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On Thursday, Simone Biles and Megan Rapinoe flanked Washington’s most dignified hall.
Biles came in first, and the vice president’s smiling eyes and applauding hands followed her to the stage. Rapinoe wore an all-white suit and sat closer to the full-length portrait of George Washington. Among them, in a row of chairs with golden legs, was a meeting of cousins and founders: to name a few, the first American to receive the coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials and the founder of a center defined by its constitutional education and debate.
Inside the East Room, one of the largest in the White House and still too small to host this day’s event, Biles and Rapinoe were the only two athletes among the panel of 17 awarded the Presidential Medal of the Freedom, the nation’s highest honor bestowed on civilians. .
17 people are honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Around him were people whose life stories could fill history books about the best ideals and the worst impulses witnessed in modern America. The front row, masked and glowing pink, was Diane Nash, a founding member of the Nonviolent Student Coordinating Committee; in the back row, in the center sat former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who had to learn to walk and talk again after being shot in the head; next to her was Laurene Powell Jobs, who was attending on behalf of her late husband, Steve, the co-founder of Apple.
The two athletes placed rows of civil rights icons and decorated politicians, and yet they combined perfectly.
Rapinoe and Biles crashed into the nation’s consciousness as athletes on the U.S. team. In two Olympics, Biles became the most decorated American gymnast in history. Rapinoe consolidated his legacy as a two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist, extending his arms, thus bowing and achieving the position of triumph after one of his clutch goals. Their hits on the carpet, beam or playing field have changed their respective sports, but that’s not why the women were invited to the White House on Thursday.
As transcendent as they are as athletes, Rapinoe and Biles have proven to be far more important in their roles as brave and inflexible defenders.
The time Biles made a public appearance in Washington, he was testifying on Capitol Hill. While it was the last place he wanted to be, Biles told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the viewing public about the emotional scars he suffered after surviving the sexual abuse of Larry Nassar, the formerly disgraced doctor. and USA Gymnastics. As proof of his greatness, Biles still stands above all other American gymnasts medalists, even though he only added one bronze during the 2020 Games.
In the run-up to Tokyo, treating the trauma turned out to be “too much,” he later said. Biles withdrew from individual competition, specifically to focus on mental health. Her choice made her more human than GOAT AND sports can use more humans.
President Biden began the presentation by focusing on Biles: he had the alphabetical advantage. In addition, she has the distinction of being the youngest winner of the Medal of Freedom at just 25 years old.
“He turned personal pain into a bigger purpose, to get up and speak for those who can’t speak for themselves,” Biden said. “Today he is increasing his number of medals.”
Then, reading an indicator at the back of the room, Biden turned his attention to the first football player honored as the winner of the Medal of Freedom.
“Where’s Megan? Megan, where are you?” Biden asked before beginning his statements. Not noticing the pink-haired Rapinoe, sitting directly behind her, as cheeky as ever, she approached and greeted.
Everything about Rapinoe’s colorful hair and playful personality make it an easy choice for throwing underwater sandwiches, vodka or credit cards. In 2021, the money from her endorsements placed her out of the top 10 female athletes with the most earnings, according to Forbes. But while it helped the U.S. women’s soccer team remain the most dominant in the world, Rapinoe and her teammates earned less than men.
The national team filed a class action lawsuit that turned into a six-year ordeal, and Rapinoe also brought his cause to Washington. Last year, he testified about gender discrimination before the House Oversight and Reform Committee and later appeared with Biden when he signed the proclamation of Equal Pay Day.
“I know that there are millions of people who are marginalized by gender in the world and experience the same in their work. And I know there are people who experience even more, where layers of discrimination continue to pile up against them. And my teammates and I are here for them, “Rapinoe said during that White House event.” We, in the U.S. women’s team, are here today thanks to them. “
In February, the U.S. women’s national team reached an agreement with the U.S. Football Federation for $ 24 million. Before acknowledging this success, Biden deviated at the time of the story. He turned to Rapinoe as he remembered the excitement his granddaughter, who was a high school athlete, had to meet her. He has scored goals and posed as a Greek god, but for future generations, Rapinoe’s legacy will be his fierce off-field defense.
“It helped lead the change for perhaps the most important victory for anyone on the football team or any football team: equal pay for women,” Biden said as a loud applause erupted in the room. .
The ceremony continued. Fred Gray, the lawyer who represented Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and the NAACP during the civil rights struggle, sat cross-legged, showing off his red socks until he stood up on his own to be adorned. with a medal. At age 91, he still practices law. Cindy McCain rubbed her eyes as Biden remembered her late husband, Senator John McCain. Sandra Lindsay, the New York City vaccine nurse and advocate, approached and put her hand on McCain’s for comfort. And after the father of the Golden Star, the Catholic priest, the son of the late AFL-CIO president, the gymnast and the footballer and everyone else had received their medals, the president made a statement final.
“This is America,” Biden said.
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