Megan Rapinoe says women's sports are facing 'regression' of 'equal rights' in new Kamala Harris interview

Harris Speaks with Megan Rapinoe About Politics, Sports in New Interview

Former Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for an interview with former U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe for a podcast called "Why Are You Like This?" The interview, conducted on Thursday, covered various topics but notably avoided many substantive political questions.

Harris discussed her political journey during the conversation, mentioning how her parents took her to civil rights marches while she was still in a stroller as a young child. She described determination and hard work as driving forces in her career, along with breaking barriers along the way.

When asked why she chose a career in politics, Harris noted that it's something she would be reminded of daily—"that you're still a woman, and still Black"—though she offered few concrete explanations for her choice.

Rapinoe focused extensively on her own athletic career, which she characterized as happening during "the most historic time in women's sports." She claimed there has since been "a pretty significant regression in terms of just equal rights and people's rights in general."

The former soccer player struggled to articulate exactly what rights she believed women had lost, but suggested that limitations on male participation in women's sports represented part of this decline. She appeared to conflate separate issues regarding competitive fairness in women's athletics.

Harris participated in the discussion with what seemed like enthusiastic agreement, once laughing broadly and responding to Rapinoe's characterization of women's sports with, "Well, I've always been a woman, so I don't know what to tell you."

Discussing her own identity in politics, Harris attempted to draw a contrast with what she described as an ideal "boy next door" figure, suggesting such a representation lacks in describing women in public life. She noted they don't have four-word descriptors for themselves or others like they might for men.

On political and economic inequality, Harris stated that "we have increasingly witnessed a concentration of wealth and power among a few, to the exclusion of the most, and that wealth and concentration being also a political power."

Despite this rhetoric, records show Harris purchased an $8 million home in Malibu, California, featuring a heated pool and in-ground spa. She has not announced whether she will seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

The interview has drawn attention to ongoing public discourse about competitive fairness in women's sports and the role of transgender athletes, issues that have created division within political and athletic communities.