Megan Rapinoe Thinks WNBA 'Failed' To Protect Players From Racism That Has No Signs Of Actually Existing
Megan Rapinoe may be retired from soccer, but when there are allegations of racism, even in a sport she didn't play, she rises to the occasion as the all-world virtue signaler she is.
Some folks in the sports world couldn't possibly let Caitlin Clark be the story of the 2024 WNBA season, despite her being the sole reason anyone was even paying attention to the league. Those people focused on race, because that's what they do.
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Clark is a white woman in a league that is mostly made up of black women. That statement is a fact, but just because that's the case doesn't mean racism took place. Race and racism are two words with vastly different meanings, but some can't differentiate the two. The Rapinoes of the world see a white person, a black person, and they immediately focus on race instead of human.
Throughout the WNBA season, players and media members alike screamed about racism that black players allegedly endured from fans. Some even said the quiet part out loud by claiming it was Clark supporters using racial slurs towards players.
Rapinoe, who is engaged to former WNBA player Sue Bird, believes that the league failed its players this season.
It feels important to note that the WNBA had its most successful season in the history of the league this year, but that can't fit the narrative because Clark was the driver of that.
"Racism is never okay, sexism is never okay whether online or in real life, misogyny, homophobia, all the things are never okay and this is where I feel the [WNBA] players have been failed the most," Rapinoe said on her ‘A Touch More’ podcast.
"I feel like they have been greatly failed by the league and Cathy [Engelbert] the commissioner this year. This isn't new, this has been coming…"You had bonafide superstars in Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark in what should have been an unbelievably exciting time where everyone can just celebrate the explosion of women's basketball into a whole new stratosphere. We all saw this, we all experienced," Rapinoe said, referring to racism.
"The WNBA and league office, and Cathy’s role specifically, is basically to protect and shepherd the league both from a business perspective, from a player welfare perspective, from a health and safety perspective, and from a growth and investment perspective," Rapinoe continued. "And this is where I feel like she failed. We have space for mistakes being made, but we did see this coming. It needed to be plainly stated that this is who we are and this is what the WNBA is."
Rapinoe's shot at Engelbert comes after the commissioner issued a statement apologizing for not immediately condemning any forms of racism in an interview earlier this year.
There are many issues with Rapinoe's very long-winded comments here, but two stand above the rest.
First and foremost, these racism claims are just that, claims. There is not one single video of a fan shouting a racial slur at a player or anything along those lines. In the year 2024 when everyone is recording everything at all times, that's a big deal.
Second, there are idiots in the world, and many of those idiots are on social media. The WNBA can't monitor Twitter or Instagram comment sections if some moron wants to say something dumb.
As usual, Rapinoe went off on this race-focused tangent without offering any form of solution. She is the queen victim, even when she's not remotely involved in the situation whatsoever.
All Rapinoe is doing by making these baseless accusations is turning more and more people off from the WNBA.