has received in all of this,” Rapinoe told espnW’s Julie Foudy. “It is overtly racist. ‘Stay in your place, black man.’ Just didn’t feel right to me. We need a more substantive conversation around race relations and the way people of color are treated.”