Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe Announce Podcast Conclusion Following Relationship Split
The sporting world was rocked on Friday as power couple Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe announced the end of their nearly decade-long relationship. In a bombshell joint statement released on social media, the two legendary athletes confirmed they are going their separate ways after ten years together.
The sudden split has also determined the fate of their popular joint podcast, 'A Touch More,' which they relaunched earlier in 2024. In a special brief edition of the podcast, the couple revealed they would be phasing out the show entirely.
Podcast Farewell and Future Plans
'I hope you all know we put a lot of thought and care into this,' said Rapinoe, the two-time World Cup winner with the US women's soccer team. 'It's a decision that we made together. We're still going to be there for all of you and for each other. It's just going to look and feel a little bit different.'
Rapinoe continued, 'We truly are evolving into something new to each other, to ourselves and to all of you, and we just wanted to say thank you for sharing this space with us and giving us this space for us to find ourselves in a different way through this podcast.'
Bird, the WNBA legend, explained that they plan to release six more limited episodes before closing that chapter of their lives as what she called 'a farewell to you all and to this space.'
Moving forward from their collaboration, both athletes have solo podcast projects in the works. Rapinoe is planning to start her own independent podcast, while Bird remains committed to a second season of her existing venture, 'Bird's Eye View.'
A Decade-Long Relationship Comes to an End
The sporting power couple first met backstage at a photoshoot for the 2016 Rio Olympics, where both were competing for Team USA - Rapinoe in soccer and Bird in basketball. They began dating shortly after the games but didn't go public with their romance until the following year.
Both gold medal winners in their respective sports, the couple got engaged in October 2020 but never exchanged vows. Between them, they have accumulated six Olympic gold medals - five for Bird and one for Rapinoe, who also earned a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Coming Out and Public Visibility
Rapinoe, now 40, first came out publicly in 2012 ahead of representing the USWNT at the London Olympic Games. Bird, 45, was not publicly open about her sexuality until they went public with their relationship.
The basketball great previously explained to the Seattle Times: 'I think a lot of people who were like me at the time felt: "Yes, I was living my life, but I don't have to come out publicly." You kinda say, "Well, straight people don't have to come out." I understand now that's not necessarily the right way to look at it.'
Bird revealed that conversations with Rapinoe changed her perspective: 'Megan and I would have conversations about it, and she opened my eyes to another way of looking at it, which is that in today's time, in today's society, it's still important to kind of say it to make it the norm.'
Mutual Admiration and Support
In a 2019 interview with People magazine, Rapinoe expressed deep admiration for her then-girlfriend: 'We are huge fans of each other. I have become, like, a Seattle Storm number one superfan, of course.'
She continued, 'I think it is just the understanding of what we have to go through and the appreciation of each other's skills and lives is really special. And in the same sense, we are just normal to each other. Which is really nice. Like, neither of us are like, "Oh wow you are the best person that has ever played basketball." Which she is!'
Rapinoe proposed in 2020, shortly after Bird won her fourth WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm. This was Rapinoe's second engagement, having previously been engaged to singer Sera Cahoone in 2015 before that relationship ended. She has also dated fellow soccer star Sarah Walsh.
The couple's decision to end both their relationship and their podcast collaboration marks the conclusion of a significant chapter in both their personal lives and their public partnership that inspired many fans worldwide.
