The beloved lesbian soccer star has been named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year…
Sports Illustrated has named its 2019 Sportsperson of the Year. The magazine selected United States women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe as the athlete whose performance embodied “the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement” and covered her year in a feature written by Jenny Vrentas.
As co-captain of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team this year Rapinoe led the team to victory at the Women’s World Cup in France.
In her SI interview, Rapinoe, who is openly gay, spoke about the importance of standing up for what she feels is right.
“The feeling of not standing up when I know something is wrong is so much worse than whatever happens if I stand up,” she said.
The self-described “walking protest” with bright pink-purple hair, is only the fourth woman in the award’s 66-year history to win it unaccompanied, without anyone else being named sportsperson of the year alongside her. The first was Chris Evert in 1976, while Mary Decker won it in 1983 after sweeping the 1500 and 3000 meters at the World Championships and Serena Williams won it 2015.
Rapinoe, a midfielder for Reign FC, is the first female winner since Williams.
The two-time World Cup champion will be featured on the magazine’s December 16 cover issue, which will also feature the recipients of this year’s awards, including Warrick Dunn (The Muhammad Ali Legacy Award), Luka Dončić (Breakout of the Year), and Ally Sentnor (SportsKid of the Year).
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