Megan Rapinoe’s plan to kneel foiled as anthem is played with teams still in their locker rooms
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe has stated her intention of kneeling during the national anthem before the Seattle Reign’s games in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and as a means of protesting social injustice.
She never got the chance before Wednesday’s game against the Washington Spirit in Boyds, Md. The anthem was played before the teams emerged from the locker rooms, rather than the usual practice of playing it with the players on the field.
According to the Washington Post, Spirit owner Bill Lynch, an Air Force veteran, was the one who made the decision on the timing of the pregame ritual.
The Spirit said in a statement: “We understand this may be seen as an extraordinary step, but believe it was the best option to avoid taking focus away from the game on such an important night for our franchise. While we respect every individual’s right to express themselves, and believe Ms. Rapinoe to be an amazing individual with a huge heart; we respectfully disagree with her method of hijacking our organization’s event to draw attention to what is ultimately a personal — albeit worthy — cause.”
After the 2-1 Spirit win, Rapinoe said she was “saddened” by the move.
“It’s just really disappointing and disrespectful,” she said. “We want to talk about disrespect, and me disrespecting, [Lynch] didn’t even give both teams a chance to even stand in front of it and show their respects. It’s unbelievable. It’s truly an unbelievable act to me.”
Reign Coach Laura Harvey told the Post she was “disappointed in the sense that we’ve tried to do everything we can to prepare for every eventuality leading up to today. To not be notified prior is disappointing.”
Spirit players declined to talk about the decision.
Rapinoe first took a knee during the anthem before Seattle’s previous game Sunday night in Chicago. She referenced Kaepernick, who hasn’t stood for the anthem throughout the NFL’s preseason, in explaining her action.
“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. We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country,” Rapinoe told the website American Soccer Now afterward.
She added: “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.”
On Wednesday night, Rapinoe also said it was “incredibly distasteful “ for the Spirit to use the word “hijacking” to describe her intentions, just days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Incidentally, the Reign and Spirit will meet again on Sunday, this time in Seattle. Rapinoe said her team is planning a ceremony involving several military veterans, all of whom she plans on meeting with before the game.
“Giving them the utmost respect is paramount for me and for the club,” she said. “I plan to continue to take a knee during the national anthem, when everyone can prepare for that.”
