The surprisingly early World Cup exit by the reigning champion U.S. ladies’s workforce appeared to have elicited as a lot derision as sympathy amongst Americans, as critics of the squad took a victory lap after the soccer membership and its outspoken star Megan Rapinoe fell Sunday to Sweden.
Rapinoe and the workforce have been mocked on social media posts as “woke” chokers within the wake of their Round of 16 loss, the earliest elimination of the Americans within the historical past of the event. Some members of the workforce, led by Rapinoe, had come underneath fierce criticism on the best for refusing to sing the nationwide anthem through the event.
Rapinoe has used her place on the U.S. workforce for years as a platform for left-wing causes from taking a knee through the anthem to protest U.S. racism to slamming the Supreme Court’s overturning of abortion rights and criticizing legal guidelines that bar transgender athletes from ladies’s sports as “monstrous.”
She’s additionally, maybe most notably, feuded overtly with former President Donald Trump and his supporters.
Rapinoe created a stir through the 2019 World Cup when she mentioned the workforce would refuse to go to the White House and Mr. Trump if invited for profitable the event. Rapinoe, a lesbian who’s engaged to former WNBA star Sue Bird, mentioned Mr. Trump’s rhetoric was “excluding people that look like me.”
On Sunday, Mr. Trump used his Truth Social account to gleefully take goal at Rapinoe’s missed penalty kick that contributed to the U.S.’ 5-4 penalty shootout loss.
“The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to [sic] our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Many of our gamers have been overtly hostile to America – No different nation behaved in such a way, and even shut. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE.
“Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA”
Mr. Trump’s submit echoed a refrain of conservative critics who ripped the ladies’s nationwide workforce for its activism in addition to its early exit.
Outkick’s Clay Travis known as the ladies’s nationwide workforce “cocky,” tweeting that if “any men’s team” have been eradicated as early, they might “get absolutely obliterated” within the media.
Conservative commentator Piers Morgan wrote: “It’s hard to imagine an American sporting team that’s made the country feel less proud than this bunch of ‘activist’ prima donnas.”
Talk present host Megyn Kelly mentioned final week that Rapinoe’s protests had “poisoned” the U.S. workforce. “She’s poisoned the entire team against the country for which they play,” Kelly mentioned.
A two-time World Cup winner, the 38-year-old Rapinoe introduced final month that she plans to retire from the game on the finish of the 12 months.
After she missed her penalty kick in Sunday’s loss — her first missed penalty kick in 5 years — Rapinoe set free fun that she later described to reporters as “dark comedy.” Rapinoe, one in every of three gamers to overlook an try within the interval, mentioned her miss was like a “sick, sick joke.”
During her press convention, a tearful Rapinoe mentioned she was proud to listen to “equal pay” chants through the 2019 World Cup when requested about essentially the most memorable second of her profession. Rapinoe was a part of a years-long push on the a part of the ladies’s nationwide workforce to boost their pay to match the pay of their male counterparts. In 2022, the ladies’s workforce obtained a $24 million settlement in again pay from the U.S. Soccer Federation.
“This team has always fought for so much more, and that’s been the most rewarding part of me,” Rapinoe mentioned. “Of course, playing in World Cups and winning championships and doing all that, but to know that we’ve used our really special talents to do something that really has changed the world forever, I think that means the most to me.”
That response, nevertheless, introduced its personal spherical of criticism. The Blaze’s Jason Whitlock wrote, “Could you imagine Joe Montana or Michael Jordan summarizing their careers by referencing a contract dispute?” Graham Allen, a conservative media character, tweeted, “Talk about a loser…” and included a video clip of the soccer star’s remarks.
Elsewhere, Rapinoe and the nationwide workforce nonetheless had their supporters. “Trump and his MAGA minions are so patriotic that they’re celebrating America’s World Cup loss,” a Rolling Stone headline learn. “It’s ‘America First’ — unless the U.S. women’s national team is involved,” famous the headline of 1 Washington Post column. Deadspin’s Julie DiCaro tweeted that the backlash was “so predictable,” including that society was “obsessed with taking women they perceive as ‘arrogant’ or ‘cocky’ down a peg.”
President Biden, who awarded Rapinoe the President Medal of Freedom in 2022, additionally tweeted he was happy with the nationwide workforce.
“Congratulations on an incredible run,” Mr. Biden mentioned. “This team is something special and I’m looking forward to seeing how you continue to inspire Americans with your grit and determination — on and off the field.”
To some, the discourse took a complicated tone. One Twitter consumer wrote it was “weird watching Americans celebrate an American loss” in a reply to Fox Sports analyst Alexi Lalas.
“Don’t kill the messenger,” Lalas wrote again. “This #USWNT is polarizing. Politics, causes, stances & behavior have made this team unlikeable to a portion of America. This team has built its brand and has derived its power from being the best/winning. If that goes away they risk becoming irrelevant.”
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