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The US Women’s Soccer National Team is already facing controversy from some angry fans back home during the Women’s World Cup.
During their game against Vietnam, a viral video showed that most of the US women’s team stayed silent during the national anthem.
Most of the U.S. Women’s soccer players refused to sing our great national anthem.
What. A. Disgrace. pic.twitter.com/G8CJc22BMJ
— 3sidedstory 🇺🇲 (@3sidedstory) July 22, 2023
The US Women’s Soccer Team hates America, you can see it in their facial expressions and body language.
They detest the National Anthem and everything it stands for. I couldn’t care less if they lose every game. pic.twitter.com/t8ALY534CW
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) July 23, 2023
An old interview from 2019 in which Megan Rapinoe said she would never sing the national anthem in protest began making the rounds again after the anthem video.
Via Yahoo Sports
The whole meaning of [the anthem],” she says, “changed dramatically” for her. It is now a “somber moment” for a “peaceful protest.”
I ask her what, if anything, might compel her to return to her old ways.
“It would take a lot,” she responds. “It would take criminal justice reform. It would take the huge inequality gap that we have to be much better. It would take a lot of progress in LGBTQ rights. We just have such a disparity in this country in so many different ways, inequality in so many different ways.”
“I’ll probably never put my hand over my heart,” she says matter-of-factly. “I’ll probably never sing the national anthem again.”
As an American… I hope the U.S. women’s soccer team gets beat by every other national team they play! The U.S. women’s soccer team IS A DISGRACE!
— Beedblu (@beedblu) July 22, 2023
Thank you to the players who were respectful of America! 🇺🇸❤️
To those who weren't: go find another country to play for or get out of the sport. 😡
Time for the U.S. women's soccer team to have their #BudLight moment. Time for sponsors to stop funding them & pull out.
— Lisa Raymond (@LisaRaymondAZ) July 22, 2023
Others were befuddled by the controversy.
People who think all athletes sing the anthem every time it plays pre game never played a high level sport where you sit through anthem every game.
Some people sing… most honestly don’t. It’s all good. No one is more or less American for doing either. 🙄 https://t.co/7xKKXn5j05
— USMNT_STAN (@StanUsmnt) July 22, 2023
You don’t have to sing the national anthem to play for either the USWNT or USMNT.
Hilarious to see certain people being outraged about it. https://t.co/4dlm45Gaqg
— Anthony (@AnthonyKyaw) July 22, 2023