Megan Rapinoe Goes After Alexi Lalas, Conservatives For USWNT Criticism
Megan Rapinoe is very defensive about her brutal performance during the World Cup and her polarizing leadership.
After the USWNT's disappointing exit, soccer commentator Alexi Lalas was one of many to criticize the team. Specifically, Lalas pointed out on X (formerly Twitter) that the team had become "unlikeable" and polarizing due to openly advocating for woke political priorities.
Rapinoe responded to Lalas and other critics recently, and in doing so, spectacularly and unwittingly proved his point. The Atlantic interviewed Rapinoe, who defended herself and her team by saying many of the critiques were "fake."
"I think, just in general, the way that our team was spoken about over the course of the tournament, it was fake," Rapinoe said.
But it wasn't just Lalas. Former teammate Carli Lloyd has repeatedly said the team's attitude and sense of "entitlement" was responsible for their ugly exit.
READ: CARLI LLOYD CONTINUES TO SLAM THE USWNT FOR ‘ENTITLEMENT’ ATTITUDE
And after Lalas criticized the team for being polarizing by taking openly left wing political stances, Rapinoe's defense is to...polarize further by saying "the right" is using "hateful language" against them.
"Yeah, it was really disappointing," she said. "And the speed with which those comments got into the atmosphere. Everybody on the right—and everybody who was using hateful language and these tropes—it’s like they have just been waiting since, I don’t know, 2016? 2019? They’ve been waiting for this team to stumble."
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 6: Megan Rapinoe of USA looks dejected after missing her penalty during the penalty shoot out of the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Round of 16 match between Winner Group G and Runner Up Group E at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on August 6, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
Megan Rapinoe Once Again, Completely Oblivious
Rapinoe's conceit is that the team isn't actually divisive, it's just the "the right wing" hates women.
"Really, what’s happening is that the right wing wants this to be true: They want women to believe that you can’t fight for things and be excellent; you can’t ask for what you deserve and be successful," she said. "But the reality is, we’re doing that. Beyoncé is doing that. Taylor Swift is doing that. Coco Gauff is doing that. We are still great on the field, and we’re fighting for equality, and it’s better for our bottom line and the sport’s."
Yes of course, Megan Rapinoe and Taylor Swift, exactly the same.
There are so many absurdities in her statement it's hard to know where to start. First, these comments are polarizing and divisive, yet again. Exactly as Lalas said.
Second, attempting to say that the "right wing" doesn't believe women can "fight for things and be excellent" is directly contradicted by, as just one example, the right fighting to protect competitive fairness in women's sports. A position that Rapinoe herself has argued against.
Third, Rapinoe believes she's entitled to fan support after telling half of America that they're evil sexists. Exactly the attitude that Lloyd, Lalas and other fans have criticized.
The Lack Of Self Awareness Is Awe Inspiring
Rapinoe concluded her response to Lalas by once again, showing that he hit the nail on the head with his criticism.
"One thing that America does really well is backlash. I think there’s a huge backlash against women happening right now," Rapinoe said. "I think we see that with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We’re seeing that with the trans argument in sports. Does Alexi know exactly what he’s saying? If I was saying stuff that anchors on Fox News are also saying … I would be worried about the cosign."
Ah yes, the right is providing "backlash against women" by trying to preserve women's sports for actual women. Does she even hear herself speak?
Of course, Rapinoe once again proved that she isn't polarizing by saying that if Lalas echoes critiques from anyone on Fox News, they're disqualifying by association.
The lack of intellectual consistency, self-awareness and logic would be surprising if it wasn't a consistent feature of Rapinoe's activism. Her ideology is conducting a war on women by letting males dominate women's sports. So she attacks the right for daring to support common sense positions opposed by the left.
She can't understand why the right doesn't like her or the USWNT when she constantly misrepresents their positions, insults them and their views, and makes dystopian guilt by association accusations.
Virtually every aspect of her response to Lalas' criticism proves it correct. She's a polarizing, unlikable person who helped make the team polarizing and unlikable. To defend herself, she made more polarizing, unlikable comments.
Lalas couldn't have criticized Rapinoe any better than she criticized herself.