Soccer legend Megan Rapinoe was targeted by conservatives after she made a God joke following an injury she sustained six minutes into her final game with OL Reign.
Rapinoe concluded her remarkable soccer career in the National Women’s Soccer League Championship against Gotham OC. The final match, unfortunately, took an unexpected turn for Rapinoe as she suffered a suspected Achilles tear within the first few minutes of the game.
The soccer star, who has achieved remarkable success, winning two World Cups, an Olympic gold medal, and being crowned the FIFA player of the year in 2019, addressed the cruel twist of fate after the match:
“I’m not a religious person or anything and if there was a God, like, this is proof that there isn’t."
“This is fucked up. It’s just fucked up. Six minutes in and I eat my Achilles."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Christian conservatives soon seized on her remark and lashed out.
Others were quick to come to Rapinoe's defense however.
Rapinoe has been the subject of repeated attacks by conservatives when she made national headlines during the Trump administration for saying she would not accept an invitation to the White House.
Rapinoe, who is an advocate for numerous LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally, has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration and became a punching bag for the right after she chose to stand in silence for the national anthem.
Rapinoe has also made headlines for condemning GOP-led legislatures for attempting to legislate transgender people out of public life and especially school sports.
She has called such bills "monstrous" and stressed that “sports is not the most important thing in life” because “life is the most important thing in life." She suggested that individuals who are “afraid someone’s going to have an unfair advantage over their kid” should “take a step back and get a grip."
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