Here comes another rant sponsored by Facebook. I saw this post today. I disagree.
- The two are not mutually exclusive, people. Just because one set of people in one set of circumstances showed bravery or “guts” does not mean that another set of people in a completely different time and place are not also being brave in their own way. This is not a binary choice. It does not have to be one or the other.
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Based on the horrible comments posted with the shared image, it seems like it does take guts to do what Megan Rapinoe is doing. At the time I saw the post, there were over 3000 comments. I just looked at a few, but they were all negative. Most included insults and many had derogatory language. Her protest was in support of and follow Colin Kaepernick’s similar protest. I’m still on the fence about the choice various athletes have made to make a statement in this way, but she had to know that there would be backlash. She had to know the kinds of things people would say. She did it anyway, because she believed strongly in it. It may be a different type of bravery, but still.
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That picture is from Sept. 18, 2016. Two-and-a-half years ago. This is not mentioned anywhere in this meme or the comments, and it is only showing up now because of the World Cup. After the game in the picture, U.S. Soccer put out a statement that said, “As part of the privilege to represent your country, we have an expectation that our players and coaches will stand and honor our flag while the National Anthem is played.” A few months later, they added a new official policy that requires players to, “stand respectfully during the playing of the national anthems at any event in which the Federation is represented.” So, now she stands.