SI Swimsuit Star Megan Rapinoe Is the 2019 Sportsperson of the Year
It's offical—your 2019 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year is...Megan Rapinoe.
"Playing the world’s game, on the world’s stage, under attack by a world leader, she dominated," SI writer Jenny Vrentas said about why Megan was chosen for the honor. "And in doing so without fear, Megan Rapinoe became a voice for so many across the world."
It's been a big year for Megan, who walked away the leading goalscorer and winner of the Adidas Golden Boot, as well as a world champion from the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup this past summer. The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) captain was also the first openly gay woman to appear in the pages of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Megan posed for the 2019 issue in St. Lucia along with fellow professional soccer players and USWNT members Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, and Abby Dahlkemper.
“I think it’s really quite a bold statement by Sports Illustrated to be honest because it has been seen as sort of this magazine only for heterosexual males,” Megan told the magazine back in May. “I think so often with gay females in sports there’s this particular stereotype about it and there’s such a narrow view of what it means to be gay and be athletic. So, to kind of just blow that up and and do something totally different I think is really important.
“I think our view is still way too narrow of gay people in general” Megan added. “Stereotypes still very much persist and they are just such incomplete views of who we really are as people, so I think for that reason it’s really important to just continue to push those boundaries.”
Congratulations, Megan, on yet another spectaular honor!
See all of Megan's stunning photos from SI Swimsuit 2019:
