Megan Rapinoe is the 2019 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year. The phenomenal story by @JennyVrentas is here: https://t.co/yrAy042G6U pic.twitter.com/Hjo0tFlJYV
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) December 9, 2019
Haven’t done the research, but there can’t be too many people who have been on three Sports Illustrated covers in one year like Megan Rapinoe has. Even more impressive considering there are only 26 magazine issues in 2019. pic.twitter.com/sEumr6W0cx
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) December 9, 2019
Read the whole thing:
… She is just the fourth woman in the award’s 66-year history to win it unaccompanied, a feat that is both a remarkable athletic achievement and a reflection of entrenched gender biases. Rapinoe challenged perceptions of her, of female athletes, of all women. She led her teammates, three months before their tentpole tournament, to sue the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay; to declare in advance that they would not visit the White House when they won the Cup; to score 13 goals in a group-stage match against Thailand, without apology.
As for The Pose? “It was kind of like a ‘F— you,’ but with a big smile and a s— eating grin,” Rapinoe says. “You are not going to steal any of our joy.”
Yes, the U.S. women have been here before. But the ’19ers were more dominant than the team that won four years ago—they never trailed in France; they scored a record 26 goals—and they were even bolder than the ’99ers who collectively captured SI’s year-end award two decades ago. Julie Foudy, co-captain of that team, asked her old cohort Mia Hamm about the equal-pay lawsuit, “Do you think we would’ve done this?” And Foudy says they concluded, “We probably would have said, Let’s plant that flag after we’ve won. We had been socialized not to stir the pot. Which I love about Rapinoe, this freedom to speak her mind in a way we didn’t feel we had.”…
In the months since: Michelle Obama recruited Rapinoe to join in a voter-participation initiative. Gloria Steinem, the original feminist icon, thanked Rapinoe for carrying her torch. A high school girls’ soccer team in Burlington, Vt., staged its own campaign in support of equal pay, and an 11-year-old boy in Geneva, Ill., went viral for his pink-haired Halloween costume, each inspired by Rapinoe. She has been invited to Washington by New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; talked politics on Meet the Press, Pod Save America and CNN; and turned into a coveted endorsement for the 2020 election. No, she’s not running for office anytime soon. “I don’t have plans for policies and how to implement them,” she says. “I’ll just be the jabber.” (The White House did reach out privately to the team about a visit, a U.S. Soccer rep confirms. Rapinoe says she heard about the outreach on the plane ride home from France, from USSF president Carlos Cordeiro. He suggested a visit to both the White House and Capitol Hill; Rapinoe and another player reiterated they didn’t want to meet with Trump. Rapinoe would like to visit Congress with her team, but she doesn’t think U.S. Soccer is willing to organize a trip that skips the White House, with the World Cup coming to the U.S. in 2026. The team rep says ’26 “has absolutely zero bearing” on the issue.)…
Bonus points: This will make the #MAGAts lose what little chill they might’ve had.
Good game. Good game. Good game.pic.twitter.com/ad5Ogyz1QS
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) December 9, 2019
***********
Also good — if more ambiguous — news:
Russia banned from international sports – including 2020 Olympics – for four years by World Anti-Doping Agency https://t.co/DRK4ZgrefD
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) December 9, 2019
Russia was banned from international sport for 4 years on Monday for state sponsored doping, including the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup https://t.co/EyDm9XIq9t pic.twitter.com/5wOoKormmw
— TIME (@TIME) December 9, 2019
Russia was just banned from the next two Olympics for its persistent, state-organized doping of its athletes. For some context, watch "Icarus" or read my piece on why Putin is so obsessed with the Olympics. https://t.co/UMQdgEsy9X
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) December 9, 2019
This 2014 piece I worked on with @Kasparov63 right before the Sochi Winter Olympics (and the subsequent invasion of Crimea) holds up on the IOC's "values" and why Putin & dictators love the Olympics and similar spectacles. https://t.co/ccqWEhyVOk
— Mig Greengard (@chessninja) December 9, 2019
BIG: Christopher Steele told the FBI in 2011 that Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev had a conversation acknowledging that a Russian oligarch bribed Sepp Blatter to secure the 2018 FIFA World Cup for Russia. https://t.co/sBYfcYXEWS
— Ken Bensinger (@kenbensinger) December 9, 2019
When is a ban not really a ban? When Olympic officials are desperate not to anger Russia and Vladimir Putin. The farce continues … https://t.co/Dp0xnLnusv
— Nancy Armour (@nrarmour) December 9, 2019
JPL
I believe that we will win. Congrats to a real role model.
David ??Booooooo?? Koch
Time magazine announces its Person of the Year, tomorrow.
Should come down to Nancy Smash or the Whistleblower
Betty Cracker
Told Trump to fuck off, led her team to World Cup victory, fought for equal pay AND demonstrated how to be a good ally:
She’s the real deal.
