Portrait · Jamie Smed; existing crop by David Levy / CC BY 2.0

Megan Rapinoe

Former soccer player, author and presenter

Born 1985

Megan Rapinoe is an American former soccer player, author and presenter whose public career extends from championship football to advocacy and documentary work. Raised in Redding, California, with twin sister Rachael in a large family, she described her childhood self as both quiet and sensitive and mischievous and energetic. In her original memoir interview, she spoke about finding a sense of identity through sport while recognising that heavily organised youth competition could take away some of its freedom. Her personal story includes learning to speak openly about being gay and using the visibility that came with playing for the United States. In her November 2020 conversation with Robin Roberts, she recalled first picking up a soccer ball at four. She connected her public advocacy with a family upbringing that valued how she lived over winning. That interview also places her memoir alongside the team’s equal-pay campaign. Her collaborative essay Tomboys describes parents Denise and Jim as supportive without treating sport as a campaign of pressure. The piece places friendship alongside competition: teammates and other athletes helped provide a setting in which sporting ambition and personal identity could coexist. That account adds a family and social dimension to a career often introduced through trophies. Portland’s 2005 NCAA championship was an early milestone. College injuries interrupted her development before a senior international and professional career, including Lyon and a decade with Seattle. The United States won two World Cups and Olympic gold during her career; her 2019 tournament also brought the Golden Ball and Golden Boot. Her earlier club route included Chicago, Philadelphia and magicJack, a guest spell in Sydney and a season with Sounders Women. These moves show a professional path spanning different leagues before the long Seattle association. Chicago had selected her second overall in its 2009 draft. A cross for Abby Wambach against Brazil in 2011 became one of the defining early images of her international career. Sporting prominence later gave her a platform in the campaign for equal pay and broader advocacy. The Presidential Medal of Freedom recognised that public impact in 2022. Her sporting reputation and willingness to speak beyond the field developed together, with leadership becoming part of the story as well as results. Her final USA appearance came against South Africa in Chicago in September 2023. The completed national-team record stands at 203 appearances, 63 goals and 73 assists. Seattle Reign retired her number 15 jersey in 2024, preserving a club honour after her playing career ended. Work beyond football includes re-inc, the apparel company she launched with Tobin Heath, Christen Press and Meghan Klingenberg in 2019. The founders brought their perspective as athletes into a gender-neutral venture. One Life, written with Emma Brockes, appeared in 2020 and brought the personal and public strands of her story into a memoir. She also cofounded A Touch More with Sue Bird, giving their public conversations a production-company setting. Their April 2026 separation announcement also introduced the winding down of their joint podcast. Her September 2026 Toronto conversation about Rapinoe reflects another transition. Director Rebeca Huntt and Rapinoe discussed making room for family and personal history beyond the familiar sporting figure. Rapinoe described choosing someone she could trust with that wider portrait. The documentary is a current project in a career increasingly concerned with how her story is told. Screen work includes voice acting and an executive-producer credit on The Soccer Football Movie.

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Connected people

ConnectionRachael RapinoeTwin sister and original-essay collaborator.

ConnectionAbby WambachHer 2011 World Cup equaliser followed Rapinoe’s cross.

ConnectionTobin Heathre-inc cofounder.

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