Megan Rapinoe Protested The National Anthem And Quoted Nipsey Hussle After World Cup Finals Win
After dealing with a week of attacks from President Donald Trump and all of his unabashed followers, U.S. Women’s National Team star Megan Rapinoe proved she does not buckle under pressure.
Before the Women’s World Cup finals match against the Netherlands, Rapinoe, once again, refused to put her hand over her heart and sing the words to the national anthem, despite facing massive backlash from Trump and others.
Even before the U.S. team qualified for the finals, Rapinoe made headlines for pre-emptively saying she is “not going to the f—ing White House,” even if she and her teammates win the World Cup. Rapinoe, who has always been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights and equal pay, has also notably participated in some form of protest during the playing of the national anthem since she first took a knee in 2016 to show support for Colin Kaepernick and the Black Lives Matter movement. After being told all players must stand during the anthem, Rapinoe decided to protest by simply not singing the words and standing stoically while the song plays.
After Rapinoe faced intense criticism for speaking out against Trump, her teammate Ali Krieger, who is also gay, supported Megan’s statement by saying she would also not go to the White House if their team won.
"I refuse to respect a man that warrants no respect," Krieger told CNN New Day when asked about Trump. "I feel that staying silent at times can side with the oppressor, and I didn't want her to feel like she was having to process this all alone, because a lot of us do have those similar feelings."
In response to Rapinoe’s anthem protest and admonishment of the current administration, Trump decided to attack Rapinoe and the women’s team head on. He not only said he found her refusal to sing the national anthem “inappropriate,” but he also patronized the team by tweeting, “Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!"
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Well, it looks like Megan can talk the talk and walk the walk, because she not only helped her team defeat the Netherlands 2-0 by scoring the first goal, but she also received the prestigious Golden Boot and Golden Ball for the highest scorer of the cup and the best player.
After the incredible match, Rapinoe showed how unaffected she is by those who doubted her by posting popular Nipsey Hussle lyrics to her Instagram.
“Ain't really trip on the credit, I just paid all of my dues, I just respected the game, now my name all in the news, trippin' on all of my moves, quote me on this, got a lot more to prove,” Rapinoe wrote, quoting the song “Hussle and Motivate” from Nipsey’s Victory Lap album.
Rapinoe’s use of the Nipsey song to celebrate the team’s historic win brought her fans' "admiration to a new level."
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Even though it took them a while to acknowledge the USNWT’s victory, Donald and Melania Trump did eventually tweet congratulatory messages.
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