The United States Women’s Soccer Team seemed to grasp the attention of the entire country in each of its previous World Cup runs. It was the only time our country pretended to care about women’s sports, or soccer. If you want to call me sexist, go ahead. But I’m right. At I was, until the USWNT became more about political statements than winning.
This year, a few players were using their platform to spread a message about the participation of transgender athletes. The most vocal member of the team was Megan Rapinoe. She gave an interview about a month ago where she said she would welcome a trans member to the team. Maybe she knew the squad was in need of talent this year, and wanted Christian Pulisic to carry the team at the price of his masculinity. Either way, soccer fans and Americans did not like it.
The drama around this team continued after they barely escaped round robin play with a 0-0 tie against Portugal. The players were seen singing, dancing, and looking nothing short of jovial after the embarrassing tie. Former player Carli Lloyd took shots at the team, calling for them to take it more seriously. Lloyd’s comments annoyed some people, but the team suffering the earliest exit in the history of the tournament proves her point.
Sharing your political opinions is a quick way to turn half the country against you. Prioritizing political stances over winning for the country you are representing is a quick way to turn that entire nation against you. The members of the USWNT want to act like they lost the public opinion due to politics. That’s not the case. They lost their national support because they didn’t even pretend to care about winning soccer games.
I will say, the funniest part of them losing the support of the country is this video of Donald Trump celebrating their loss to a sea of cheers. If you hate Trump too much to see why this is hilarious, you are allergic to comedy.
Alex Morgan and Hope Solo used were household names when I was growing up. Solo had her own issues, but the rest of the team could’ve stayed likable. All they had to do was make a little bit of a run toward the title, and fans would’ve gotten fired up. It’s not because Americans are such big soccer fans. It’s because Americans love to win.
Megan Rapinoe and her woke, shin-pad wearing army should’ve taken a hint from Sweden during their loss. Stay neutral, and don’t lose. It truly is the easiest formula in professional sports.
