Megan Rapinoe doesn’t have a huge amount of free time these days, but in the beginning of August, she found herself stuck in a little eddy of internet videos. It was James Baldwin’s birthday, and Rapinoe was messing around on YouTube.



“I got in this 45-minute rabbit hole of just watching James Baldwin videos,” she said. “Epic. He’s so kooky too. It was great.”



It was a rare moment of regenerative calm, at odds with the flurry of excitement and activity that has followed Rapinoe everywhere she has gone since July 7th.



She had left the United States in May along with the rest of the U.S. women’s national team, shortly after their final pre-World Cup friendly, at Red Bull Arena. A comfortable 3–0 win over Mexico was followed by a send-off before the supporters’ section, with each player parading through an arch down on the field. When Rapinoe came through, she spread her arms and lifted her chin.