A reporter from Eight by Eight, a soccer magazine that looks at the sport and its place in culture, asked Rapinoe if she was excited about going to the White House if her team wins the Women’s World Cup.
The magazine posted the short interview clip Tuesday on Twitter.
The US national team is competing in the Women’s World Cup, and plays host country France on Friday.
Other teams have skipped the White House visit
It’s not the first time professional athletes have turned down a visit to the White House.
Rapinoe, one of the women’s national team’s co-captains, has been outspoken about social justice issues. In 2016, she was among the first white professional athletes to show solidarity with Colin Kaepernick when media first began reporting on his kneeling during the national anthem. Rapinoe knelt during a game a month after it was first noticed that Kaepernick was kneeling.
“I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn’t,” she said. “We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country.”
In May, Rapinoe called out the soccer’s leadership for not doing enough to level the pitch for men and women players. She acknowledged “strides” had been made toward the better treatment of women, but FIFA essentially has “unlimited resources” and a historic lack of investment in women’s games.
“I would like to see a major paradigm shift,” she said.
Rapinoe is also one of 28 players suing the United States Soccer Federation, alleging the men’s national team earns more than they do even though they play more games and win more matches.
