Drinks with Daniels: Interview with Megan Rapinoe

SEATTLE — For a lot of persons, Megan Rapinoe needs no introduction. 

She’s an Olympic gold medalist and Planet Cup champion, and longtime star for Seattle’s OL Reign. 

Rapinoe and her OL Reign teammates have been playing in a new dwelling venue this 12 months, going into the expansive Lumen Field after many years at Cheney Area in Tacoma. 

Rapinoe acknowledges the benefit of not only enjoying in a greater stadium that by now was host to their MLS counterparts in the Seattle Sounders, but also puts them when once again in the coronary heart of the Emerald City.

“We’re back in Seattle, actively playing game titles, which is incredible,” Rapinoe explained. “We’ve hardly ever really experienced like, a correct house. I come to feel like for the product that we have on the area and just the wild personalities that we have, like, lower on the sidelines just deserves to be in the stadium.”

Rapinoe also is a central determine and leader for the U.S. Women’s Countrywide Soccer Staff. She and her teammates produced waves when they filed a lawsuit in opposition to the towards the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) alleging unequal fork out amongst the men’s and women’s groups in global competitiveness.

The two sides sooner or later settled for $24 million, and the USSF pledged to similarly compensate males and gals in all friendlies and tournaments, such as the FIFA Globe Cup.

“Yeah, I think it truly is an really tricky factor to do, 1st of all, to get that lots of persons on board to do the similar thing,” Rapinoe explained to KING 5. “Everybody’s in a unique position.

“I assume even now, it is really a substantial settlement. And I think naturally, the finest point is likely ahead that, you know, no, no player for the US Women’s Countrywide Team will at any time have to practical experience that yet again, and they’re going to just be established up so much superior.”

Rapinoe is also an creator, actress, product, and intense advocate on social justice issues. 

She drew both of those popular praise and ire when she selected to echo NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and kneel during the national anthem forward of many USWNT matches in 2016.

“I imagine with the kneeling, it turned truly apparent actually fast,” Rapinoe stated. “Like, I type of obtained the sport straight away. It was like, the additional outrage I acquired, I was like, oh, which is like, I’m essentially performing the right thing and declaring the proper detail, what I believe is the ideal detail.”

Previous President Donald Trump was amongst the most vocal critics, first pushing again immediately after Rapinoe emphatically declared she would not stop by the White Home if the USWNT gained the 2019 World Cup.

Even just after he remaining the White Residence, Trump lamented the “woke” USWNT for not being targeted plenty of on successful during their run in the Tokyo Olympics, which finished with a bronze medal.

“We are just like, the antithesis of who he is,” Rapinoe explained to KING 5 of the former president. “But he basically likes it since we’re definitely kind of like, not really arrogant, but you know, kinda and we are like really confident.

“I experience like he was basically like, you know, hoping to be a supporter, but then he knew that he could not so then he had this like, you know, tantrum mantrum on Twitter.”