Korbin Albert makes Team USA despite controversy

Emma Schirmer, Contributing Writer

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team recently won their fifth gold medal in soccer at the Paris 2024 Olympics, according to The New York Times. 

The current behavior of some of their players is a step back from their progressive past however. 

In March, just days before the annual SheBelieves Cup, it was revealed that USWNT midfielder Korbin Albert had been reposting transphobic and homophobic media on platforms like TikTok, according to The New York Times.

This included content that mocked and celebrated the career ending injury of former USWNT player Megan Rapinoe, according to USA Today.

Albert shared an apology on her Instagram story, in which she didn’t mention the LGBTQ+ community and only apologized to “teammates, other players, fans, friends and anyone who was offended.” 

The U.S. Soccer Federation let her stay on the team despite her actions and Albert was named to the Paris 2024 Olympic team roster, according to Pro Soccer Wire. 

Some fans and supporters of the USWNT responded to this by booing her when she entered the field for every official USWNT game onward, according to Advocate.

Women’s soccer has a reputation for being an inclusive sport, according to Time. This is due to past players rising up to fight for equal opportunities, pay equity and social reform, according to The New York Times .

Women’s soccer has long been known to include queer players as well, with some data showing that over 13% of players in the 2023 world cup identified as LGBTQ+, according to BBC.  

During a press conference shortly after the announcement, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said to the Athletic, “First of all, we know Korbin making the team is on merit in terms of what she offers us. The conversations we have had have been to talk about the importance of what we have to be mindful of.” 

Commentator Jon Champion described Albert’s actions as a “controversy” during the Team USA vs. Team Australia Olympic game on Peacock.

The lack of transparency about this issue from Hayes and others with power in the USSF is apparent to some players and fans watching from around the world. Former USWNT player Sam Mewis spoke on this on the podcast “The Women’s Game,” 

“The actions that were a problem were put in the open and so to some extent the growth should be out in the open as well,” Mewis said. “I think that is what’s missing from this equation right now.”

Others question if  actions like Albert’s taken off-the-field are creating unsafe spaces for LGBTQ+ people.

Rapinoe stated in an Instagram story saying “are you making any type of space safer, more inclusive, more whole, any semblance of better, bringing out the best in anyone? Because if you aren’t all you believe in is hate. And kids are literally killing themselves because of this hate.” 

USWNT defender Tierna Davidson spoke about wanting a safe space for all fans regardless of their background during the podcast “Good Game with Sarah Spain.”

“I want to have fans feel really welcome and feel like they can see themselves on this field in this team,” Davidson said. “I don’t want there to be any sort of feeling that they’re not welcome here.”

During  “The RE-CAP Show” former USWNT players Tobin Heath and Christen Press, who are both queer, spoke about Albert’s actions at length. 

They expressed that allyship is more than just a flag during June, and the USWNT and USSF have the ability to uphold that by taking proper actions against Albert, according to Press. 

“You have an opportunity as an institution, I’m talking about U.S. Soccer, to show a good way to create a culture that doesn’t just monetize pride, but actually protects people’s feelings and psychological safety and physical safety,” Press said. “You could actually create that culture, but you have to do so in a way that’s consistent and in a way that’s not reactionary.”