A Female Soccer Player Kneeled for Kaepernick During the National Anthem
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably at least heard about the current controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He’s decided to remain seated during the national anthem because he feels the U.S. has mistreated people of his race, and it’s caused uproar from conservative football lovers everywhere.
With all the hate that Kaepernick has been receiving via social media, including people voicing their opinion that he should be fired, you’d think that no other athlete would follow suit. But Kaepernick’s teammate Eric Reid joined him in kneeling during the 49ers’ final preseason game last Thursday, and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane chose to sit during another game.
On Sunday night, another athlete was just as brave as Colin Kaepernick, and that athlete is Megan Rapinoe, soccer player for Seattle Reign FC.
@JohnDHalloran pic.twitter.com/XJHiOhgbTW
— ❤️NWSL⚽️ (@gbpackfan32) September 5, 2016
Rapinoe chose to kneel during the national anthem before her game on Sunday night. She also voiced her support for Kaepernick while speaking with ESPNW’s Julie Foudy:
“I am disgusted with the way [Kaepernick] has been treated and the fans and hatred he has received in all of this,” said Rapinoe. “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.”
Rapinoe also notes that while she’s not African American, she can still attest to some of Kaepernick’s objection to a society that only seems to protect white, straight men.
“Being gay, I have stood with my hand over my heart during the national anthem and felt like I haven’t had my liberties protected, so I can absolutely sympathize with that feeling,” she’s said.
Whether you agree or disagree with Kaepernick refusing to stand during the national anthem, one thing is for sure: this conversation isn’t over, and Megan Rapinoe is standing her ground, just like she has previously on matters of equal pay and LGBT rights. Megan said that she plans to continue kneeling during the national anthem in future games.
