ESPN Praises Megan Rapinoe For Her 'Patriotism,' Says She 'Loved America' In Absurd SportsCenter Tribute Following USWNT's World Cup Exit

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ESPN has praised every move made and every word said by Megan Rapinoe for close to a decade now, so by no means did it come as a surprise that the network ran a lengthy tribute video highlighting her career on SportsCenter as her time with the USWNT comes to a close following the team's loss to Sweden.

Instead of focusing on Rapinoe's many accomplishments on the field, of which there are plenty, ESPN couldn't help but make politics the center of attention. Not only did the network bring politics into the mix, it delivered them in its typical left-leaning way.

In other words, ESPN pushed a version of a make-believe reality that only its liberal audience will agree with, while the rest of the country will recognize it for what it is, which is a lie.

Rapinoe's fiancée, Sue Bird, narrates the video and highlight's Rapinoe's "patriotism" throughout her career while claiming that she knelt during the National Anthem "because she loved America."

TSN shared the tribute video to YouTube, but it also aired during Monday morning's edition of SportsCenter in the States.

Nobody that loves America kneels for the playing of the National Anthem. Americans living in reality understand this, but Bird, Rapinoe, many members of the USWNT, don't subscribe to reality.

READ: ALEXI LALAS ADMITS USWNT HAS BECOME ‘UNLIKABLE’ FOR THEIR EXTREMELY WOKE POLITICS, IS AT RISK OF BECOMING ‘IRRELEVANT’

Bird saying that "the people who don't know her criticize her, but everyone who does know her loves her" proves that exact point. Megan Rapinoe's friends and family, let's say roughly 50 people love her, and the other 330 million Americans who don't are all wrong for criticizing her?

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

This is just the latest example of ESPN not having the ability to separate politics from sport, but the network was left with no choice on this occasion given that Rapinoe has spent the final years of her career padding her bank account as a political activist more so than being a soccer player.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.