Megan Rapinoe’s Out-of-Touch Crusade Defending Men in Women’s Sports Against the Tide of Common Sense

Megan Rapinoe’s Out-of-Touch Crusade Defending Men in Women’s Sports Against the Tide of Common Sense

Megan Rapinoe, the former U.S. soccer star known as much for her activism as her athletic prowess, has once again thrust herself into the spotlight with a scathing critique of President Donald Trump. In a recent interview with MUNDIAL magazine, Rapinoe labeled Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports as “cruel and depraved,” dismissing the policy’s intent to protect female athletes as “disingenuous.” She went further, asserting that the participation of biological males in women’s sports “isn’t an issue,” a statement that underscores a growing disconnect between her worldview and the concerns of much of society. While Rapinoe’s voice carries weight in progressive circles, her stance reveals a troubling disregard for the realities faced by young women in sports and the broader public’s understanding of fairness and safety.

Trump’s executive order, signed in February 2025 and titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” reinforces Title IX protections by defining eligibility for women’s sports based on biological sex rather than gender identity. It mandates that federally funded institutions limit participation in female athletics to those assigned female at birth, a move the administration frames as safeguarding opportunities for women and girls. The policy has sparked intense debate, but Rapinoe’s response—dismissing it outright as an attempt to “Executive Order trans people out of existence”—ignores the legitimate worries that prompted it. For many, this isn’t about erasing anyone; it’s about preserving a level playing field that decades of advocacy, including Rapinoe’s own fight for equal pay, have sought to secure.

Rapinoe’s claim that men competing in women’s sports “isn’t an issue” flies in the face of mounting evidence and public sentiment. High-profile cases like that of Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who dominated women’s collegiate events in 2022, and Blaire Fleming, a volleyball player whose participation has stirred controversy, have highlighted the physical advantages biological males often retain, even after hormone therapy. Studies consistently show that male puberty confers benefits—greater muscle mass, bone density, and cardiovascular capacity—that don’t fully diminish with testosterone suppression. These advantages can translate into significant edges in competition, edges that female

athletes, no matter how talented or dedicated, simply cannot overcome through training alone.

For young women in sports, the stakes are high. Scholarships, titles, and professional opportunities—already scarce compared to men’s sports—hang in the balance. When a biologically male athlete takes a spot on a women’s team or podium, it’s not just a symbolic loss; it’s a tangible one. Take the example of high school track athletes in Connecticut, where two transgender girls won 15 state championships between 2017 and 2019, displacing female competitors. Parents and athletes alike voiced frustration, not out of malice, but from a sense of injustice. Yet Rapinoe, safely retired from her own competitive career, seems oblivious to these grassroots concerns, cloaking her stance in moral superiority rather than addressing the practical fallout.

Public opinion aligns far more with Trump’s policy than Rapinoe’s rhetoric. Polls consistently show widespread unease about transgender women competing in female sports. A 2023 Gallup survey found that 69% of Americans believe athletes should compete based on their biological sex, a sentiment echoed across political divides. Even among Democrats, support for unrestricted inclusion hovers below 50%. This isn’t a fringe view—it’s a mainstream one, rooted in a basic understanding of biology and fairness. Rapinoe’s insistence that the issue is a non-starter dismisses these voices as irrelevant, painting a picture of an elite athlete detached from the everyday realities of the families and competitors she claims to champion.

Her allies in this fight—progressive activists and certain corners of the media—often frame opposition as bigotry, but that narrative crumbles under scrutiny. The push to protect women’s sports isn’t about denying transgender individuals’ humanity; it’s about acknowledging that sex-based categories exist for a reason. Sports aren’t just about participation—they’re about competition, and competition demands equity. Rapinoe herself benefited from this structure, rising to fame in a women’s league insulated from male physicality. Her refusal to see how that same structure is now at risk suggests a selective blindness, one that prioritizes ideology over the young women following in her footsteps.

Critics like Piers Morgan have seized on this disconnect, calling Rapinoe a “fraud” for labeling Trump “depraved” while ignoring the concerns of female athletes. Clay Travis, founder of OutKick, went further, declaring her “brain is broken” for rejecting basic logic. These harsh words reflect a broader frustration: Rapinoe’s activism, once a force for equity in pay and recognition, now seems to undermine the very gains she fought for. Her retirement timing is telling—having exited the field, she’ll never face the consequences of the policies she endorses. It’s a luxury not afforded to the high schoolers and collegians who risk losing their shot at glory.

Rapinoe’s legacy as a soccer icon is marred by her out of touch political views, but her latest crusade reveals a profound misstep that displays her inability to understand the realities of her views. By denying the challenges posed by biological males in women’s sports, she and her supporters alienate the majority who see this not as a culture war skirmish, but as a matter of fairness and opportunity. Society isn’t clamoring for men to dominate women’s athletics; it’s asking for a system that honors the sacrifices of female athletes. Rapinoe may call Trump’s ban “cruel,” but what’s truly cruel is dismissing the dreams of young women for the sake of a stance that’s as out of touch as it is uncompromising.