A beautiful, backlit photograph that Sue Bird posted to her Instagram account Friday afternoon, Seattle time, shows her girlfriend of four years, Megan Rapinoe, proposing to her.
Love is love, and should be celebrated!
And yet… I have questions. Let’s start with when? Where? Why now?
Here’s what I know: In the photograph posted to Bird’s Instagram, the Seattle Storm star is in a bathing suit, standing in a swimming pool overlooking an ocean. The USWNT’s Rapinoe is similarly dressed and kneeling on one knee, above her, apparently asking Bird for, as the old folks say, her hand in marriage.
I don’t have any answers to so many other questions running circles around my head, such as was this today? What did Megan say? WHAT DID SUE SAY? I’m going with “yes” at the moment, since she posted it.
And yet…
There are some other questions, about the timing and setting of all this.
I know the setting is somewhere in the Caribbean, apparently the island of Antigua, which along with Barbuda has recorded 124 confirmed cases of Covid-19. According to the U.S. State Department, those islands are currently under a “Level 3 Travel Advisory” because of the pandemic. That’s basically a recommendation that travelers reconsider visiting because of the outbreak. It’s perfectly legal for Americans to travel there, provided they test negative for the coronavirus.
So that’s good news: now we all know for sure that both women have tested negative.
Given the stress of being stuck for months in the WNBA Wubble, the unrest and tension throughout the nation and political strife as we countdown to the hotly contested presidential election, and the fact they can, who can blame them?
And what a magical location to pop the question!
I’m sure a lot of us would love to hop on a jet to a tropical island and get away from it all. But is that such a good idea when experts are advising us to avoid nonessential travel? I’m not sure anyone can honestly say it was essential to escape. That’s their call, of course.
We can only hope Rapinoe and Bird decide to return to the states. If it were me, I’d hold off on that decision until after, say, Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday. But that’s me.
From all of us at Outsports, we send sincere congratulations to Sue and Megan, and we look forward to the big day, to be announced.
