Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the American national anthem is beginning to seep into other sports.
Megan Rapinoe, a World Cup winner last year, decided not to stand for the anthem ahead of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) match between the Chicago Red Stars and Seattle Reign.
Rapinoe, who is an active voice in America against homophobia in sport, revealed after the 2-2 draw that "it was a little nod to Kaepernick".
Speaking to American Soccer Now, Rapinoe admitted her stance before the game was very intentional.
"Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties. It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it. It’s important to have white people stand in support of people of colour on this."
@JohnDHalloran pic.twitter.com/XJHiOhgbTW
— â¤ï¸NWSLâš½ï¸ (@gbpackfan32) September 5, 2016
Kaepernick has refused to stand for the American national anthem in all of the San Francisco 49ers' pre-season matches in recent weeks. After the match against the Green Bay Packers last month, the quarterback explained the reasons for his actions.
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way."
Rapinoe has been supported and castigated (in a similar way to Kaepernick) over her actions. She said her stance in taking a knee was the "keep the conversation going".
It's the least I can do. Keep the conversation going. https://t.co/qwfHcqgV6J
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) September 5, 2016
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