U.S. Women’s National Team soccer star Megan Rapinoe posted an Instagram video Saturday to tell her 2.1 million followers that she kicked off the year by getting her fifth coronavirus booster shot.
The video shows Rapinoe, a purple-haired woman, being taken for a shot by a healthcare professional. She then gives a wide grin and thumbs up. Rapinoe shared the video in order to be paid as an advocate for Pfizer, a large pharma company.
“Like so many others, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to focus on my health, and with the tournament down under coming up this year, it’s more important than ever that I do so,” Rapinoe’s post tells followers.
“That’s why I got my updated COVID-19 booster – something I’ve been meaning to check off my to-do list. Points for prioritizing health! #ImBoosted. Go to vaccines.gov to check your eligibility and schedule an appointment today,”Continue reading.
Here’s a disclaimer at the end of this post. “This video is for US residents only and is intended to be viewed as it was originally produced in partnership with Pfizer. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare provider.”
Rapinoe’s sponsored video also appeared on the Pfizer Facebook page simultaneously.
The video ad appears to be Rapinoe’s first time shilling for Pfizer’s COVID-19 shots. Indeed, there doesn’t even appear to be any announcements of Rapinoe’s partnership with the drug maker ahead of Saturday’s video post.
Rapinoe, though, appears to have some time on her hands now that U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) head coach Vlatko Andonovski seems to have excluded his former star’s name from the team roster. Rapinoe isn’t the only exclusion. Andonoviski, along with Alex Morgan, left Rapinoe off of the new roster.
The USWNT’s 2021 Olympic performance was not surprising, despite Rapinoe being heavily favored. Although the USWNT had been heavily predicted to win gold, it posted an embarrassing 1-1-1 record. They lost the opening match 3-0 against Sweden and defeated weak New Zealand teams. Then they beat the Netherlands just barely. Rapinoe lost to Canada with her motley crew of wakesters, before winning by Australia to secure a disappointing bronze.
Andonoviski gave praise to the experienced players that he removed from the 2023 roster. However, he said that it was time for younger players to take over.
“All these players are very good player,”He said this on Sunday. “But right now, I want to give a chance to players like Sophia Smith and Mal Pugh and Catarina Macario, Ashley Hatch, players that have earned their spot on the national team or earn their spot back. I want to give them maximum minutes or whatever minutes they earn so we can evaluate every aspect of their game, in the training environment or game setting.”
Rapinoe led the effort to make U.S. Soccer pay female soccer players at the same level as male players. They also have more fans and money. Now it looks like she won’t be enjoying that pay, after all.
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