Newsletter

How were the top star players of women’s soccer and women’s basketball connected? ── Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird fighting | GQ Japan

Female professional basketball player Sue Bird (left) and female professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe.

The power to move things forward

Megan Rapinoe wasn’t well-planned when he proposed to Sue Bird by the pool in Antigua one afternoon last fall. I just instinctively thought it was a good time.FootballIs the same as. “But the look was a little different,” Bird recalls. When Rapinoe kneeled, Bird realized what it meant.Later the picture of the sceneInstagramWhen posted to, it received 750,000 likes.

There is no precedent for a world-class soccer player with pastel-colored hair and the number one basketball player in the United States to reach a goal in a romantic relationship. So far, the scheme of “Lesbian Power Couples Beyond the Discipline” begins with Rapinoe and Bird and ends with them. Not only are they the stars of their respective competitions, they are also the ideals for future athletes. He is actively involved in exercises such as Black Lives Matter and is also fighting the gender gap in wages and treatment in sports.tennisBillie Jean King, a major figure in the world, calls them the driving force. When King was forced to come out in 1981, all sponsors withdrew within 24 hours. But now it’s different. “They couldn’t have done it alone as a couple,” said Diana Tarage, a WNBA (National Women’s Basketball Association) league legend and bird’s best friend since college. .. “If two people have the same idea and love each other, we can do a lot of wonderful things,” Tarage said.

How were the top star players of women's soccer and women's basketball connected? ── Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird fight

Bird and Rapinoe first met in Rio de Janeiro in 2016OlympicIt was just before. Rapinoe is calling out when he passes by when he takes a photo for the media. Rapinoe was engaged to another woman at the time, but the relationship was not going well.Bird wins gold medal at the Olympics and celebratespartyWith Rapinoe’s participation in the event, the two became in touch.Initially each team is basedSeattleI met my friends there, and then I drank alone in Chicago, where I was on an expedition. Eventually, Rapinoe broke up with his fiancée. And the two became dating on a sunny day.

This relationship was just right for Rapinoe at the time when he needed stability. Not only did he break up with his fiancée, but he was also at a crossroads as a professional player. A few days after meeting Bird in Chicago, Rapinoe kneeled during a pre-match national anthem. NFL 49ers quarterback protesting police violence and racism,Colin KaepernickIt was the first time for a white professional athlete to show solidarity with. When I took the same action in the next game,AmericaThe Football Federation issues a statement of condemnation. It was removed from the starting lineup of the national team. Meanwhile, Rapinoe devoted himself to strengthening his ties with Bird.Bird is not only about Rapinoe’s mentality, but also about his eating habitstrainingIt also helped to rebuild the body. Rapinoe finally returned to the national team in the spring of 2017, and Bird entered a new season at the Seattle Storm. In June, Bird officially came out as a lesbian and acknowledged his relationship with Rapinoe. With this solid foothold, Bird’s team won their third WNBA title in 2018. A year later, Rapinoe’s American national team won the World Cup.

I am as I am

Rapinoe came out to his family when he was 19 years old. Then, just before the 2012 London Olympics, he made public that he was gay. It was the first time for a member of the American soccer national team. The road that Bird followed is a little more detour.In 2002, when he was nominated for the first place in the draft, WNBALGBTQThe handling of + fans was not good, and there were few lesbian athletes in the first place. The young Caucasian bird was marketed as the face of the league, partly because of its friendly looks. “I wouldn’t blame it because it was such an era at the time, but the irony was that the catchphrase of the league at that time was’I am as it is’.” It was when he was a college student that he realized that Bird was gay. Then, in the mid-2000s, he first came out to Tarage. It was made public in 2017. He said he was relieved to be able to reveal his identity frankly. “Come out publicly means that the other person knows what kind of person you are from the first time you meet. There was a great sense of liberation. You can stay as it is.”