David ??Booooooo?? Koch
Golden Globe Nominations
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
The are found here (list)
Debbie(Aussie)
Aussie women’s football
Sorry if this didn’t work. I’m technically challenged ?
JPL
@Betty Cracker: Thank you. She really is amazing.
WaterGirl
@Betty Cracker: Thank you, Betty. It’s not even 5:30 here yet, and I’m crying. What an amazing speech.
Procopius
What’s the thing she’s holding in the cover picture? Looks like a double-bitted axe, but the blades look to short and too thick. Almost looks like a sledge hammer.
WaterGirl
@David ??Booooooo?? Koch: I saw Rocketman and thought, ooh, they made a movie about David Bowie. :-)
WaterGirl
@JPL: The first thing I wrote was that she is amazing, then I changed it to “amazing speech”. I posted and then saw your comment. All I can say is WOW. She is most definitely someone we need right now.
Can someone please explain the significance of what she is wearing in the sportsperson of the year photo?
WaterGirl
@Debbie(Aussie): Go you!
MomSense
Who the fork is the guy they keep bringing on Morning Ho? He looks like Pee Wee Herman’s evil twin who is an obnoxious pundit.
I vaguely remember he wrote a book that was panned live on Morning Ho by another guest months ago.
David ??Booooooo?? Koch
@Procopius:
JPL
@David ??Booooooo?? Koch: What, no nomination for Laura Dern in Big Little Lies?
WaterGirl
Anne Laurie, I love that good game video SO MUCH.
David ??Booooooo?? Koch
OzarkHillbilly
I have a problem with the SI website: It’s a blank page. Literally nothing there, no matter how many times I refresh it. I have never had this happen anywhere else but it has been happening there for… 2 months or more. I can’t get the front page and was kinda hoping the article link would bypass the problem. Nope, blank page.
Amir Khalid
@OzarkHillbilly:
I just went to the SI web site, and the home page works fine for me.
WaterGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: So if you click this, you get nothing?
https://www.si.co
Have you tried a different browser to see if it happens there, too?
David ??Booooooo?? Koch
@WaterGirl: The sledgehammer in her hands is symbolizing the smashing of patriarchy.
The gown features Rodin’s sculpture “The Kiss”
debbie
@David ??Booooooo?? Koch:
If there is any justice, it will be the whistleblower.
From up top:
This would be a great Christmas present! The real bonus would be Trump whinily tweeting that he should have been named the sportsMAN of the year.
Amir Khalid
@WaterGirl:
Do you have that URL right? I looked up the SI site on Google and it sent me to https://www.si.com/ . When I tried your link to https://www.si.co I got a “server timed out” error.
OzarkHillbilly
@WaterGirl: Blank page no matter what. It hadn’t even occurred to me to try a different browser. Thanx. I’ll see if chrome (i really dislike chrome) gets it.
To be sure, this is the ultimate first world problem, one that barely bothers me as I can get my sports news elsewhere, It’s just an every now and again thing when I hear of an article or just wonder if it is still blank for me.
OzarkHillbilly
@WaterGirl: Chrome works, so the problem is with firefox. Interesting.
Baud
I don’t have to give up my parking space if the patriarchy is smashed, right?
Betty Cracker
There are a pair of otters who’ve been frolicking in our little river lagoon the last several days. The dogs first alerted us to their presence in a strange way: they (the dogs) began running back and forth on the screened porch overlooking the river, whining in an anxious/excited tone, but not barking, which is what they usually do when they spot an animal of any sort. I believe it’s because they think the otters are dog mermaids, so they’re reacting to the presence of supernatural creatures.
Amir Khalid
@OzarkHillbilly:
I’m on Firefox and the SI website loads fine for me.
Amir Khalid
@Betty Cracker:
Mercanines. Wow. That’s a mindblowing concept.
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
I would watch Aquadog: The Movie. Just sayin’.
debbie
@WaterGirl:
OT, but FYI: Google tells me the version of Chrome I upgraded to (Version 78.x) is giving people fits with what it’s doing to the tabs. Hopefully, there will be a fix soon.
Baud
@debbie:
I assume he actually believes that Photoshop of him as Rocky.
debbie
@Baud:
He’s posted it more than once, so you’re right. Oy.
Baud
Tom Steyer ad on Today show.
Baud
Today show again featuring Michelle Obama.
OzarkHillbilly
@Amir Khalid: Well than I have no idea what the problem is. I know you are shocked, just shocked, to hear that I, a master of all technology no more complicated than a framing hammer would be stumped on this matter.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ? ??
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
rikyrah
@David ??Booooooo?? Koch:
ICAM ??
Dorothy A. Winsor
He’s ranting about the IG report this morning. Apparently it shows that he was RIGHT and the FBI was doing VERY BAD things and OBAMA let them.
Baud
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Least surprising thing ever.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Betty Cracker: I love otters! I also love the concept of merdogs.
