Fox Sports soccer broadcaster Alexi Lalas apologized Sunday for a since-deleted tweet posted in reaction to players from two NWSL teams kneeling before their first Challenge Cup match.
Lalas’ original tweet read “Now it takes courage to represent the national anthem,” followed by an American flag and a soccer ball emoji.
An hour later, Lalas posted the following statement on Twitter, praising the players’ protest and apologizing for the “pain or anger” caused by his tweet.
Lalas’ original tweet quickly generated condemnation from many as a show of ignorance of the issues that players are using such protests to oppose. NWSL himself tweeted Lalas on Twitter, saying, “If this is your conclusion of our players’ organized action, you clearly have not been listening, Alexi.”
The USMNT strike, Jozy Altidore, also published a rebuttal, writing “No. Colin Kaepernick and Megan Rapinoe had real courage. “
Even with Rapinoe out of the Challenge Cup due to pandemic safety concerns, NWSL players still used their platform as the first sports league for American teams to return to send a message about racial injustice after the murder of George Floyd.
By the end of the year, they’re probably not the only league to send that message.
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