http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/sports/soccer/megan-rapinoe-in-an-american-uniform-kneels-for-the-anthem.html 2016-09-16 16:11:01 Megan Rapinoe, Wearing a U.S. Uniform, Kneels for the Anthem Rapinoe continued her protests of racial inequality, this time while playing for the United States women’s national soccer team. === The protests that started when Colin Kaepernick declined to stand for the national anthem at an exhibition N.F.L. game last month took a sharper turn Thursday night when Megan Rapinoe of the American women’s soccer team knelt during the anthem. While Kaepernick and several other athletes who emulated him in recent weeks were on professional teams or school teams, Rapinoe was representing her country, which upped the stakes in many minds. Rapinoe knelt during the anthem at a National Women’s Soccer League game earlier this month, prompting speculation about whether she would do the same when representing her country. Before the friendly game Thursday against Thailand in Columbus, Ohio, Rapinoe joined a line of teammates, who stood with hands on hearts. But she went down on her right knee for the duration of the anthem. Rapinoe played the second half of the game, which the United States won, 9-0. “I think ultimately I just went with what’s in my heart,” Rapinoe said in an interview on ESPN after the game. Asked about the ramifications of protesting in a United States national team jersey, she said: “I think it is different. I think it means a lot more. I truly feel like I am representing my country by doing this, in representing everyone that lives in this country, not just the people who look like me.” The series of protests by athletes have been directed at racial inequality and police brutality in the United States. Rapinoe is the most prominent white athlete to take part. Because the national anthem is involved, it has drawn opposition from many who believe the police, the military and others commonly associated with the flag are being disrespected. Rapinoe said: “I think that we need to look at all the things that we say the flag and the anthem mean and everybody that it represents and all the liberties and the freedoms that we want it to mean to everybody, and ask ourselves, Is it protecting everybody in the same way? Is it giving all the freedoms to everyone in the country the same way, or are there certain people that don’t feel as protected as I do every day?” Near the end of the game, U.S. Soccer put out a statement stating that it is its “expectation that our players and coaches will stand and honor our flag while the national anthem is played.” But there was no immediate talk of any punitive actions. Rapinoe responded to critics, saying, “Quite frankly, it is my First Amendment right to peacefully protest, and I think I’m well within the bounds of that.” After Rapinoe’s first protest with her club, the Seattle Reign, the next team she faced, the Washington Spirit, played the anthem while players were in the locker room, saying it was an effort to avoid a repeat demonstration. The hot-button issue brought out strong opinions on both sides on social media, as it has since Kaepernick’s first protest. The game Thursday night was the final one in the national team career of the beloved player Heather O’Reilly, prompting some to criticize Rapinoe for stealing O'Reilly’s moment. “She did talk to the team, that she was thinking about doing that,”