Megan Rapinoe, others backing Alabama soccer team after protesting backlash at season opener
Several players on the Alabama women’s soccer team kneeled during the national anthem ahead of their season opener against Tennessee on Saturday afternoon.
While the move is similar to one countless athletes and teams across the sports and has become an extremely popular way to protest social and racial injustices throughout the United States, some Alabama fans didn’t take well to the players’ decisions.
Several players and team managers kneel during the National Anthem at @Alabamasoccer. I counted about a half-dozen per side. (The photo is distant with an iPhone) pic.twitter.com/2SatGiLpEo
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) September 19, 2020
Megan Rapinoe, USWNT players support Alabama
Crimson Tide junior Taylor Morgan was one of several players who kneeled, and issued a statement about that decision on Twitter after the 3-1 wn.
Both teams stood together before the game in a joint show of force while holding red, “Show The Red Card To Racism” signs. Both teams had players kneel during the anthem, too.
Taylor and her teammates had received “hateful” comments from fans after the game, she said, but kneeling and protesting was “one of the easiest decisions that I’ve ever had to make.”
My statement in response to the hateful fans comments on kneeling at today’s game. pic.twitter.com/UJ4eATJYT4
— Taylor Morgan (@taylormorgz) September 19, 2020
“By taking a knee alongside the number of athletes that have done this across the country, I am committing to help with us being the change for the future generations of this team, this athletic program, and this country,” Morgan wrote, in part. “I will use my platform that I have worked hard to earn, in a way that will be seen and heard.
“I am Black, but I am mixed. I recognize my privilege and will use it to support those who lack it.”
Taylor received plenty of support from others in the soccer world soon after posting her statement too, including from U.S. Women’s National Team players Sydney Leroux and Megan Rapinoe.
We are with you @taylormorgz keep walking in that strength, and doing the right thing. #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/bpPqBbmqOT
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) September 20, 2020
👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽 Taylor! We are with you! https://t.co/EqmljEcV2t
— Sydney Leroux Dwyer (@sydneyleroux) September 20, 2020
“Our message to the team was, ‘You are adults, and if you have a personal opinion, we support your right to express it,'” Alabama coach Wes Hart said after the win, via the Tuscaloosa News. “I didn’t try to make too much out of it, and my approach will be to continue to go forward with mutual respect and love for each other.”
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