Two-time World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe is linking up with wife and basketball legend Sue Bird in the TV production game as they develop a new television series based on the football romance novel 'Cleat Cute'.
The sporting icons' production banner, A Touch More, has teamed up with independent TV studio Future Shack Entertainment to develop the bestselling novel of the same name by Meryl Wilsner about a rookie footballer who falls for her team captain as she navigates the new world of professionalism and her ambitions to reach the national team stage.
Rapinoe's new venture arrives shortly after the 38-year-old brought the curtain down on a storied career which spanned nearly 17 years and included winning two Women's World Cup trophies and being named the 2019 FIFA Women's Player of the Year title. Rapinoe's wife, Bird, is a five-time Olympic gold medallist and a WNBA and NCAA basketball champion. The couple have been vocal activists for the LGBTQ+ community and became one of the most visible and famous same-sex couples in the sporting world after meeting in 2016 and getting engaged in 2020.
Describing the decision to embark into television production, Rapinoe and Bird wrote on a joint statement posted to Instagram: "Having spent most of our lives on teams, we want to celebrate the ways in which relationships, both romantic and platonic, are organically created through sports.
'"Cleat Cute"' will not shy away from the messiness, occasional frustration, and undeniable beauty that come with loving the game and the players within it."
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The football series represents Bird and Rapinoe's production company's first foray into scripted content since the pair launched their company in 2022, underlining a mission to champion diverse stories.
Megan Rapinoe to produce football TV show with wife based on same-sex romance novel (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Independent TV Studio Future Shack will help develop the series, and CEO Jeff Wachtel said in a statement about the project: “Sports is a universal language and breeding ground for world class storytelling. As women’s sports captivate audiences around the globe, we’re proud to partner with two of the most iconic athletes of our time, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, to bring Meryl Wilsner’s delightful world to life in a bold, sexy and fun ensemble show.”
Rapinoe recently made headlines when she chastised USWNT midfielder Korbin Albert on Instagram after the 20-year-old shared anti-LGBTQ+ content on social media.
Rapinoe wrote: "To the people who want to hide behind "my beliefs" I would just ask one question, are you making any time of space safer, more inclusive, more whole, any semblance of better, bringing the best out of anyone? … because if you aren't all you believe in is hate.
"And Kids are literally killing themselves because of this hate. Wake TF up! Yours Truly, #15."
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