Soccer player Korbin Albert was selected to represent the U.S. women’s Olympic soccer team and recently scored her first international goal. However, the achievement has been overshadowed by her recent controversies.
Albert is a member of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT), one of the world’s most successful international female soccer teams. While she has risen through the ranks of the soccer world and played well for the team on the international stage, her social media activity has threatened her place on the team in the past. The controversy Albert has stirred also threatened to disrupt the entire team’s Olympic preparations, which is why many are uncertain of how to react to her recent Olympic victory.
Why is Korbin Albert controversial?
Albert has stirred controversy because her past social media behavior has suggested that she harbors anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments. In March, some of the soccer player’s social media posts resurfaced, stirring a strong reaction from soccer legend Megan Rapinoe. Although they have since been deleted, the media reported that she reposted multiple homophobic and transphobic videos on TikTok. However, the one that garnered the most attention was a video with a portion of a sermon stating that being gay or transgender was wrong and sinful. She also created a TikTok video with her family, mocking preferred pronouns by stating that their pronouns were “USA.”
The activity that drew the most outrage was when Albert came for a member of her soccer community, Rapinoe. Rapinoe recently retired from the USWNT and the final match of her career was sadly cut short when she suffered a torn Achilles during her final match. It was a heartbreaking moment for Rapinoe and for fans watching. At the same time, many homophobes quickly jumped at the opportunity to grossly celebrate Rapinoe’s injury. Soon, Albert joined in the mocking, liking a post on Instagram joking about how God went out of his way to “make sure” Rapinoe was injured in her final game. To add insult to injury, Albert was given the No. 15 jersey for the USWNT, the same number that Rapinoe wore.
It didn’t take long for Rapinoe to call out Albert for her hateful reposts and likes. Taking to her Instagram Stories, she questioned whether Albert was doing anything to improve the world or bring “the best out of anyone.” She criticized how Albert was just hiding behind the “my beliefs” excuse while failing to acknowledge her beliefs were serving no purpose other than hate. Rapinoe concluded, “And Kids are literally killing themselves because of this hate. Wake TF up! Yours Truly, #15.” Following the backlash, Albert issued a brief apology in an Instagram Story, stating that her social media behavior wasn’t meant to offend but that she was sorry for the hurt she caused. She concluded with a promise that she would try to “do better.”
Despite the controversy, Albert ultimately faced no consequences from the USWNT. When the controversy first broke, she was already on the path to the Olympics and ultimately was permitted to serve on the team. However, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes told USA Today that she had conversations with Albert and that the soccer player was working on herself to become more conscious of the sentiments she was putting out into the world. Albert appears to be on good terms with her team now, which supported and celebrated her during the recent match with Australia.
Meanwhile, she’s far from the most controversial Olympic athlete competing this year, considering the Netherlands sent convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde to Paris to represent his country in beach volleyball. Still, the presence of athletes who have committed crimes or spread hateful views in the Olympics does raise the difficult question of whether the competition should solely evaluate athletic skill or if it should also consider an athlete’s character.
Published: Aug 1, 2024 05:14 pm