Megan Rapinoe produces 'bold' series 'Cleat Cute' about lesbian soccer players

Former United States Women's National Soccer Team player Megan Rapinoe and her partner Sue Bird announced their production company, A Touch More, is teaming up with Future Shack Entertainment to produce a TV series based on the 2023 book by Meryl Wilsner, "Cleat Cute."

According to Good Reads, the book is about a 26-year-old soccer player selected to play on the US Women's National Team and a budding romance between two of the players after "one daring kiss."

In a statement to Variety, Bird, and Papinoe said, "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." They added, "‘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.”

Future Shack CEO Jeff Wachtel said, “Sports is a universal language and breeding ground for world-class storytelling.” He added, "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.”

While on the US Women's National Soccer Team, Rapinoe used her platform to be an outspoken activist. At the beginning of the 2023 World Cup, she proclaimed, "I see trans women as real women" advocating for males to compete in female sports.

After her retirement, she said her most cherished memory of her playing career was "equal pay." Responding to a reporter who asked what memory stood out during her career, Rapinoe said, "I mean, probably the equal pay chance, after the [2019] final."

After the 2019 World Cup, which the women's team won, the team pushed to get equal pay to the men's team even though they earned more by a substantial margin. The men's and women's teams were forced to share revenue in a deal that redistributed "the millions of dollars in World Cup prize money the men’s and women’s teams can earn by playing in the tournament every four years."