JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The 2026 World Cup is in the past, but that does not mean we're tired of talking about the beautiful game. The next women's World Cup is right around the corner in Brazil next summer, and unlike on the men's side, the U.S. women are top contenders, having already won the World Cup four times. So there's just a lot on the line for this U.S. women's team. Who better than U.S. women's team legend Megan Rapinoe to talk about all things soccer with us? Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
MEGAN RAPINOE: Thank you. Thank you.
SUMMERS: I mean, Megan, it has just been such a wild, wild summer for sports in America. What did the men's World Cup feel like for you? I know I just couldn't stop watching.
RAPINOE: It felt wild. To be honest, that's a great way to say it. There was, you know, drama and controversy on and off the field. I think, as always with the World Cup and a big - you know, it's a global sporting event unlike any other. It ultimately - sports captures your heart and you get into the storylines, and, you know, incredible stories emerge, and it just sort of sucks you in. And I think we're sad it's over, but I think everybody's like, whoa, it's been a long summer.
SUMMERS: It has been a long summer. I mean, what do you think it is about the World Cup that's so special and so unifying? I mean, look, I love sports. I will watch any preseason games. But, like, even people I know in my life who do not normally care about sports, they seem to be so plugged in and really just taking it all in.
RAPINOE: I think the global nature of it is just different. I mean, it's a little bit similar to the Olympics in that way, where you can just, like, you know, get behind this huge sporting event from different teams. I think you're always going to have these kind of underdog stories that people love. It might not be a team that goes far, but it might be a player that stuns or a story that you hear off the field.
I think in a particularly divisive time that we're in, you know - I know being someone who's not really down with this administration, it gave me an opportunity to, like, really cheer for America in a different way and to be really proud of that. And I thought our guys did really well. And I think it's just an opportunity to, like, be in the summer and enjoy yourself. And it's the game that, like, the rest of the world loves, so you don't have to, like, know the rules of American football or basketball or whatever it is. Everybody knows this game, and everybody loves it.
SUMMERS: Yeah. Now, you are a two-time world champion. You also know what it's like to lose a final. You know what it's like to lose in the Round of 16. What's your advice to players on the men's side after their heartbreaking exit at the Round of 16 this year?
RAPINOE: I mean, you got to learn from it, learn from your mistakes or, you know, gain that experience. Obviously, I don't know what it was like in the locker room and what went on behind the scenes, but don't hang onto it, I would say. You win. You lose. I think, you know, the biggest lesson of being an athlete is you lose all the time. You're failing constantly. It's probably the biggest lesson in life - learn how to fail well and learn how to learn from that and move forward. But I think for them, you know, there's a lot of young players on that team, and they have a ton of talent. So learn from what you did wrong and prepare yourself, you know, as well or better in the next tournament and see where you can go from there.
SUMMERS: Yeah. I mean, I think so many of us who love soccer are really looking forward to next year's World Cup in Brazil. But I wonder for people who maybe are new to American soccer - they're just getting the bug - what might they expect? What would you tell them to be excited for?
RAPINOE: Well, women's soccer is a totally different beast - I think women's sports in general. The head coach of the women's national team said this, and it's the perfect way to explain the difference between men's and women's sports. Men's sports is cortisol, and women's sports is dopamine. So you can expect a great vibe. You can expect there being a feeling of solidarity and unity. You can expect incredible play on the field. You know, the women's game has grown so much. We're seeing so much more investment and time and energy spent in the game, and it's just growing exponentially year over year over year.
So you're going to have a party because it's going to be in Brazil. It's going to be a good vibe. You're going to have an incredible soccer culture, a fan base that really knows the game, appreciates the game, loves it and celebrates it. And I think you're going to have an athlete group in teams and players that are really excited to be in Brazil. First of all, it's, like, one of the best countries in the world, in general. We're going to be there in the summer. And then I think it's like when people think of soccer, like, they think of Brazil. They think of those teams. They think of that flare and that personality and that, like, joy that the Brazilians always play with. I think all of us are trying to emulate that in a way. So the women's World Cup is going to be lit. I think that's the main thing that people can take away. It's going to be incredible.
SUMMERS: Incredible. One of the things I also wanted to ask you about is you're in a little bit of a season of change yourself. You recently ended a decade-long relationship with a longtime partner, Sue Bird. You also used to host a podcast together. That's a lot of professional change. It's a lot of personal change. How are you thinking about that? How are you approaching it?
RAPINOE: Day by day, mostly. Yeah. I think having retired a couple of years ago and sort of started this what now is a yearslong transitional period in multiple different ways, I feel like there's no right answer. There's no perfect way to do it. I think the point is you kind of have to struggle through it. You have to figure out what a new way of looking at life looks like. It's a lot of trial and error, a lot of figuring out. But it's also like a brand-new, wide-open space that I'm really looking forward to.
You know, Sue and I's relationship was really great, and I think we learned a lot and really loved each other, and we did so much together, you know, in sort of our concurrent times in our career. We had a great podcast together. I think we both really loved it and learned a lot. And sometimes things come to an end, and that's OK, and it gives you an opportunity to move on to other things and have new challenges.
I think for me, personally, it's - while it's hard, having all this transition happen one time, it's also really exciting. I did the same thing for a really long time. And while I loved it and I was really good at, and I had a lot of, you know, recognition and validation from that, I also, now being retired, I'm like, oh, I'm actually quite young in my life.
SUMMERS: Yeah.
RAPINOE: I feel like I was old when I retired and quite young in my life. I have the rest of, you know, this really short life to live and to get the most out of, and it feels like I'm just starting this chapter.
SUMMERS: Yeah. And you also have a new podcast coming out. It's called "Why Are You Like This?" and the show's with Vox Media. Now, this is a bit of a pivot for you - stepping away from sports, a little closer to culture. Tell us why. Tell us about it.
RAPINOE: Yeah. "Why Are You Like This?" is a solo show, so it'll be different in that regard, for sure. It's much more of an interview-based show. I'm curious to talk to guests about why they are the way they are. I feel like I got this question a lot as a player, on and off the field, sometimes in the positive, sometimes in the negative. I'm just like, girl, why are you like this? Why are you doing this? Why do you make the choices that you do?
I feel like I did things a little bit different in my life and in my career. I think being a woman, being a gay woman, just naturally, I'm going to do that. And I'm really interested in talking to people who are having an effect on culture, who are doing things a different way, who are trying to make the world a better place in some kind of way and using the talent or skill or thing that they do best to do that. They're taking a left when everybody's taking a right, and I want to know why.
SUMMERS: That was Megan Rapinoe, two-time World Cup winner who has a new podcast out with Vox Media. Megan, thank you so much.
RAPINOE: Thank you.
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