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The veterans of the U.S. Women\u2019s National Soccer Team are at it again. In a move that surprised absolutely no one, retired stars Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, and the ever-defiant Megan Rapinoe spent the final week of February 2026 lashing out<\/a> at the U.S. Men\u2019s Hockey Team for the \u201ccrime\u201d of showing a modicum of respect to President Donald Trump following their Olympic gold medal win.<\/p>\n The controversy stems from a phone call where Trump invited the hockey champions to his State of the Union address. During the exchange, the president quipped that he would have to invite the women\u2019s team as well or face \u201cimpeachment\u201d\u2014a joke that elicited laughter from the men\u2019s locker room.<\/p>\n That laughter was apparently too much for Wambach. On her podcast, \u201cWelcome to the Party,\u201d Wambach demanded the men \u201cknock it all the (expletive) way off,\u201d adding, \u201cStop (expletive) laughing at things that aren\u2019t funny.\u201d Foudy joined the chorus, suggesting the men should have staged a retaliatory boycott of the State of the Union to show \u201caccountability.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, no Trump-related sports \u201cresistance\u201d would be complete without Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe, who has spent the better part of a decade using the American flag as a prop for her personal grievances, resurfaced during a Wednesday news conference to blast the \u201cwretched phone call.\u201d This is, after all, the same Rapinoe who famously dubbed herself a \u201cwalking protest\u201d and once told a magazine<\/a>, \u201cI\u2019m not going to the f*cking White House.\u201d<\/p>\n For Rapinoe, the national anthem isn\u2019t a moment of unity, but an opportunity for a \u201cgood \u2018F you’\u201d to an administration she finds \u201cdisturbing.\u201d While she claims to represent America, her brand of \u201cpatriotism\u201d usually involves refusing to place her hand over her heart<\/a> while reaping the \u201cAmerican privilege\u201d provided by the very country she disparages.<\/p>\n While the soccer stars were busy trying to burn bridges, the hockey players were actually busy being Americans. By February 26, the reaction from the men\u2019s locker room was divided. Stars like\u00a0Jack Hughes\u00a0refused to apologize regarding the manufactured drama, stating<\/a> plainly, \u201cEverything is so political. We\u2019re athletes, we\u2019re proud to represent the U.S. \u2013 When you get the chance to go to the White House and meet the President, no matter what your views are, we\u2019re excited.\u201d His brother, Quinn Hughes, echoed the sentiment, saying,<\/a> \u201cI don\u2019t know how much we\u2019re allowed to say, but yes. Yeah, we\u2019re excited to go. It\u2019s something you don\u2019t get to do \u2026 every Tuesday. It\u2019s going to be special for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, players like\u00a0Charlie McAvoy\u00a0and\u00a0Jeremy Swayman\u00a0eventually bent the knee<\/a> to the sports-media complex, issuing the now-obligatory \u201capologies\u201d for their laughter.<\/p>\n To the soccer \u201cresistance,\u201d a gold medal isn\u2019t enough; players must also adopt the correct political posture or face the wrath of the podcasting \u201celite.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n