Cue the outrage on the left after Korbin Albert was chosen for the U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team, given the Christian athlete’s previous posts critical of the gender-identity movement.
The 20-year-old Albert, a former Notre Dame midfielder who now plays professionally for the Paris Saint-Germain team, was one of 18 players to make the women’s Olympic squad unveiled Wednesday, spurring immediate criticism from LGBTQ advocates.
Sam Mewis, a former U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder, said that “Korbin Albert’s selection to this roster is upsetting to a lot of people, especially within our women’s soccer community.”
“Earlier this year, Korbin had shared some homophobic and transphobic content on her social media,” Mewis said Wednesday on “The Women’s Game” podcast.
She referred to a TikTok video reposted by Albert that showed a young man wearing a “Jesus Wins” T-shirt who told a Christian worship gathering that he had previously been “feeling transgender,” but stopped taking cross-sex hormones after sensing the presence of God.
Albert also posted a TikTok video over the 2023 Fourth of July weekend showing her and members of her family saying that “their pronouns are U.S.A.,” according to the Athletic. The post has since been removed.
In addition, Albert “liked” an Instagram post saying “God taking time off performing miracles to make sure Megan Rapinoe sprains her ankle in her final game ever,” as shown in a screen grab, referring to the soccer star’s injury during a US national women’s team match in November.
The post had a backstory. After the game, Rapinoe cracked that “if there was a God, this is proof that there isn’t,” drawing the ire of Christians. Albert is public about her Christian faith, saying on Instagram that “Jesus is [king emoji].”
Albert apologized in March for “my actions on social media,” saying in a statement that “I’m really disappointed in myself and am deeply sorry for the hurt that I have caused.”
USNWT players Lindsey Horan and Alex Morgan posted a video afterward expressing their disappointment with Albert’s comments. Morgan, now 35 and in the last chapter of her career, was not chosen for the Olympic team, but Horan was.
Don’t let the turkeys get you down, Korbin. Congratulations and best of luck to you and all our #USWNT Olympians. Make us proud, this summer and beyond.🇺🇸⚽️ https://t.co/KlTVMVg8x5
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) June 27, 2024
After the Olympic picks were announced, women’s soccer head coach Emma Hayes said that Albert was chosen “on merit” and that there was “a lot of work that’s been going on in the background to work with Korbin.”
“As I’ve expressed on several occasions, I think it’s really important that everybody in this team understands the importance of not just being tolerant and respectful, and understanding the things that matter to all of us,” she told the Athletic, adding that Albert is a “tremendous human being.”
Mewis argued that there should be a more public reckoning, saying that the “actions that were a problem were out in the open, and so to some extent the growth should be out in the open as well, and I think that that is what’s missing from this equation right now.”
Anti-Albert comments on social media included “Congratulations to everyone making the #USWNT Olympics roster except Korbin Albert” and “Whyyyyyyyy with Korbin Albert still? Her talent doesn’t override her homophobia.”
The conservative sports outlet OutKick came to her defense, noting that Albert “was an All-American at Notre Dame and plays professionally for PSG, but all the LGBTQ+ crowd wants to yell about is that she is a Christian.”
Soccer fan Tim Chase said on X: “Those of you who question why I defend Korbin, here’s your answer. Simply disagreeing with the LGBTQ community does not make you homophobic.”
The U.S. women’s team will play its first match leading up to the Olympics against Mexico on July 13 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, then host a send-off match July 16 against Costa Rica at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are scheduled to run from July 26-August 11.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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