7 Facts About USWNT Star Megan Rapinoe That Somehow Make Her Even More Legendary

When Rapinoe was on the U-19 US women’s national team, she wore a No. 7 jersey, which is the same jersey number her brother Brian wore when he played soccer. Growing up, Rapinoe idolized her brother. As she explained to ESPN in July 2019, “He played left wing, so I played left wing. He wore No. 7; I wore No. 7. He got a bowl cut, so I did, too.”

That made it all the more difficult for Rapinoe to cope with Brian’s drug addiction and legal troubles. Though Brian spent most of his adult life in prison, the two have kept in contact and she’s never given up on him. “My brother is special,” she told ESPN. “He has so much to offer. It would be such a shame if he left this world with nothing but prison sentences behind him.”

In 2016, Rapinoe began to kneel during the national anthem in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who started kneeling in order to bring attention to racial inequality and police brutality. Her protest was met with a fair share of criticism, and Rapinoe later published an essay explaining her decision in The Players’ Tribune, saying that protesting felt like her responsibility as someone in a position of influence.

“I can understand if you think that I’m disrespecting the flag by kneeling, but it is because of my utmost respect for the flag and the promise it represents that I have chosen to demonstrate in this way,” she wrote. ” . . . I believe it is my responsibility, just as it is yours, to ensure that freedom is afforded to everyone in this country.”

Rapinoe has had an extensive soccer career, so it’s no surprise that she’s had her fair share of injuries. She’s had to endure three torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) alone. The first time was in 2006 while playing soccer for the University of Portland her sophomore year, and the following season, she tore the ACL in left knee once again. Then, in December 2015, she tore her right ACL while playing for the USWNT.

Following her first two injuries, Rapinoe said she was actually grateful for the experience. “It really gave me a different perspective,” she explained to the US Soccer official website in March 2009. “Before, everything was going how it was supposed to be and I wasn’t really appreciative of what I was doing and what it took to be there. The injury grounded me in a lot of different ways. The rehab process makes you stronger on all fronts, mentally and physically. I feel stronger and a better person for it. I would never wish it on anyone, but I don’t wish I could take it back.”

Rapinoe’s feelings about Donald Trump are well known, which is why you may be surprised to learn that she suspects her father helped vote him into office. As working class people who strongly believe in justice and equality, Rapinoe has always thought it would make sense for her parents to be more progressive.

“I’m very similar to how they are,” she told The Guardian in August 2019, “even though I think my dad voted for Trump and I’ll say: ‘I don’t get it. How are you simultaneously as proud as punch of me, and watching Fox News all the time, [who are doing] takedowns of your daughter?'” However, she considers herself close to her parents, even if they don’t always have the same views.