Megan Rapinoe stood and locked arms with her Seattle Reign FC teammates during the national anthem on Sunday.
Rapinoe remained with her team during the anthem to show unity before the NWSL home game against the Washington Spirit, changing her initial action of kneeling in support of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protest of what he sees are failings in the United States' treatment of racial minorities.
Rapinoe knelt last Sunday during the anthem before the Reign's game in Chicago, but the opportunity to repeat that action was denied last Wednesday in Maryland when the home team, the Spirit, played the anthem before the players came out to the field.
Rapinoe had said she would continue to kneel in every match going forward, including U.S. women's national team matches.
The Reign issued a statement on Wednesday that said in part, "We will continue to encourage all Reign FC players to participate in the prematch ceremony, which honors those who have served and made sacrifices on our behalf."
On Tuesday, Rapinoe told Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic that her joining in protest has been fairly well received.
"I felt like it was the right thing to do. I think it was the right time to do that," Rapinoe said Tuesday. "I've talked to people who are equally inspired and outraged, and I welcome both of those conversations and think that they are both incredibly important. I think, overall, it's been positive."
