Megan Anna Rapinoe is an American professional soccer midfielder/winger who plays for and captains Reign FC in the National Women’s Soccer League. As a member of the United States women’s national soccer team, she helped the U.S. win the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the gold at the 2012 London Olympics, and finish runners-up at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Since 2018, she co-captains her national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan. Rapinoe is internationally known for her crafty style of play and her precise cross to Abby Wambach in the 122nd minute of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals against Brazil, which resulted in an equalizer goal and eventual win for the Americans after a penalty kick shootout. The last-minute goal set a record for latest goal ever scored in a match and was awarded ESPN’s 2011 ESPY Award for Best Play of the Year. During the 2012 London Olympics, she scored three goals and tallied a team-high four assists to lead the United States to a gold medal. She is the first player, male or female, to score a Goal Olimpico at the Olympic Games. Rapinoe is an advocate for numerous LGBT organizations, including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally. In 2013, she was awarded the board of directors Award by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. She is sponsored by Nike, Samsung and DJO Global, and has appeared in multiple promotional pieces for clothing company Wildfang, as well as for Nike. She previously played for the Chicago Red Stars, Philadelphia Independence and magicJack in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) as well as Olympique Lyonnais in France’s Division 1 Féminine. On July 2, 2012, Rapinoe came out as a lesbian in an interview with Out magazine, in which she revealed that she had been in a relationship with Australian soccer player Sarah Walsh since 2009. After approximately five years together, Rapinoe and Walsh ended their relationship in 2013. Rapinoe later dated Sub Pop recording artist Sera Cahoone. Rapinoe and Cahoone announced their engagement in August 2015. In January 2017, Rapinoe stated their wedding plans were on hold. On July 20, 2017, Seattle Storm player Sue Bird and Rapinoe confirmed that they had been dating since fall of 2016. In 2018, Bird and Rapinoe became the first same-sex couple on the cover of ESPN’s Body Issue. She has also has garnered national attention for kneeling during the national anthem at an International match in September 2016, in an attempt to draw awareness to social inequality in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. She was outspoken about the selection process for the 2015 World Cup stadiums, and how 45 of the 52 games will be played on artificial turf. No Senior Women’s or Men’s World Cup has ever had a game played on this artificial grass. In March 2019, Rapinoe, along with 27 of her US Women’s soccer teammates filed a lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation accusing it of gender discrimination. this stems from the fight for equal pay. Rapinoe has been involved in the Women’s team fight for equal pay in the legal sphere since at least 2016.
