Megan Rapinoe Unveils Latest Autobiography ‘One Life’

Anticipate a departure from the commonplace clichés surrounding diligence and tenacity in Megan Rapinoe’s “One Life.” This narrative delves into her political enlightenment as intricately as it delves into her athletic journey.

GREENWICH, Conn. — Megan Rapinoe, the adorned American footballer draped in accolades and awards, is set to release her book this Tuesday. However, it transcends the typical sports narrative.

While crucial matches are revisited and injuries are chronicled, readers will also gain insights into redlining and the exclusion of Black service members from the G.I. Bill. The narrative delves into the gender pay gap among professional soccer players, shedding light on Rapinoe’s acknowledgment of her white privilege in the prologue: “A diminutive, Caucasian, female footballer — even one who identifies as a lesbian with an outspoken demeanor and pink hair — is perceived differently in the media than, let’s say, a towering Black football player with an Afro.”

Conventional exhortations suggesting that sheer hard work guarantees the path to becoming a professional athlete are notably absent from the book.

“Do you know who else toils relentlessly?” Rapinoe asserts. “Everyone.”

Certainly, her autobiography, “One Life,” traces the trajectory of her political awakening as fervently as it traces her athletic journey. Within its pages, we encounter a thoroughly contemporary athlete who not only excels in games but also channels her public image and social media following towards activism, going beyond mere endorsements.

“I chose to pen this book because there’s a broader narrative unfolding here than just the sports aspect,” Rapinoe expressed in a recent interview, her pandemic haircut concealed under a vibrant blue beanie, courtesy of her fiancée, W.N.B.A. star Sue Bird.

She adds, “I believe we can leverage sports as a platform to discuss what I perceive as the most crucial work in my life, which extends beyond the field.”

At 35, Rapinoe has been a professional footballer for over a decade, but her nationwide prominence skyrocketed in 2016. This was the year she joined Colin Kaepernick in taking a knee during the national anthem and filed a federal complaint, along with four teammates, against the United States Soccer Federation for wage discrimination.

As she elucidates in the book, despite the women’s team’s superior record in victories and titles compared to the American men, a top female player could anticipate earning less than half of what a male counterpart on the men’s team makes.

“As a woman, you are in perpetual dissent against our societal norms,” Rapinoe contends. “There’s no space for us, of course. We didn’t construct it.”

Megan Rapinoe’s autobiography, “One Life,” hits shelves on Nov. 10.
However, her public profile as an athlete undeniably benefited from the women’s team’s success. Rapinoe boasts an Olympic gold medal and two FIFA World Cup titles, stowed away somewhere in her Seattle office, she presumes. Following the World Cup victory in France last year, accolades poured in — TV interviews, magazine covers, a ticker-tape parade, and the team receiving the keys to New York City. Her refusal to visit the White House, expressed on Twitter, drew the ire of President Trump.

All these events paved the way for Rapinoe to venture into book authorship.

Acknowledging her limited tolerance for alcohol, she entered a series of meetings with publishers nursing a hangover, having succumbed to an ill-advised shot of Chartreuse at a Tribeca restaurant, as persuaded by a friend. The last meeting was with Ann Godoff, Penguin Press founder renowned for editing the works of Ron Chernow, Zadie Smith, Michael Pollan, and Karl Ove Knausgaard.

Not the conventional choice for a sports memoir.

However, Godoff perceived Rapinoe’s story as a transformation from athlete to activist, a narrative appealing to a diverse audience. “To be honest, I pursued this aggressively, and I don’t usually do that anymore,” Godoff admitted.

Godoff, a gay baby boomer, found Rapinoe’s openness about her sexuality particularly appealing. “We can contribute to a generation much younger than you and much, much younger than me,” she conveyed to Rapinoe.

“If I had encountered this book as a 13-year-old girl,” Godoff added, “it would have catalyzed a change for me. And I think we’ll achieve that.”

The title, “One Life,” extracted from the Mary Oliver poem “The Summer Day,” was Godoff’s proposition. Rapinoe’s connection with author and journalist Emma Brockes, who agreed to ghostwrite the narrative, further shaped the project. Rapinoe and Brockes spent two days in Orlando and numerous hours on the phone, with Brockes assimilating Rapinoe’s life story and channeling her voice — a process involving some curbing of Rapinoe’s explicit language.

As a member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, Rapinoe possesses an Olympic gold medal and two FIFA World Cup title medals.
Credit…
Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times
Brockes extensively engaged with Rapinoe’s family, particularly her fraternal twin sister, Rachael, and spent time with their mother, Denise, who has since become a source of parenting advice for Brockes, a mother of twin girls.

Raised in Redding, Calif., a conservative town, Rapinoe’s parents, Denise and Jim, worked as a waitress and in construction, respectively. Denise, a guiding force in a vociferous family brimming with opinions, has her nickname “Mammers” tattooed on Rapinoe’s left wrist — a stick-and-poke tattoo courtesy of a W.N.B.A. referee in the league’s bubble.

Rapinoe is forthright about her brother Brian’s ongoing battle with drug addiction, depicting him with compassion and an analysis of the contributing systemic factors.

“The discourse surrounding those serving time reminds me of the narrative perpetuated by right-wing politicians — that the sole disparity between the affluent and the less fortunate is the latter’s own ineptitude,” Rapinoe writes. “Being a ‘repeat offender’ isn’t attributable to systemic failings, just as being a drug addict isn’t a consequence of aggressive marketing by opioid manufacturers until addiction ensues. Instead, you find yourself incarcerated or addicted because fundamentally, that is who you are.”

Her romantic journey is laid bare in the book, chronicling relationships with figures like Abby Wambach, a former teammate now married to writer Glennon Doyle. The revelation of her homosexuality upon arriving at college is narrated humorously: “Clearly, I’m gay, and why didn’t anyone inform me?” she quips. “And secondly, this is fantastic.”

Her relationship with Bird takes center stage. Having left the W.N.B.A. bubble, where Bird’s team, the Seattle Storm, clinched this year’s championship, the couple now resides in Greenwich, Conn., engaging in activities like swimming, using a high-tech exercise machine called Tonal, and riding their Peloton.

Despite her stellar soccer career, Rapinoe admits she’s not

the most adept at Peloton, consistently ranking in the lower 30 percent among thousands of users in each ride.

Before their move to Greenwich, Rapinoe and Bird’s engagement unfolded during a trip to Antigua with friends. A viral moment ensued when Rapinoe, lounging by a pool, unintentionally appeared to be kneeling. Although unplanned, she had contemplated proposing for months, and there was no doubt in either of their minds about getting married.

“We locked eyes, and I thought, this is undeniably the moment,” she reminisces.

Thus, Rapinoe, adorned with various jewelry, took a simple gold band from her finger and proposed.

The image of that moment went viral, even earning a retweet and congratulations from former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. However, no such acknowledgment came from Mr. Trump.