Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird released a short, special-edition of their podcast on Friday afternoon, sharing a brief three-minute clip to their socials about the 'personal news'. The announcement came after the pair had relaunched their podcast 'A Touch More' in summer 2024. In their statement, they said the decision was made together with love, respect, and care, reflecting on their shared life over the last decade.
Both athletes have had illustrious careers as sports icons. Megan Rapinoe is a two-time World Cup winner with the USA women's soccer team, and she brought her own career to a close in 2023. Sue Bird is a WNBA legend, having retired from professional basketball after a storied tenure.
This hasn't been an easy decision, but it's one we've made together, with so much love, respect, and care for each other. We've shared a whole life over the last decade, through big moments and in quiet ones, and that is something we'll always carry with us.
Their relationship, which spanned over a decade, often drew public attention alongside their athletic achievements. The timing of the split announcement follows the recent revival of their podcast, which had initially launched during their relationship. The podcast served as a platform for discussions on sports, lifestyle, and personal topics, but its future is now uncertain.
According to Daily Mail - Sport, Megan Rapinoe described the situation as hinting at changes in their professional partnership. Reactions to the split have focused on the implications for their joint ventures, including the podcast. According to Daily Mail - Sport, a source described how Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird grated on each other in retirement before opting to go their separate ways.
Though they both have been retired for a few years from their respective sports, they have been able to venture out and do other things along with their podcasts both together and separate. But one thing they couldn't figure out was seeing each other all the time, which is crazy to say. When they were involved in their careers, they would see each other of course, but it was also the element of absence makes the heart grow fonder. They just couldn't figure out retirement together. And a small disagreement would turn into a bigger thing, and they started to look to friends like they resented each other. And before it got out of hand, as they realized it was bleeding out to their friends, they made the mutual decision to end it.
The source explained that small disagreements would escalate, leading to tensions that affected their social circle. According to Daily Mail - Sport, another source described that they realized they weren't making new memories and decided to break up to preserve their positive history. The mutual decision was made to avoid further strain on their friendships.
Several unknowns remain following the announcement. The specific disagreements that led to the split have not been disclosed publicly. It is unclear whether Rapinoe and Bird have any plans for future collaborations, or if they will comment further on the reasons beyond their initial statements.
With that said, they very much mean what they said in their statement of sharing wonderful memories with each other. But they both realized that they weren't making new memories, and it was better for them to break up before they tainted their wonderful history forever.
The financial or professional implications of ending their joint podcast are also not yet known, and reactions from their friends and families have not been detailed in official reports.
It's going to look a little bit different going forward.