While it’s a sad day for U.S. football fans, Megan Rapine’s critics are relishing in the team’s defeat.
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)After waiting five years to regain victory after losing to Sweden at the 2016 Olympics, the U.S. women’s soccer team faced a nearly identical fate in 2021, with Sweden once again defeating the team in a 3-0 match in Tokyo. While it’s a sad day for U.S. football fans (we, of course, mean “soccer,” but since this is an English publication, we must use the UK term that is “football” throughout), Megan Rapinoe’s critics are relishing in the team’s defeat, seeing it as her personal failure.
Right-wing trolls have taken to Twitter to roast the World Cup winner, calling Rapinoe a slew of nicknames ranging from “SJW” [social justice warrior] to “anti-American” to an “utter, supreme narcissist.” Apparently, the right wing is displeased with the Rapinoe’s tendency to “take a knee” prior to matches: In an excerpt from her book, Rapinoe revealed that after she knelt, “White people were mad. Whew, were they mad! Conservative commentators in the media immediately started shouting and yelling that kneeling during the anthem disrespected the military.” They also don’t seem to like her hair.
So when the U.S. team knelt before their Olympics match against Sweden, the right-wing was thrilled that they were then defeated, as if it was some sort of leftist karma.
i'm not a huge fan of the olympic games but i root for america, naturally; however, seeing supreme narcissist megan rapinoe take a drubbing is utterly gratifying...https://t.co/uODxg7QAl9
— 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐢 (@sjgiardini) July 21, 2021
Megan Rapinoe couldn’t walk the walk.
— InfectedWithSCOvid (@ScOhana_Mike) July 21, 2021
Did any non-soccer fan even know the USWNT was in action today?
@SUBWAY You now have anti-American Megan Rapinoe as your spokesperson? You just lost my business.
— rob (@randtlawrence) July 21, 2021
Megan rapinoe si such a disgusting person...
— Mr. Fitzgerald (@GatzFitzgerald) July 21, 2021
Some even feel the team’s loss is so egregious that it’s actually adequate justification for the women’s football team to get paid less than the men’s.
... because the team lost one game in two years? Sure, that tracks 🙄🙄🙄
— Cassie Halden (@CassieHalden) July 21, 2021
I never thought I would say this about a USA team, but I hope they continue to loose! They (especially despicable Megan Rapinoe) have turned this team into biased, anti American radicals.
— Randy (@Randy53715330) July 21, 2021
Others drew parallels to Fairly Odd Parents’ godmother “Wanda,” a cartoon character who also has purple hair, and about whom very few grown adults spend any time thinking...or so we thought.
Megan Rapinoe is the WOAT. At least this loss wasn’t to a group of 15 year old boys this time. No way in hell Wanda from Fairly OddParents should make as much as male soccer players https://t.co/c5VpGkZ8WN
— Kevin Pistachio (@KevinPistachio) July 21, 2021
But of course, what these trolls don’t realise, is that by continually tweeting out insults about Rapinoe, they will inevitably prompt her name to trend. In fact, they already have.
US Women’s Soccer, please don’t let Megan Rapinoe have another 15 minutes, PLEASE.
— zakattac (@slvrnblak) July 21, 2021
Thus, Rapinoe’s critics are actively making the woman they detest all the more famous because they can’t stop talking about her. Ironic.
