The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team took home the bronze after defeating Australia 4-3 in the finals of the Tokyo Olympics. Though many expected USWST to take the gold as they had in the 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Games, winning the bronze is still a massive achievement for the team. But of course, failed insurrectionist president Donald Trump had something to say about it. His paid aide Liz Harrington tweeted for him (since Trump is still banned from Twitter) “If our soccer team, headed by a radical group of Leftist Maniacs, wasn’t woke, they would have won the Gold Medal instead of the Bronze,” adding “Woke means you lose, everything that is woke goes bad, and our soccer team certainly has.” He referred to Rapinoe as “the woman with purple hair” and claimed that she played badly, when in fact Rapinoe scored two of the team’s four goals in the bronze medal game, including a rare “Olimpico” corner-kick.
WATCH. THIS. GOAL.
An unbelievable corner by Megan Rapinoe! #TokyoOlympics x @USWNT
Stream: https://t.co/FmEtvutDRA pic.twitter.com/jvod0GDyAB
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 5, 2021
In an interview with Jack Doles of Nexstar Media Wire, Rapinoe responded to Trump’s trolling saying, “It’s a real sad dig into an old bag, … I’m just like, ‘You’re rooting for people to do bad?’ Yikes.”
Trump, who couldn’t walk the length of a soccer field let alone play, is no doubt still whining about the treatment he received from the team during his tenure as president. And his fellow republicans were also quick to trash the team for their performance, after members of the team have kneeled in support of BLM and openly rejected Trump’s policies. Rapinoe also called Trump a white nationalist adding, “I’m not going to the fucking White House” after the team’s FIFA Women’s World Cup victory in 2019.
But of course the issue goes deeper: there’s the homophobia expressed at the openly gay Rapinoe (and other out athletes on the team). And then there’s the bone-chilling disdain for the pride that Rapinoe and the team display. Their swagger and confidence, a trait celebrated in male athletes, immediately earned scorn from men who would prefer their women to stay silent and obedient. They truly cannot fathom the concept of a woman athlete who is not only highly skilled, but knows it.
Rapinoe also discussed the importance of athletes using their platform to address injustice saying, “I think it’s important for everybody to do whatever they can to make the world a better place. I think it’s no secret there’s a lot of inequalities all over the world in every aspect of life,” adding “We obviously have huge platforms, … We get to be at the Olympics or play in front of thousands of people and so, I think it’s just kind of a wasted opportunity and kind of selfish, to be honest, to not use that platform and the influence we have.”
In the meantime, Rapinoe is living her best life and celebrating her fiancée Sue Bird, who took home the gold for the U.S. women’s basketball team.
❤️@mPinoe x @S10Bird #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/WetI2lzmI5
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2021
(image: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
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