Rapinoe kneels during anthem again, this time as member of U.S. team
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[September 16, 2016]
(Reuters) - Soccer star Megan
Rapinoe on Thursday again protested social inequality by kneeling
during the U.S. national anthem, this time as a member of the United
States women's national team.
Rapinoe knelt during "The Star Spangled Banner" before her team's
game against Thailand in Columbus, Ohio, signaling her support for
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other athletes
who have done the same over the past few weeks.
"There is a bigger conversation that needs to happen and it is far
bigger than sports," Rapinoe, who is gay, told ESPN after her team
beat Thailand 9-0 in an exhibition game. The midfielder first knelt
during the anthem two weeks ago as a member of the Seattle Reign.
"We need to look at all the things that we say the flag and anthem
mean and all of the freedoms and liberties that we want them to
mean," she said.
U.S. Soccer responded to Rapinoe's protest with a statement released
to ESPN.
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"As part of the privilege to represent your country, we have an
expectation that our players and coaches will stand and honor our
flag while the national anthem is played," it said.
Rapinoe's latest protest came days after several football players,
including Kaepernick, knelt, raised their fist or locked arms with
their teammates as the song played before their games during the
first week of the National Football League season.
The protests by athletes have spurred debate about patriotism, free
speech and social and economic inequalities blacks face in the
United States.
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U.S. women's soccer team midfielder Megan Rapinoe speaks to the
media during a Nike unveiling event in New York, March 17, 2016.
REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
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A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday showed that 72 percent of
Americans said they thought Kaepernick's gesture was unpatriotic.
But 64 percent of respondents also said he had the right to protest
under the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.
Rapinoe's protest came after police in the same city of Columbus
shot and killed a black teenager the night before. Police said a
white officer responding to reports of an armed robbery shot the
13-year-old boy when he pulled out what looked like a weapon but
turned out to be a BB gun.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee)
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