LGBTQ Sports

Megan Rapinoe Named FIFA’s Women’s Player of the Year

U.S. soccer player Megan Rapinoe was named FIFA’s Best Women’s Player in the World after the U.S. soccer team won the Women’s World Cup this summer.

Rapinoe gave a moving speech after winning, asking other FIFA players to stand up and fight for social justice. She said she hopes to see “everybody outraged about equal pay or the lack thereof, or the lack of investment in the women’s game, other than just women … Lift other people up … We have a unique opportunity in football … to use this beautiful game to actually change the world for better … Do something, do anything.”

Rapinoe has had a series of achievements and awards in the past few years. She was awarded the Golden Boot and Golden Ball for scoring the most goals and being the most valuable player this summer. On top of winning the 2 consecutive world cups for the U.S., Rapinoe won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.

Rapinoe has been outspoken about social justice long before her acceptance speech. She was one of 28 soccer players that sued the United States Soccer Federation on the grounds of gender discrimination. She has also been outspoken about President Donald Trump. She said that his “message is excluding people. You’re excluding me, you’re excluding people that look like me, you’re excluding people of color.”

Source: Time 9/24/19, HuffPost 9/24/19

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