It's more than just "equal pay" though; there's a video out there of Rapinoe with champonya saying "I deserve this". Not "we", "I", and "deserve". That to me screams entitlement. I get it, it's just me, but I don't believe in "deserve". In 1980 in Lake Placid, not ONE of those guys thought they deserved anything other than a chance to play, and to a man, after one of the greatest victories in sports, one that NO ONE thought they could pull off, and that resonated across (at least) two entire nations politically, socially and culturally, there was nothing but humility and grace and thankfulness.
Maybe the one requires the other; maybe that sense of entitlement is necessary to make the political stand (or, perhaps, the political belief informs the entitlement mentality) but TO ME, it's just takes some of the champion spirit out of it. But at the end of the day, it's her moment and she can celebrate it how she pleases.