This new sense of security is also reflected in Bird’s private style. “I wore only feminine clothes to be feminine, but they didn’t look good,” Bird said.Recently in gold jewelryDiorAnd Air Jordan collaborated with sneakers. Called the “ultimate dress-up doll” by Rapinoe, he has now become a Tomboy chic fashion icon with his advice. Choosing one’s style positively said, “The door seemed to open. Now I’m choosing clothes that I want to wear and clothes that are comfortable to wear, and I feel another confidence. “. Rapinoe, on the other hand, is strategic about fashion. “It’s an honor to be featured in fashion media no matter what you do. If you think you’re a cool person, you’ll raise awareness of the sport you’re doing. Your sponsors will look different. You’ll spend more money than men. This is important for women who have not received it. “

Both Bird and Rapinoe have long advocated gender equality. Bird also played an active role in negotiating the historic WNBA labor-management agreement that was agreed last year. In addition to increasing the annual salary, the agreed agreement stipulates improvements in the mobile environment, paid maternity leave, and allowances for cryopreservation of eggs. In 2016, Rapinoe, along with four other American players, filed a lawsuit against the American Football Federation to close the wage gap. The top players in the women’s national team earn only 38% of the men’s peers. The lawsuit led to a lawsuit in 2019 involving 28 athletes seeking to eliminate gender discrimination, and in December last year a settlement was reached between the Football Federation and athletes on working conditions. Athletes continue to fight for wage inequality.

How were the top star players of women's soccer and women's basketball connected? ── Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird fight

21st Century LGBTQ + Icon

The winners are different for the two, but they all have in common that they understand that what they are doing is worthwhile. “I used to go to TV last summer because there weren’t any sporting events, but the ratings were good,” says Bird, but Rapinoe says he must have a chance to appear in the first place. “Too many people don’t believe in the potential for women’s sports to become popular.” Her name confirms that possibility, but it’s far from solving the problem. “I’m tired of having to convince people that I can do it. I’m a person who can do it. I’ll do my best on the pitch and do whatever I can off the pitch. A good role model? I We’re good for people. It’s a waste of time to keep looking away when the world is clearly moving in that direction. “

At the beginning of January, Rapinoe was almost full of energy for the first time in his life. I was happy to have had a long off. If the Olympic Games are held in Tokyo this summer, it will be the last tournament to participate in as a representative, and although I am aiming to participate in the World Cup in 2023, recently I have begun to think about after my life as a player. “I want to play as long as possible,” Rapinoe said. “When I’m alive as a player, I feel like I’m spending the same day day after day, but once I quit, it ends there. So I don’t want to be afraid.” Bird is also thinking of ending as a player. “I think it’s going to be gone and lonely, it’s more of a goal than a game. It’s said that athletes experience two deaths. One is when they retire. The other is when they actually die. In the meantime. Has a huge gap. “

For the last five years or so, Bird has been consciously involved in the basketball business side. This includes the activities of the players’ association, commentary on ESPN (cable television station specializing in entertainment and sports), and front desk work at the NBA Denver Nuggets. We are also working to improve the status of women. Rapinoe is also interested in the work of a mentor. “I want to do a job that helps female athletes and their brands. Whether or not they benefit from it, there are tons of jobs to do. I want my children to be richer than I am.”

The two want to have a wedding somewhere warm, if circumstances permit. If you retire and get married, you might consider having a child (“I can’t even keep a goldfish right now,” Bird says). “I want to go on vacation as soon as I think of it, or something I couldn’t do before. In other words, it’s my mom’s birthday, so let’s go see her face,” Bird said. Rapinoe says while making a box with a gesture and showing it. “In addition to the boxes Megan and Sue, we can also have a box for three people. There should be a lot of things that fit in the three boxes.”

Progress is hard to notice when it’s happening, but Bird and Rapinoe are living a life that was unimaginable for the athletes of the Billie Jean King generation. By unabashedly seeking what they want and what suits them, they have set new standards for athletes. And, just by being together, there is a big footprint that shows the appearance of enjoying the love of the same sex. Rapinoe says that this freedom is what we will leave for posterity. “You don’t have to walk the path of hardship in a selfless manner. You can enjoy it and you can succeed. You can do it your own way.”

How were the top star players of women's soccer and women's basketball connected? ── Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird fight

Megan Rapinoe
Female professional soccer player

Born in California, USA in 1985. Longing for his brother, he started playing soccer at the age of three. Experienced three World Cup appearances as the American representative of women’s soccer. In 2019, he contributed to the victory as a midfielder.

Sue bird
Female professional basketball player

Born in New York, USA in 1980. He contributed to two NCAA championships at the university and became a professional after being nominated for the overall first place in the 2002 WNBA draft. He is leading the US women’s basketball team by setting the record number of assists in WNBA history.

Words Emma Carmichael
Photos Sam Taylor-Johnson
Translation Yoko Kono

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending