Allie Long drug the American flag on the ground and dropped it, nearly stepping on the colors to celebrate with Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe, the star of the US Women’s National Team is already under fire for disrespecting the National Anthem.
Megan Rapinoe in an interview with Yahoo! Sports
But, as troublesome as that quote is, there is a bigger story here.
You would think that somebody who has time to Tweet eight times after winning the Women’s World Cup would have time to hand the American flag to a teammate before a photo op. Allie Long did not.
We understand people get caught up in the moment, so we waited to write this article thinking Long would have the integrity to offer an apology for her blatant disrespect. So far, we have seen no such apology.
These are the women who are supposed to represent the greatest country in the world on an international stage. They accomplished something amazing, and we were rooting for them the entire time.
Too Many Political Stunts
But, after using their platform for political stunts, we’re not sure we fully support what this team stands for. International sports are an opportunity to bring people together — not a platform for divisive statements that drive a wedge further into our politically torn country.
We get it. People have strong political opinions, and being an activist is fine, but athletes need to do it in their own time. Unfortunately, members of this team have crossed that line.
The ONE positive from this fiasco is Kelley O’Hara, another team member, quickly sprung into action to pick up the American colors. Thank you, Kelley, for being mindful of the men and women who sacrificed their lives to defend the land of the free.
Shame on the women who are willing to step on that sacrifice and not admit they are wrong.
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