Megan Rapinoe, Conquering Hero, Returns to Cheers but Not to Action

And that was it.

There was a game to be played at Cheney Stadium, which serves mainly as the home of the Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers. For the Reign, the pregame interlude would be the afternoon’s only highlight: the visiting Chicago Red Stars, powered by their own World Cup stars like Sam Kerr and Julie Ertz, scored early and never let up, winning by 4-0.

After a World Cup in which Rapinoe stared down the ire of President Trump on her way to being named the tournament’s best player and top scorer, her decision not to play gave this game a hollow feel, like turning up to see a Broadway show only to learn the much-talked-about headliner was out sick.

And yet, on this bright afternoon, the fans on hand were more than willing to give Rapinoe a pass. In fact, with women’s soccer still backing in the World Cup glow, they showed up as never before. The stands were lined with Rapinoe’s No. 15 national team and Reign jerseys. The announced crowd of roughly 7,500 was a team record, another in a string of solid post-World Cup crowds that have been a positive sign for an N.W.S.L. still struggling to gain a foothold and fill seats in all but a few of its nine cities.

“It will be more than fine just to see her on the sidelines,” said Jacinta Clay, a 22-year-old from a suburb just south of Seattle. “Everyone here knows she won’t playing, but hey, that’s understandable because she has spent the last two months campaigning for women’s rights while playing soccer and winning the World Cup. Plus, she’s spent the last two months telling Donald Trump what she thinks he is. Now she’s a little tired. Perfectly valid.”

Rapinoe had warned everyone she would be taking the day off during last week’s news conference. The difficult push to the World Cup title, she said, followed by all the attendant exposure — the parade in New York, the national television interviews and talk-show appearances, the constant questions about politics and the drive for equal pay — had taken a toll.

Source: The New York Times

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Megan Rapinoe • Cheers • Cheney Stadium • Triple-A (baseball) • Tacoma Rainiers • Chicago Red Stars • FIFA Women's World Cup • Samantha Kerr • FIFA Women's World Cup • Megan Rapinoe • Broadway theatre • Association football • FIFA World Cup • National Women's Soccer League • More Than Fine • Just to See Her • Suburb • Seattle • Women's rights • College soccer • Donald Trump • Talk show • Politics •