Baud
I think we know.
David ??Booooooo?? Koch
Rapinoe becomes 1st soccer player (man or woman) to be named alone as Sportsperson of the Year
David ??Booooooo?? Koch
Nancy Smash on a roll
Steeplejack
@OzarkHillbilly:
I can get to si.com with Firefox.
Steeplejack
@rikyrah:
Good morning. ?
Kay
The level of attention and search of publicly accessible documents related to Elizabeth Warren the candidate in 2019 compared to Donald Trump the candidate in 2016 is just amazing.
Why is it so different? Don’t tell me they “didn’t think he would win”. They don’t think Warren will win either and it’s a LOT less likely she will win since she’s one of 13 instead of one of two.
Weird how they can turn up every court filing with Warren’s name on it as counsel but none with Donald Trump’s name on them as plaintiff, defendant, or bankruptcy petitioner.
Anne Laurie
I’ve seen dogs reacting that way to seals, too. Imagine the dogs thinking “They *look* like dogs, they *act* like dogs, but they sure don’t SMELL like dogs! Unnatural, indeed!”
Baud
@Kay:
Warren is in good company as the object of media ratfucking.
Anne Laurie
@Kay:
It’s Annie Linskey’s job to hate-stalk Warren; she’s been doing it since 2012, when Warren first challenged Scott Brown. I assume the Washington Post hired her (from the Boston Globe) specifically for her experience at hate-stalking Warren, and hired Matt Viser at the same time, presumably to carry Linskey’s coat.
Any reporter looking to hate-stalk Trump had to (has to) do it on their own dime, because the people handing out news jobs seem disinclined to ‘challenge’ the Occupant. IOKIYAR, y’know…
Kay
@Baud:
Someone in media should look into this:
It’s the search site for Trump’s apprenticeship program. I searched zip codes around here. This is a scam. It’s all low wage jobs and for-profit training sites. Congress allocated hundreds of millions to this. Are these “apprenticeships” getting some kind of federal subsidy? There are real apprenticeships within the zip codes I searched- a lot of them. None of them come up. Ivanka and Betsy DeVos spent millions of dollars on a program where participants would be better off going to an ordinary job search site. The thing reeks of scam.
Maybe Propublica will do it.
Ken
@debbie:
I wish SI would rename it to “Athlete of the Year”. “Sportsperson” is clunky, and also (to me) has a connotation of “because we had to let in the girlz”.
Kathleen
Proud to say I’m fellow alum with Megan. We’re both graduates of University of Portland, a tiny conservative Catholic school hardly anyone has heard of. Of course she graduated long after I did and I enjoyed reading about her exploits in the alumni magazine.
Kay
@Anne Laurie:
Thanks. It’s good to know ahead of time. Still, glad to see they can still summon the quality of attention it takes to search federal court filings – they should give it a try with “Trump” and “Trump International” and “Donald Trump” and “Ivanka Trump” and “Jared Kushner” and the tens of other names they used for their various scams and grifts.
Better late than never!
Ken
@Baud: Cleek’s Law in action.
Baud
@Kay:
So Boring, Kay. People are only interested in stories about how Democrats are imperfect.
Betty Cracker
@Kay: Here’s a link to ProPublica’s tips page.
Another Scott
@Kay: I think they do it because they know that Democrats pay attention to norms and appearances of propriety. On the other hand, IOKIYAR. They know Republicans don’t care any more, and Teabaggers just scream Deep State and FYF and scare the reporters or make them feel bad. “Oh no, he might call my boss’s boss or be mean to me on Twitter, so I better BothSides this paragraph.”
:-/
Almost all political reporting in the US has seemingly become the equivalent of obituaries for famous people – they’re written months/years in advance and just slightly tweaked as events happen. It’s infuriating.
Cheers,
Scott.
Betty
I sure hope we get to hear a lot more from Megan. She is speaking to our better angels.
mrmoshpotato
Nice to see this Olympics ban is a farce. Well done. (See Nancy Armour’s opinion piece.)
Searcher
@Procopius: Sledge was what I assumed. I’m a little curious about the asymmetry, and if I need a sledge that accomplishes whatever the asymmetry on that one does.
I’m also amused that she is appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated covered wrists to neck, given the covers Sports Illustrated is more famous for, but a quick Googling seems to turn up that, when an athlete is being featured on the cover related to her recent accomplishments, normal attire is the norm, so I guess it’s just my unfamiliarity with the magazine outside of pop culture references.
Brachiator
Oh hell yes!!
WaterGirl
@debbie: Excellent news! Maybe not at this moment, because it’s giving you fits, but it should be easy enough for them to resolve. Thanks for the update!
WaterGirl
@Dorothy A. Winsor: @Betty Cracker: Me, too. All of it!
Dan B
It doesn’t seem like a surprise that Rapinoe is the Sportsperson of the Year. She’s been amazing for years.