Megan Rapinoe, an icon bigger than soccer, takes a bow for the U.S. national team

Megan Rapinoe waves to the crowd before her final game on the U.S. national team on Sunday in Chicago. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

In her last game for the national team on Sunday, Megan Rapinoe took a final bow for her career as an international soccer player, basking in the applause and the hugs of her teammates.

While it's the finish to her remarkable national career, it doesn't quite feel like an ending, because so much of who Rapinoe is and what she stands for extends beyond the pitch.