Feminist Value in Megan Rapinoe Campaign for Equality in Soccer

When we reference about feminism, it claims to seek gender equality.

Feminism was a movement for getting women’s right to vote, own property, and it
even evolved over the years to fight against so many social issues that affected
women. Feminist demanded more equality and freedom to make their own decision.
They demanded equal status at the work place and reduced male dominance. These
led to a series of efforts by different feminists to make their different ideologies
converge into something which can make our society more egalitarian. The Feminists
carried along with themselves the ideologies of all genders, races, inequality, and
discriminators. By this paper the writer aims to talk about Megan Rapinoe’s feminist
values as the co-captain of United States Women’s Soccer Team to have political and
social equality between sexes such as to establish sisterhood and give people a place
to stand up and speak up for what they believe.

We live in the gender stereotype without our knowing. We are believed in that
we must fit into the society that stereotyping us as women and men. When we talk
about feminist, we could not have left behind the discrimination issue in every places.
Not only races, religion, but also in gender. For example, in sport, specifically
between men and women. There is discrimination and inequality against women in
sports because the stereotype think that women are weaker and useless, should do
homework instead of doing sports or works that supposed to men who doing it. And
Feminist has been loud with their movement to speak up about equality between men
and women. adopted by the General Assembly on 10 December 1948, reaffirms that
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and that “everyone
is entitled to all the rights and freedoms outlined in this Declaration, without
distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, … birth or
another status.”

Megan Anna Rapinoe or known as Megan Rapinoe is an American

professional soccer player who plays for and Reign FC in the National Women’s
Soccer League. As a national soccer player, which soccer is one of the popular sport

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in America that most favourable by men, Rapinoe herself and her team have been
struggling with discrimination against them. They are under the United States Soccer
Federation, they govern all United States amateur and professional soccer, including
men, women, youth, beach, futsal, and Paralympic national teams. US Woman's
National Team and the Men's National Team are the best teams in American because
of this reason. (people pill, “Megan Rapinoe”, par.3).

Since 2016, Rapinoe has not participated in the national anthem on every
game she played. She starts kneeling on the national anthem and taken this protest
following the event of discrimination against minorities and explained her decision in
an essay she wrote for The Players' Tribune “Why I Am Kneeling”. She stated:

“I haven’t experienced over-policing, racial profiling, police brutality or the

sight of a family member’s body lying dead in the street,” she wrote. “But I
cannot stand idly by while there are people in this country who have had to
deal with that kind of heartache. “There is no perfect way to protest. I know
that nothing I do will take away the pain of those families. But I feel in my
heart it is right to continue to kneel during the national anthem, and I will do
whatever I can to be part of the solution” (Rapinoe, par.3).

The protest begins in 2013 when one of the NFL players, Colin Kaepernick
kneeling as a protest against police brutality and racism. Since 2017, many players
started a protest against President Donald Trump's policies,". Megan Rapinoe is one
of the white people to kneel to support Colin Kaepernick and said that Kaepernick
has inspired her about these things (Yahoo.com). Moreover, Megan Rapinoe is active
in campaigning social right movement such as inequality and human’s right, in 2013,
she was awarded the board of directors Award by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian
Centre, and that makes her an advocate for numerous LGBT organizations, including
the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally.
Rapinoe's message to those who don't feel able to be open about their sexuality is.
She stated:

"we see you and we're with you" (BBC News, 2019).

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He delivers her message to everyone that are afraid to come out and talk about their
sexual orientation, especially in football or soccer, LGBT issue is something that not
really common. Megan massage is suggested the leagues and the organisations and
the teams to do a better job on creating that safe environment where players feel they
can come out, so they can give their best outside and inside the field.

In the position that she has, as a soccer player and co-captain of her team, she
uses it as a platform to speak up about inequality in discrimination. Not only between
genders and sexes, but for minorities. As time goes by, with her movement in demand
for equal pays, she stands up for discriminations in minorities. As a member of
the United States women's national soccer team, she also brought her team helped the
United States 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.

As for Rapinoe herself, the way she speaks up and stands up towards
inequality in society is shows how her feminist value exists in her. it seems like
Rapinoe already has a position in society that shows her political position against
discrimination even though she needs to stand up against the law and the government
itself. and how sisterhood shaping her becoming the co-captain of the United States
Women's Soccer Team to lead the team. Then it shows how her action towards
discrimination and inequality makes others influenced by her to speak up and to gain
a place for speaking up their opinion.

In September 2019, when Rapinoe was named as “FIFA Player of the Year”
alongside Lionel Messi. She used her acceptance speech to talking about issues, like
racism in sport. She suggests that, racism is everyone’s problem. Every single player
on the field should take a part on the issue, the player should be together and .z when
someone on the team is experience racism. Rapinoe said on her speech that:

"If there's ever an instance of racism, if every single player on the field
is not outraged then to me they're part of the problem," (BBC News,
2019)

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 She also criticizes the way FIFA as the Organization that organize football /
soccer handle the racism issue, she stated:

"For me I'm just like, make it super extreme so it's damaging to the
team, to the federation, so it's damaging financially. (BBC News,
2019) "
Rapinoe are not really happy with the current sanction that FIFA give to a
player who commit to racism issue. The FIFA current sanction is only from financial
aspect, when a player commits to racism, she or he will have to pay several amounts
of money and not allowed to play several games. In Megan’s opinion that section is
not enough and she suggest FIFA to be more serious in this issue.

in conclusion, Megan Rapinoe as a us women soccer player has shown her

gait on society. With her movement to speak up about discrimination in gender
inequality and towards minorities shows a lot about her feminist values in herself,
such as in political issue she shows her right to speak up by doing kneeling as protest
toward the government to get justice for minorities. While in social issues she gives
and help people a place to stand up and speak up for what they believe, for example
when she became an advocate for numerous LGBT organizations in America

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 REFERENCES

PeoplePill. “Megan Rapinoe: American Association Soccer Player - Biography,

Life, Family, Career, Facts, Information.” People Pill,

https://peoplepill.com/people/megan-rapinoe/.

Roper, Eleanor. “Megan Rapinoe's Fight for Equality.” BBC News, BBC, 8 Nov.

2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-50290213.

United States, Congress, “Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 60th Anniversary

Special Edition, 1948-2008.” Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 60th

Anniversary Special Edition, 1948-2008, United Nations Dept. of Public

Information, 2007.

“Why I Am Kneeling: By Megan Rapinoe.” The Players' Tribune,

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/megan-rapinoe-why-i-am-

kneeling.