Rapinoe tarnishes World Cup glory
Should have put country before politics
Someday, when the history of these turbulent times is recalled, Megan Rapinoe’s name may pop up because, as co-captain of the World Cup-winning U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, she was poised to become a star for the ages.
It’s been known to happen, especially among athletes who labor outside the overindulged spheres of pro and college sports.
They strike us as different, almost unspoiled; it’s a big part of their charm.
More than half a century has passed since Peggy Fleming’s gracious, flawless gold medal performance at the Olympics in Grenoble, and yet she remains America’s sweetheart.
It’s been 25 years since Stoneham’s Nancy Kerrigan, rising above the trauma of being attacked seven weeks earlier, captured the Olympic silver medal at Lillehammer, yet she remains widely admired.
Needham’s Aly Raisman, who captained both the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Women’s Olympic gold medalists in gymnastics, will, like Kerrigan, always be a household name around here.
And once in a while, guys are ordained to experience sports immortality, too.
There’s no more popular color man on Olympic telecasts than Scott Hamilton, though it’s been 35 years since he won the gold medal in men’s figure skating at Sarajevo.
And if you’re looking for a moment to crystallize your yearning for patriotism, just flash back to 1980 at Lake Placid when Jim Craig, with Old Glory draped around his neck, scanned the stands to spot his father moments after the U.S Olympic Men’s Hockey Team secured its gold medal.
Megan Rapinoe might have entered in that pantheon, too, but even before leading her teammates to their glorious title at Lyon, France, she fouled their nest by brazenly declaring, “I’m not going to the (expletive) White House if we win!”
In doing so, she made herself a hero, but to the wrong crowd.
When a Steph Curry or LeBron James or Kevin Durant slings such divisive diatribe, or a Colin Kaepernick uses the image of his country as a punching bag, or when an Alex Cora — forgetting we don’t have to go to every fight we’re invited to — ill-advisedly jumps onto that pile of self-promoting naysayers, adding a kick of his own to the nation’s groin, it’s disappointing but not shocking.
America gives all of her dependents the right to be an ingrate.
Fortunately, most still have time to wise up and grow up.
But Rapinoe’s 15 minutes of fame have vanished.
It won’t be long before she’s referred to as “Megan who?”
Too bad. She could have been remembered as someone special.