Why the US Women's team are refusing to sing national anthem at the World Cup | OneFootball

Highlights

A plethora of United States Women’s National Team have received backlash for not signing the national anthem during this summer’s World Cup.

Six of their players partook in the silent protest – either with their arms at the sides or behind their backs - in their opening three matches in New Zealand and have now been branded ‘disrespectful’ from fans and journalists alike.

However, the majority of the players, which includes skipper Lindsey Horan, centre-forward Alex Morgan and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher all sang their hearts out as The Star-Spangled Banner played.

The backlash from the first couple of incidences came from high and low, but most notably from journalist Megyn Kelly, who said: “I really do believe their version of what a feminist is, what it means to be an empowered woman, at least as an American woman, means you need to hate your country.

“It means to go out on the national stage and embarrass yourself and your country by not singing the national anthem. For several of them, not even holding their hands over their hearts when the national anthem played, was a bridge too far.

“They couldn’t be bothered to actually place their hand on their heart as the national anthem played, as they stood out there representing you and me and the country and our military and the people who have given their lives for the country that they represent.

“It was too much of an effort [for them] to place their hand over their heart or, God forbid, sing.”

An act to stand against social injustice

Andi Sullivan, Naoi Girma, Emily Fox, Sophia Smith, Crystal Dunn and Trinity Rodman all remained mute prior to their opening fixture against Vietnam and have repeated the act since.

And The Mirror believes that the sextuplet of players have done so in an act to stand against social injustice.

Back in 2020, a group of players – led by longtime player Megan Rapinoe – chose to not sing the national anthem for similar reasons.

Their social injustice battle - intertwined with racial inequality problems - in America was ongoing, even to the extent where Rapinoe even claimed she may not ever sing the song again.

Rapinoe, who Kelly claims is to blame for the lack of patriotism, has become a proactive advocate for LGBTQ rights, pay equality and the Black Lives Matter movement in recent years.

“This woman Megan Rapinoe has a problem,” Kelly said.

“Just last week, she was out there saying, ‘What’s the matter with trans athletes playing against women? Where are all these trans athletes who are taking away women’s rights?’

“Obviously she’s a dumbass who pays no attention to the news. It would take about two seconds of a Google for you to come up with a long list which I read to her in part when she made that insane statement.”

Megan Rapinoe’s history of outspoken advocacy

After her long-term career as part of the USWNT, Rapinoe recently announced that she will be hanging her boots up following the 2023 tournament.

But her career has not been without controversy as she became the first white athlete to kneel during the national anthem, which she did to show solidarity to NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick after he was banished from the NFL for kneeling against social and racial injustice.

By following in the footsteps of Kaepernick, Rapinoe only put herself under further scrutiny, though it’s clear she does not mind one bit.

“It was a little nod to Kaepernick and everything he’s standing for right now,” she said after the game.

“I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it something that it absolutely isn’t. Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties.

It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing it in the future and hopefully sark some meaningful conversation around it.” she said.

US Soccer stood against their star player to admit: “As part of the privilege to represent your country, we have an expectation that our players and coaches will stand and honour the flag while the national anthem is played.”

In response, Rapinoe blasted US Soccer for making that rule ‘without ever talking to me’ and as alluded to earlier, claimed she would never sing The Star-Spangled Banner again.

A month after her act to help raise awareness of racial inequality and police brutality, she wrote a piece for The Players Tribune to give substance to her decision.

“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 a part of the solution.”

Other responses from this World Cup’s refusal to sing

Supporters of USWNT were heavy criticisers of the act, though tennis heroine Martina Navratilova has spoken out in full support as she responded to the hard-hitting comments from Kelly.

“They are defending it by playing their hardest and winning most of the time. Not by signing. Get a grip and start talking about solutions rather than searching for problem where they aren’t any.”

Defender Girma, who is one of the few to remain tight-lipped during the national anthem, has shrugged off the criticism, however.

She said: “I think when we’re out there, we’re preparing for the game, and that isn’t the focus. So ultimately, every player has a choice.”

The four-time champions are hoping to bring home the glory for an impressive fifth time this summer and have kicked off their tournament with a 3-0 win against Vietnam followed by a 1-1 stalemate against the Netherlands and have now played out a goalless draw against Portugal in their third game of the summer tournament so far.

Whatever the outcome of their World Cup campaign, the worries are that any prospective success will be over-shadowed, once again, by their antics.