Megan Rapinoe to host Quibi documentary series ‘Prodigy’

Megan Rapione

OL Reign players Megan Rapinoe, right, and Allie Long, are photographed on July 28, 2019, in Tacoma, Washington, at Cheney Stadium. Photo: OL Reign

Soccer sensation and activist Megan Rapinoe will host a documentary series about up-and-coming young athletes for the streaming service Quibi.

The series’ working title is “Prodigy,” but it doesn’t yet have an air date.

Quibi is a mobile-only, streaming service that will offer short-form videos. It is scheduled to launch April 6.

On “Prodigy,” Rapinoe, 34, who was Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year in 2019, will give on-camera commentary and perspective on each of the athletes, who are 21 and younger, and insight into how they can live up to the hype.

Apart from being an LGBTQ activist, Rapinoe has been an outspoken advocate for pay equity. On Friday, the Women’s National Soccer Team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay. In their claim, they sighted the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

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Each episode will highlight one competitor’s athletic accomplishments and profile their unique story.

“Each episode will inspire not only sports fans, but fans of the human experience, all while honoring the villages that helped them earn the numerous national, world and Olympic championships they have obtained early in their young careers,” according to the show description.

Here are the athletes who will be spotlighted in “Prodigy”:

  • Tyler Adams: A member of the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team and one of the world’s most promising young soccer stars
  • Matthew Boling: The fastest man in high school track and field history
  • Korey Foreman: No. 1 ranked high school football player in the country
  • Red Gerard: The youngest winter Olympics gold medalist since 1928
  • Regan Smith: The fastest woman in swimming history
  • Jalen Green: No. 1 ranked high school basketball player in the country
  • Chantel Navarro: U.S. Junior National Boxing Team member and a five-time national champion
  • Sha’Carri Richardson: The fastest woman in NCAA track and field history

About the author

Phillip Zonkel

Award-winning journalist Phillip Zonkel spent 17 years at Long Beach's Press-Telegram, where he was the first reporter in the paper's history to have a beat covering the city's vibrant LGBTQ. He also created and ran the popular and innovative LGBTQ news blog, Out in the 562.

He won two awards and received a nomination for his reporting on the local LGBTQ community, including a two-part investigation that exposed anti-gay bullying of local high school students and the school districts' failure to implement state mandated protections for LGBTQ students.

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