Soccer star Megan Rapinoe is having her memoir, One Life, developed into a scripted TV series by Sony Pictures Television. According to Deadline’s Peter White, the studio is now looking for a writer to adapt the book, which made the New York Times best seller list shortly after its November release.
One Life, written with Emma Brockes, tells the story of Rapinoe’s early life and progression of her soccer career to a spot on the U.S. Women’s National Team. She won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics and gold in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, pushing her to international superstardom.
“I wanted to write this book because there’s so much more happening here than the sports,” Rapinoe told the New York Times before One Life‘s release. “And I think we can use that as a vehicle to really talk about what I see as the most important work in my life, which is all the stuff we’re doing off the field.”
Rapinoe also writes about finding her sexual identity in college and realizing she was a lesbian. She came out publicly during the 2011 World Cup, feeling that not enough athletes were open about such matters.
Additionally, she shares the development of her political awakening in the book, as she learns to use her public profile to fuel activism and social awareness. Rapinoe emerged as a mainstream figure when she took a knee during the national anthem before a 2016 National Women’s Soccer League game with the Seattle Reign.
Rapinoe and her USWNT teammates filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. Soccer in 2019 for gender discrimination in 2019, calling attention to how much less they were paid than their male counterparts despite achieving more success and generating more profit for the federation. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed by a federal judge.
“My intention with One Life was to inspire others to action,” Rapinoe said in a statement (via Deadline). “I hope that by sharing my experiences, both on and especially off the field, others will be moved to educate themselves, speak up for justice and push for a more hopeful future.
“I’m excited to be working with the Sony Pictures Television team to bring my story to life on screen. They have a true understanding of the universality of the themes in the book and I cannot wait to see how this develops.”
