{"id":44016,"date":"2019-07-03T05:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/?p=44016"},"modified":"2019-07-02T22:41:54","modified_gmt":"2019-07-03T02:41:54","slug":"why-i-desperately-want-the-u-s-to-win-the-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2019\/07\/why-i-desperately-want-the-u-s-to-win-the-world-cup.html","title":{"rendered":"Why I Desperately Want the U.S. to Win the World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I have never been a sports person. Ever. But I have children, and children are not miniature copies of their parents, and that<\/em> in turn means I\u2019ve watched every game the U.S. women\u2019s national team has played in the FIFA World Cup over the past month. I\u2019ve even gotten to know a number of the players\u2014and when that happened, I discovered Megan Rapinoe.<\/p>\n

You know. This<\/em> Megan Rapinoe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And suddenly, I find myself very invested in the U.S. winning the World Cup. Why? Because Rapinoe said that if she wins the World Cup and Trump invites her to the White House, she\u2019s not going<\/em><\/a>. And after that happened, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez invited the U.S. women\u2019s national women\u2019s team to tour the U.S. House\u2014and then Kamala Harris invited them to tour the Senate. So now they have<\/em> to win, because if they don\u2019t, Trump will call them all losers\u2014because you know he will\u2014and then<\/em> Rapinoe won\u2019t get the opportunity to spurn Trump\u2019s\u00a0promised White House invite.<\/p>\n

Rapinoe has a girlfriend, by the way. She came out as gay in 2012, and is a passionate advocate of LGBT rights. But she\u2019s even more<\/em> kick-ass than that. Three days after NFL player Colin Kaepernick made headlines for kneeling during the national anthem, Rapinoe followed suit<\/a>. When asked why she knelt, Rapinoe responded:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he\u2019s standing for right now. I think it\u2019s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated, and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh, but she went on: \u201cBeing a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties.\u201d To explain further, she wrote this:<\/p>\n

\u201cI have chosen to kneel because I simply cannot stand for the kind of oppression this country is allowing against its own people. I have chosen to kneel because, in the words of Emma Lazarus, \u2018Until we are all free, we are none of us free.'\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anyone who quotes Emma Lazarus is fine<\/em> by me. The U.S. Soccer Federation responded by amending its bylaws to require<\/em> players to stand during the national anthem. So now, Rapinoe stands during the anthem. But she doesn\u2019t sing<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Did I mention that Rapinoe is suing the U.S. Soccer Federation<\/a> over gender pay discrimination? So yes, there\u2019s also that.<\/p>\n

The U.S. women\u2019s national team has won every game it has played in the World Cup thus far. And yet, what has dogged them is unceasing press criticism of their audacity to celebrate their wins. They\u2019ve been accused of being arrogant<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Have a look at this, from a British paper:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ye gods. Does it never end? Celebrating your wins is not arrogance. Glorying in being good at something is not arrogance. Male soccer stars are expected<\/em> to celebrate flamboyantly. (Or at least, so I\u2019m told. Like I said, I\u2019m not a sports person.) So why the double standard? (Yes, that\u2019s a rhetorical question. I know the answer.)<\/p>\n

Alex Morgan, by the way, responded to British coverage like the spread above by pretending to drink tea\u2014with her pinky finger in the air\u2014after each goal in yesterday\u2019s game. It was harsh,<\/em> but glorious. It felt aimed directly at press coverage like the above. Morgan\u00a0owned<\/em> that field, she celebrated on her terms, and she did not give a<\/em> damn<\/em>. Morgan, by the way, also<\/em> plans to decline Trump\u2019s invitation to the White House\u2014and she doesn\u2019t mince words<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m still not a sports person, but I desperately want the U.S. women\u2019s national team to win the World Cup nonetheless. And there\u2019s only one round left. Today, Netherlands will face off against Sweden, and on Sunday, Rapinoe, Morgan, and the rest of the team will play the winner for the championship. Or the cup. Whatever the correct term is.<\/p>\n

All I can say is GO TEAM!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m still not a sports person, but I desperately want the U.S. women’s national team to win the World Cup nonetheless. And there’s only one round left. Today, Netherlands will face off against Sweden, and on Sunday, Rapinoe, Morgan, and the rest of the team will play the winner for the championship. Or the cup. Whatever the correct term is.<\/p>\n

Click through to read more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":44019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[110,909],"class_list":["post-44016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-lgbtq","tag-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy I Desperately Want the U.S. to Win the World Cup<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Sunday, Rapinoe, Morgan, and the rest of the team will play the winner for the championship. Or the cup. 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