Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe: Here’s How the Basketball Player and the Soccer Player Are Changing the World

Many sports careers testify to the excellence, will and talent of the athlete. Few careers become incredible biographies because, in addition to the athletic, they also tell of the human greatness or specialness of the individuals. And then there is the story of Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe: Two extraordinary athletes and personalities who are probably the most influential pair of activists trying to make U.S. society more tolerant, socially just and democratic. Along the way, the two have made it into Vogue, TIME magazine, and the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Body Issue.

The two lesbians have been married since 2020 and a couple since 2016. They are shaping a new kind of athlete activism that goes beyond occasional statements. This includes advocacy for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, the Black Lives Matter movement, abortion rights and Equal Pay, or non-discriminatory pay.

In an interview with ESPN journalist Katie Barnes, Bird commented, "Female athletes are used to having to fight for themselves.Female athletes are used to being pushed to the side and not having the attention they deserve. And so with that, they're used to using their voices, they're used to having to advocate for themselves, for each other."

So it was Rapinoe who was one of the first athletes* to support former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, kneeling during the U.S. anthem at several games. Rapinoe: "First of all, we're white people in this country, right, so we have privilege. We didn't earn it, but we have a responsibility to, you know, make it even." Continuing, she told Barnes in the same dual interview, "There's a reason Colin Kaepernick is not in the NFL right now and why he was blackballed in the way that he was. I think everybody has a responsibility to do what they can in the most impactful way that they can."

Bird made that impact in 2020, among other years. During the 2020 Senate election, Bird and her teammates spoke out against Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia. Loeffler was then co-owner of the Atlanta Dream women's basketball team. Loeffler spoke out against the Black Lives Matter movement. In protest, Bird and her teammates urged people to vote for Loeffler's Democratic opponent. Loeffler lost the election and sold her shares in the team.

Rapinoe also has more than just attention-grabbing successes to her credit. As an openly homosexual woman, she has always made it clear where she stands. Any kind of social injustice is a thorn in the soccer player's side. She has taken a knee to protest racial inequality and has spoken out against mass incarceration with blunt honesty.

She has also worked with teammates for years to advocate for equal pay for U.S. national team players compared to their male counterparts, winning "equal pay" in court.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned U.S.-wide abortion rights in 2022, she gave a tearful rant during a U.S. team press conference. She consistently refused to visit then-U.S. President Donald Trump after winning the 2019 World Cup. Even beforehand, she said, "I'm not going to the fucking White House!" Trump's attack against Rapinoe on Twitter was not long in coming. He wrote that Megan should win before she talks. In the end, she not only won the title, but also the small attention duel against the then US president.

As is common for many sports stars, Bird and Rapinoe also have stakes in various companies. Activism is at the heart of these as well. For example, Sue Bird, together with Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel, founded the mediahouse "Togethxr" where "representation and equality are the norm." The company produces content that gives greater visibility to women in sports.

Together, the two also founded at the end of 2022 the production company "A Touch More" founded. "As women athletes, we know how influential our own platforms are and the impact we can have on the world," Bird and Rapinoe said in a statement about the company's launch. "'A Touch More' is a manifestation of our values and our desire to make visible the stories of those who shape and advance culture."