Hope Solo recently had some harsh words for her former teammate Megan Rapinoe.
Solo and Rapinoe spent several years together on the USWNT, and the former goalie isn’t overly impressed with the national anthem protests that have swept through the team. In fact, Solo, who was removed from the team in 2016 before kneeling consumed sports, thinks Rapinoe pushed players to do it. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
American athletes who protest during the Olympics have no business representing the USA on the international stage.
If they hate this beautiful country so much, they can stay home. pic.twitter.com/TWvEXXidxE
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) July 28, 2021
“I think the kneeling thing can be very divisive. I’ve seen Megan Rapinoe almost bully players into kneeling because she really wants to stand up for something in her particular way,” Solo said on Goal’s “All of Us: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Show” when discussing Rapinoe and the national anthem protest.
She also added, “I think the rhetoric surrounding this team has been both divisive and inclusive. I guess it’s kind of where we are in politics in this day and age.”
Donald Trump and Megan Rapinoe have traded shots after the USA women’s soccer team only won the bronze medal.
Should players on the team focus on actually winning a gold medal instead of constantly arguing and complaining?@dhookstead breaks down the situation. pic.twitter.com/yDcuQ86XJ6
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 9, 2021
I’m not surprised at all by Solo’s comments. In fact, I kind of always assumed this kind of attitude was unfolding behind the scenes.
Rapinoe has more or less hijacked the women’s national soccer team and become the front and center piece.
She’s more recognizable than anyone else on the team, and it’s in large part because she is the face of all the protests.
US Soccer’s Megan Rapinoe at the White House:
“I’ve been disrespected and dismissed because I am a woman. I’ve been told that I don’t deserve any more than less because I am a woman. Despite all the wins, I’m still paid less than men who do the same job that I do.” pic.twitter.com/QC7N2g4OJp
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 24, 2021
As I’ve said many times, protesting has no place in sports. If you want to protest, then do it on your own time. You don’t do it while in uniform and you don’t allegedly bully teammates into doing it.
The U.S. women’s soccer team lost to Canada in the Olympics.
For a team that does so much complaining, we sure don’t seem to win as much as we should.
This is what happens when you go woke. You don’t win and fans turn against you. pic.twitter.com/HR4q75G8D3
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) August 2, 2021
Focus on playing sports and everything else will take care of itself. Don’t make yourself the center of attention and allegedly push your teammates to do stuff they don’t want to do. It’s that simple.