First, a confession: I’m not a big soccer fan. I don’t appreciate the game’s intricacies enough to leave a 1-0 game, thinking, “Wow, what a game!” Moreover, I’m baffled by the practice of having games go beyond the regulation time to account for injuries or penalties Why not just stop the clock at the appropriate time during the game like they do in other sports?  

I am aware, however, that soccer (“football”) is the world’s most popular spectator sport. Billions of people live and breathe the game.  Moreover, participation in high school soccer by both boys and girls in the United States is on the upswing. 

That said, I became a big fan of the U.S. Women’s World Cup soccer team, highlighted by the heroics of superstar Megan Rapinoe. Watching the final game against the Netherlands with my two granddaughters (Emma, age 17 and Tess, age 14) helped me understand first-hand the impact that Rapinoe and her fellow players have on young women. They’re sending several important underlying messages: “We are great athletes, and we are not afraid to show it and say it. And we should be treated and paid just as well as men.”  

I also loved Rapinoe’s willingness to call out Donald Trump for the hateful and divisive person that he is. During a television interview, Rapinoe spoke directly to the president: “I think that we need to have a reckoning with the message that you’re saying with the “Make America Great Again.” I think that you’re harking back to an era that was not great for everyone. It might have been great for a few people, but it’s not great for enough Americans. You have an incredible responsibility to take care of every singe person.” 

Later at the celebration parade in NYC, Rapinoe said to the huge crowd, “We need to love more and hate less; listen more and talk less. This is everyone’s responsibility to make the world a better place.” Rapinoe was being authentically herself; she didn’t need a teleprompter.  

Some Americans, to be sure, complained about Rapinoe’s unwillingness to put her hand over her heart during the national anthem, just as Donald Trump bashed NFL player Colin Kaepernick when he knelt during the national anthem. And these same people took issue, no doubt, with Rapinoe’s practice of posing with her arms spread wide apart after scoring goals. 

Those same Americans, interestingly, seemed to have no problems with Joe Namath’s “I guarantee you” bravado or Tiger Woods’ vigorous fist pumps after sinking a long putt. And a large swath of Americans, especially evangelical Christians, loved it when quarterback Tim Tebow knelt in prayer in the end zone, a practice that became known as “Teebowing.” But they didn’t like it when Husain Abdullah, a Kansas City Chiefs safety, knelt down in Muslim prayer after making a big play.  Indeed, the NFL penalized Abdullah for the heretic move. Call it selective outrage. 

This issue is really, let’s be honest, about trying to knock down strong women, especially those who look different or live a different lifestyle. Rabid flag-wavers still refer to Jane Fonda as “Hanoi Jane” because of her visit to North Vietnam in 1972, although few people now claim that the Vietnam War was a “good war.” Oddly enough, Trump supporters seem to have no problem when Donald Trump sucks up to murderous dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Again, selective outrage. 

All of which brings me back to a central question: Is the refusal by many Americans to celebrate Rapinoe and her teammates simply a matter of sexism and homophobia?  

Let’s end with a two-part essay question for faithful readers: (1) Who is a more patriotic American: Donald Trump or Megan Rapinoe? And (2) Who is a better ambassador for the United States: Donald Trump or Megan Rapinoe. Begin. 

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com