Conservatives ‘Relished’ Women’s World Cup Exit, As Biden Congratulates Team
Empowerment called everything right-wingers oppose
The latest issue to polarize politics in the United States?
Apparently, women's soccer.
Team USA suffered a heartbreaking loss to Sweden over the weekend at the Women's World Cup in Melbourne, Australia.
But a story that should have been on the sports page quickly erupted on right-wing media, and startlingly opened up another battle in the nation's burgeoning culture wars.
While President Biden — as expected — congratulated the American women's team for a job well done, many of those on the political right appeared to actively jeer Team USA.
On the other hand, Fox News’ Will Cain tweeted, “I always pull for Team USA. All sports. And I really don’t take joy in the earliest elimination ever for the USWNT. But this team came to be defined by arrogant celebrity activists who went out of their way to exhibit shame in the US, begin the process of destroying their own sport (advocating for men to play women’s sports) and curry victimization with false narratives about equal pay. Nobody made it harder to root for them than the USWNT. There are women on this team who have poured their heart and soul and sweat into this team for the US. Who are proud Americans focused on soccer. I hope those players define the future of the USWNT.”
Cain wasn't alone.
Clay Travis, a conservative radio host and podcaster, also mentioned politics in a tweet, saying the women have gone from a team “the entire country loved” in 2015 to a “far left wing politics-laden team that barely made the top 16 eight years later.” He added they were “an unmitigated disaster.”
And Donald Trump weighed in Sunday evening, posting on his Truth Social: “The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden. Many of our players were openly hostile to America – No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.”
MSNBC host Joy Reid condemned the right's attack on Team USA.
“Conservatives relished America’s loss, expressing a maniacal glee over their, and by ‘their,’ — I mean our — country’s World Cup exit. They sent a clear message that it’s only America first if Republican trolls like you. So all of that argle-bargling about saving women’s sport, well, we knew that was a sham, but man, did they make it clear with the way they kicked the women’s team,” Reid said. “President Biden, meanwhile, did what perfectly normal humans do and what presidents have always done in these instances, he congratulated the team, including with a post on ex-Twitter. ‘You've made your country proud,' his post read, 'I'm looking forward to seeing how you continue to inspire Americans with your grit and determination on and off the field.’ It’s what we’re supposed to expect, right?”
Much of the right's ire squarely is directed at star player Megan Rapinoe, an out lesbian who also started kneeling during the national anthem in solidarity with then-NFL Star Colin Kaepernick.
Ann Pegoraro, a researcher who studies athlete activism, said Rapinoe's unabashed advocacy on topics like gender and LBGTQ+ equality, trans inclusion, and abortion rights represents everything right-wingers oppose.
“This group wants to go back to ‘There are two genders and in those two genders, women have a certain role,’” said Pegoraro, Lang Chair in Sport Management at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada. “It's the whole thing of moving women back to, ‘This is your place.’”
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