As Megan Rapinoe steps up to the barricade in the mixed zone – the area where journalists try to interview players as they walk past — the energy shifts. Every reporter pushes forward to get as close as possible to the woman with short, pink hair and round pink-tinted sunglasses. There is not a more interesting player at this Women’s World Cup, and no one has been more quotable.
The Guardian has asked me to write this column about Rapinoe, so I jump in to ask a question first, prefacing it by pointing out that many fans are only learning about Rapinoe for the first time during this tournament. She interjects: “Late to the party, people!” The scrum of journalists laugh. Then the question: has Rapinoe always been so authentic and so blunt? Or was it a conscious decision?
“I’ve grown into it, but I’ve always approached things that way. As you guys know, I’m pretty off the cuff – probably sometimes too off the cuff,” she says with a wry smile. “I like to be open and honest. It feels weird to be any other way or hold that back. I’m an emotional person and passionate person and share those feelings across many different parts of that life. Becoming older and a little bit more secure in myself, I’ve probably become more brazen but I think it’s always been there.”
Indeed, Rapinoe was always effervescent, exuding a certain irreverence in the oh-so-serious world of sports. But her willingness to take on controversy head-on, and her comfort in not just navigating the media but in setting her own narrative, has notably increased as she has become one of the most senior members of the US team. That includes how she deals with the media.
No athlete wants to talk to reporters in the mixed zone – a chaotic, environment where a pack of journalists bark questions at the interviewee – and most just weather the chaos until they can leave. But Rapinoe tends to set her own rules, and many journalists have memorable experiences of interacting with the 34-year-old.
A Brazilian journalist tweeted her thanks to Rapinoe who, in the mixed zone after the US beat Chile in the group stage, started ignoring the questions of insistent men and looked at the lone woman trying to ask a question. I’ve had a similar experience: once when I was in a mixed zone and a male journalist kept talking over me as I tried to ask a question, Rapinoe said pointedly: “Excuse me – she has a question,” and then turned her attention to me.
My question was about something I had asked several other players in Denver and Los Angeles earlier this year. The US team agreed to shift more of its compensation to friendly bonuses in their collective bargaining agreement, and the team had lost more games than anyone would have expected when they signed the contract, causing the players to miss out on $1.7m in potential bonuses. Every player ignored the part of the question dealing with bonuses and pivoted to talking about how defeats are useful in preparing for the World Cup, an answer I both expected and understood. The only player willing to answer the question directly was Rapinoe. “The paycheck was a little light last month, that’s for sure,” Rapinoe said, laughing and slapping the imaginary pocketbook on her hip.
While many athletes stick to clichés or bristle at questions dealing with anything away from the field, it’s hard to throw Rapinoe off. After all, this is a woman who kneeled during the national anthem in 2016, following in Colin Kaepernick’s footsteps, and has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, labeling him “sexist,” “misogynistic,” “small-minded,” “racist” and “not a good person”. It’s these unflinching acts of protest that have made Rapinoe, a longtime fan-favorite, into a more divisive figure.
At the same time, her form – whether it’s for her club, Reign FC, or her country – has only improved as she has become more political and more controversial. The same composure and free-wheeling style that makes Rapinoe so fascinating off the field is what makes her so good on it – she plays with an audacious craftiness that can give defenders fits.
“Pinoe’s such a special person because people just gravitate to her,” says USA midfielder Rose Lavelle. “She’s such a fun, unique person off the field and it helps on the field – she’s someone people want to listen to and learn from.”
Asked if anything rattles her teammate, defender Becky Sauerbrunn is quick to respond. “Injustice – that rattles her,” Sauerbrunn says. “In soccer terms, nothing rattles her. She thrives under that pressure. She’s able to take on all these things going on and still be able to perform and shove it to everyone who doesn’t believe in what she believes in.”
Trump’s attempt to chastise Rapinoe last month for not respecting “our country, the White House, or our flag” didn’t seem to faze her. Rather than let the story swirl around her, she chose to address the issue before taking questions from journalists ahead of USA’s quarter-final. Then Rapinoe went and did her job, scoring both of her team’s goals against France. The same can’t be said for Trump, if you ask Rapinoe.
“I expected him to have a lot better things to do before that got on the to-do list,” Rapinoe said of Trump’s criticism of her. “I’m sure he skipped over a number of things.”
The USA coach, Jill Ellis, said the France game told people everything they need to know about Rapinoe. “If anything, this stuff just bounces off her,” Ellis said, before adding: “She loves and lives for those moments. She’s a big-time player. The bigger the stage, the more she’s going to respond.”
Now, that stage is the World Cup final. Although Rapinoe was ruled out of the semi-final with a minor hamstring strain, she says she expects to be at 100% for the final. She has been USA’s best player in this World Cup and, if she does start against the Netherlands on Sunday, she may again be the difference-maker.
She’ll be easy to spot, too. Just look for the confident player with the short pink hair who looks like she’s having a blast. That’s Megan Rapinoe.