Sue Bird’s injury lets her attend World Cup final, see Megan Rapinoe, USWNT

Sue Bird has missed the entire WNBA season thus far due to knee surgery. The good thing about it is that she can get to Lyon, France for the Women’s World Cup final to watch her girlfriend, Megan Rapinoe, and the US Women’s National Team.

The relationship has come into the spotlight since Bird wrote an article on The Players’ Tribune about Rapinoe, the World Cup and the comments made towards her by President Donald Trump. Rapinoe had been in the center of a firestorm for criticizing President Trump and saying she wouldn’t go to the White House in the event of a World Cup victory.

Though she scored twice in the quarterfinal against France, Rapinoe sat out the semis with a hamstring injury. She’s optimistic that she’ll be able to play in the final on Sunday.

“What they’re doing right now, it’s amazing,” Bird said of the USWNT run, per the Associated Press.

As for her article, Bird doesn’t think of it as political despite the headline coming in relation to the president.

“To me, this isn’t a matter of tax reform and things of that nature,” Bird said. “This is treating people with respect, treating people like they’re a human, just like you are. That’s where I stand with it. That’s what I believe in. It’s very similar to what Megan believes in. More than anything, I wanted to have her back and talk about some soccer.”

The story itself centered mostly around Rapinoe and the team, addressing the controversy around Trump but moving on to Rapinoe’s hair color in short order. Trump, as Bird noted, hasn’t invited a WNBA champion to the White House. The last NBA champion to visit the president came when Barack Obama occupied the building.

“On some levels, if you read it, there is some humor in there,” Bird said. “It’s a light, fun way to use your voice, but also address some things. More than anything, I wanted to hype Megan up a little bit and also have her back.”

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