The fusion of sports and politics has been a disaster.
Fans can’t even enjoy the Olympics without being subjected to protests.
And a Team USA star made a shocking revelation about one anti-American protester.
The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is perhaps more known for their exploits off the field than on it.
Megan Rapinoe, the face of the team, was the first professional athlete to kneel in solidarity with anti-American anthem protester Colin Kaepernick, and the team has been politicized ever since.
And former Team USA goalie Hope Solo—who won the World Cup and two Olympic gold medals—said Rapinoe is forcing the team to get more political.
During an interview, Solo said:
“I’ve seen Megan Rapinoe almost bully players into kneeling because she really wants to stand up for something in her particular way. But it’s our right as Americans to do it whatever way we’re comfortable with, and I think that’s really hard being on the main stage right now with so many political issues for athletes.”
Rapinoe isn’t alone; the corporate press and blue checkmark leftists on Twitter have pestered players who choose not to kneel.
Solo also said that she heard Rapinoe says that she would “probably never sing the national anthem again.”
Despite having Republican parents who voted for Donald Trump, Rapinoe is a raging leftist who has jumped on one cause after another.
For example, Rapinoe pushed the myth of the gender pay gap in pursuit of getting equal pay with the men’s team.
The only problem is that the women’s team negotiated a less lucrative deal that provided more security if they didn’t perform well.
Rapinoe’s activism is so off-putting, Subway franchise owners have gotten calls from customers to pull her ads.
Solo also commented on how kneeling for the anthem has become “divisive.”
She added:
“Right now, what I’ve seen is there’s been so much debate about the kneeling, about the not kneeling…I know most people stand against discrimination. And I live in the south. I live in a very conservative area here in North Carolina in the south.”
The problem is that the Left pushes people too hard.
Leftists put forward a premise; if people disagree with that premise, they are considered evil.
If they do agree with the premise, they must accept all of the Left’s political remedies.
If people don’t agree with those remedies, they are evil.
This all-or-nothing approach to politics has turned off a lot of people who are sympathetic.
For example, the Black Lives Matter organization destroyed all of the goodwill it earned after the death of George Floyd.
Support for the group is below its pre-Floyd levels.
The majority of Americans don’t like seeing the flag and the national anthem disrespected, and certainly not by pampered professional athletes.
If Solo is right about Rapinoe bullying players, it shows that a small group of motivated zealots can force everyone else to get in line.
