Megan Rapinoe Answers the Critics

On Sunday, Spain won the FIFA Women’s World Cup. It was the end of a tournament and, for the U.S. women’s national team, the end of an era. This was the last World Cup featuring Megan Rapinoe, a player inscribed in the history of the game for both her goals and her activism. Rapinoe, who will retire later this year, has starred in so many important games for her country that it’s hard to imagine her absence on the pitch.

I first met Rapinoe when my wife produced a documentary about the U.S. women’s team and its struggle for equal pay. Yesterday, I spoke with Rapinoe on the phone about the World Cup, which finished disappointingly for the U.S.—Rapinoe missed in the penalty shootout that ended the team’s Round of 16 match against Sweden. I also asked her about her critics, as well as the inequities that continue to plague the global women’s game.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Franklin Foer: You watched yesterday’s game?

Megan Rapinoe: Not live, but I watched it in the morning and did not know the score.

Well done,