The USWNT plays Thailand tonight in a friendly at Columbus' Mapfre Stadium, and U.S. Soccer has indicated to MF Megan Rapinoe that it believes Rapinoe taking a knee during the National Anthem "would be disrespectful and that doing so would take attention away from Heather O'Reilly's last game with the national team," according to Grant Wahl of SI.com (9/14). Rapinoe in an interview with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap said she plans on "doing something" tonight, though she stopped short of saying she would again take a knee, as she did earlier this month during a NWSL match. She said, "A lot of people feel like it's more inflammatory to protest while wearing that [U.S.] shirt. But I actually feel like it's more American to do that and to represent my country.” Rapinoe added, "I want to ultimately bring as many people to the conversation as possible. So I'm trying to find a way to talk about what I want to talk about and not alienate people. I'm working through that." She acknowledges there may be some "backlash" from fans, but said she he is ready to deal with that should it come. Rapinoe: "I feel like what I’m doing is right. Do we want to live in a country where someone exercises their First Amendment right -- whether you agree with it or not or you think it's offensive or not -- and they're called the N-word, the C-word, a bitch, anti-American? Is that the kind of discourse that we want to have? ... The most important thing out of this whole thing, I think, is realizing that everybody can make a difference” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 9/15).
ELLIS MAKES OPINION KNOWN: USWNT coach Jill Ellis said she believes standing for the National Anthem is an "expectation of a national-team player." Ellis said, "I totally understand where Megan is in terms of her willingness to talk about hard social issues. I respect that and I support that. Those conversations should be had." However, Ellis added, "Me personally, in this environment for the national team, I don't disassociate playing for your country" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 9/15).
