USWNT F Megan Rapinoe has been named SI's Sportsperson of the Year, with the magazine citing her "tendency to use her platform to advocate for 'equality for all,'" according to Julia Jacobo of ABCNEWS.com. Rapinoe has been a "stark supporter for gender equality, demanding that the women's national team be paid the same as the men's." She also "criticized President Donald Trump, announcing in July that the team would boycott" a potential White House visit because Trump's "message is excluding people." Rapinoe today will be "presented with the award" at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in N.Y. (ABCNEWS.com, 12/9). SI.com's Jenny Vrentas in the SI cover story notes Rapinoe is the "fourth woman in the award's 66-year history to win it unaccompanied, a feat that is both a remarkable athletic achievement and a reflection of entrenched gender biases." Vrentas: "Rapinoe challenged perceptions of her, of female athletes, of all women" (SI.com, 12/9).
FEMALE SI SPORTSPERSONS OF THE YEAR |
ATHLETE |
YEAR |
Megan Rapinoe |
'19 |
Serena Williams |
'15 |
Pat Summitt (with Mike Krzyzewski) |
'11 |
U.S. Women's Soccer Team |
'99 |
Bonnie Blair (with Johann Olav Koss) |
'94 |
Judi Brown King and Patty Sheehan (with Athletes Who Care) |
'87 |
Mary Lou Retton (with Edwin Moses) |
'84 |
Mary Decker |
'83 |
Chris Evert |
'76 |
Billie Jean King (with John Wooden) |
'72 |
TIME HONORS RAPINOE, TOO: Rapinoe today was named as one of the finalists for Time's Person of the Year. She is the only sports figure on the list, which is dominated by international politicians. The rest of the finalists are New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Hong Kong protestors, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, environmental activist Greta Thunberg, President Trump, The Whistleblower, China President Xi Jinping, and Facebook Chair & CEO Mark Zuckerberg ("Today," NBC, 12/9).
SYMBOL FOR EQUALITY: AD AGE's Schultz & Doland rank the World Cup-winning USWNT as their No. 10 Marketers of the Year, as Rapinoe and her teammate "proved that the game is on the verge of becoming a permanent fixture in the U.S. pro sports scene." Women's soccer "vaulted into the limelight" in July with the World Cup win, as the team "not only dominated on the field, its players became a symbol of women's equality." Months before their victory, team members "filed a discrimination lawsuit" against the USSF "seeking equal pay with the men's team." A trial is set for May. In the court of public opinion, the women are "already winning as fans come to pro games in greater numbers" (ADAGE.com, 12/9). Meanwhile, the USWNT ranked No. 5 on SBJ's annual ranking of the most influential in sports (THE DAILY).
