Megan Rapinoe Lives In Luxe Apartment with Rooftop Terrace While People Mock Her for Complaining about Salary

• Megan Rapinoe played soccer in college before becoming a professional player and an LGBTQI+ activist.
• The athlete, who spoke for equal pay, missed a penalty at the 2023 soccer World Cup and laughed it off, leading to criticism from fans.
• The star and her fiancée now live in a posh New York apartment they bought together.

Megan Rapinoe is a professional soccer player born on July 5, 1985, in Redding, California. The sports star is a sibling to six others and was a star player in college. In 2007, her career almost ended when she tore a ligament for the second time.

The athlete's return from her injury saw her becoming professional, and in the 2008 draft, she was the second overall pick. For the United States Women's National Team (USWNT), Rapinoe played more than 100 games, and for her efforts, she won a World Cup title and an Olympic gold medal.

Besides being a soccer player, she's also an LGBTQI+ rights activist. In 2012, she was recognized for raising awareness for LGBTQI+ people in sports and was awarded the Board of Directors Award by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.

The athlete has also made her mark as an actress, producer, and voice-over star with roles in shows and movies like "Billions," "The Soccer Football Movie," "The L Word: Generation Q," and the 2016 game, "Nike: The Switch."

In recent times, Rapinoe created some controversy because of her behavior during 2023's FIFA Women's World Cup. Many fans thought her demeanor wasn't pleasant, and she was also judged for complaining about her massive salary that afforded her a cushioned life.

How Soccer Fans Reacted to Megan's Penalty Shoot-Out Laugh and Her Complaint about Not Receiving Enough Money

On August 6, 2023, at the FIFA Women's World Cup, Rapinoe's USWNT faced off against Sweden in Melbourne, Australia. There was a penalty shoot-out with Sweden to determine who would move to the next stage of the competition.

Rapinoe, 38, was tasked with taking her team's fourth penalty in the shoot-out where the USWNT would've had a 4-2 lead if she had nailed it. However, the soccer star kicked the ball straight over the goalpost's crossbar.

The star's immediate reaction to the miss was to smirk and laugh as she jogged back to the halfway line. her team eventually got knocked out of the tournament, and Rapinoe would later be seen crying with her teammates on the field. The game was the final World Cup game for Rapinoe, who had declared it would be her last.

In 2021, the soccer player was one of the key speakers at an event that marked Equal Pay Day and was attended by Margaret Purce, President Joe Biden, and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

The USWNT appeared virtually for the event, and Rapinoe lamented being treated unequally, being disrespected and dismissed, just because she is a woman. She also complained about being paid less despite doing the same job as men, noting:

"For each trophy, of which there are many, and for each win, for each tie, and for each time that we play, it's less."

Earlier that day, she appeared at a House Oversight Committee hearing to discuss pay inequalities between men and women. The activist for racial and gender equality spoke at length with President Biden on the topic at the beginning of the year.

Rapinoe knelt during the US national anthem before matches in solidarity with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's fight for racial equality in several instances. Despite all her activism, in 2023, it was revealed that the star earned a whopping $7 million over the last 12 months.

The women of the USWNT held 11 of the 15 spots on the list of the highest-paid players at the 2023 World Cup. Rapinoe and her teammate, Alex Morgan, are the top earners, with income from their soccer contracts, appearances, memorabilia, company activities, and endorsements.

Seeing that Rapinoe was earning quite a sum, fans took to Twitter to criticize the athlete, not only for her reaction to her missed shot against Sweden but her pay-gap woes. One person felt the soccer player was the "poster child for entitlement" while making "tons of money" playing soccer.

The fan believed Rapinoe complained about men getting paid more while women got paid "a higher % of the revenue," which was less than men because the latter generated more revenue. Sharing a photo of an elderly woman working as a McDonald's server, someone else felt that's what the athlete would be doing if:

"She didn't complain about a multi-million dollar salary and die (sic) her hair blue four years ago (lost to a U15 team, btw)."

Another person criticized the player, saying if women wanted the same salary as the men's team, they had to compete with them instead of losing to "a high school varsity team." Someone else felt Rapinoe deserved to be mocked due to her hate for the US.

[T]he soccer player opened up about her relationship with her fiancée, revealing how they are each other's biggest fans.

The person couldn't understand the soccer player's complaints about not being paid enough because they felt she got a salary regardless, unlike the men's team that had to play to get paid. The soccer fan also noted how the men's team had to win to receive full payment.

Another critic said Major League Soccer players earned below $500,000 yearly, and Rapinoe couldn't compete on their level but still made $7 million. Besides earning millions, the athlete also lives in a stylish New York apartment.

Megan's New York Home She Shares with Her Fiancée

In 2012, Rapinoe fans saw the Redding home where she grew ups since she was 14. The stark contrast between her simple childhood home and the New York apartment she and her fiancée Sue Bird now share was quite evident.

The couple's SoHo apartment, designed by Mark Grattan, is 1,650 square feet with two bedrooms, high ceilings, stunning city views, and a rooftop terrace.

Rapinoe said Bird is from New York, so the apartment immediately felt like home, especially since they also fell in love in New York.

The couple's living area has an emerald statement ceiling, and the hallway to the private rooms and the stairwell leading up to the roof were all designed in illuminated lilac.

Since Bird retired from the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2022, and Rapinoe had played her last World Cup, the home is a new start for the pair, with the latter stating:

"Whenever I think about retirement and the future, I think about our friends and family sitting on the couch, sharing joy with each other."

Bird, who also has a home in Connecticut, agreed with her partner in installing a television in their living room, an excellent spot for them to watch sports.

In 2019, the soccer player opened up about her relationship with her fiancée, revealing how they are each other's biggest fans.

The athlete, who had become a super fan of the Seattle Storm, her partner's now-former team, felt she and her partner understood what they'd gone through and appreciated each other's skills and lives. But they are still normal to one another and called each other the best in their sport.

The couple who first met met at Rio de Janeiro's 2016 Summer Olympics were once described as a "sports power couple." Rapinoe and Bird dated for a year and a half before moving into the latter's Queen Anne condo in Seattle in 2019 and then buying the joint apartment in New York.

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