Megan Rapinoe

The fantastic Megan Rapinoe is an incredibly gifted professional footballer, activist, and author. As a member of the US Women’s national soccer team, she helped her country win the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cups, and a Gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She won the Ballon d’Or Féminin and was named the Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019, as well as winning the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Away from football, she is an advocate for numerous LGBTQ+ organisations, and in 2019 co-founded the gender-neutral lifestyle brand, re-inc. She was included in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. Her autobiography, One Life, was also published in 2020.

Born and raised in rural California, Rapinoe developed a love and natural talent for football at a young age. She made her professional debut when she was signed by the Chicago Red Stars for the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer in 2009. She has since played for Philadelphia Independence, MagicJack, Australian side Sydney FC, Seattle Sounders Women, and French club Olympique Lyonnais. She has been with OL Reign (Seattle Reign FC) since 2013. Internationally, Rapinoe has been representing her country since she played for the U-16’s in 2002. She made her senior debut in 2006.

As an activist, Rapinoe has always striven to stand up for what is right, and after the 2011 World Cup, discouraged by how few athletes were open about their sexuality, she decided to come out publicly as gay and use her platform to advocate for marriage equality. Recognising the power she had to bring attention to critical issues, in 2016 she took a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick to protest racial injustice and police brutality — being the first high-profile white athlete to do so. The backlash was immediate, but the overwhelming support was even stronger, and she quickly became a force of change.

Rapinoe regularly connects with her millions of followers and fans through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, posting pictures and videos about her life both on and off the football pitch. She also has a dedicated YouTube channel, Megan Rapinoe.