Alex Morgan Cites World Cup As Proof That ‘Investing In Women’ Pays Off
Only a few days after winning the 2019 Women’s World Cup with barely a scratch on them, Alex Morgan and the women of the United States national team continued their streak of picking up awards as Morgan was named the Best Female athlete, and the United States was named the Best Team at the 2019 ESPYs, as reported by Yahoo.
A few hours after their ticker-tape parade down New York City’s iconic Canyon of Heroes, Morgan and her teammates were in attendance for one of the most prestigious award shows in American sports — a perfect summation of several days of celebrations along with a sneaky excuse to do some more.
Morgan faced off against notable female sports personalities Breanna Stewart, Simone Biles and Mikaela Shiffrin, while her team faced off against the Boston Red Sox, Clemson Tigers football team, New England Patriots, Toronto Raptors, Baylor Bears women’s basketball team and the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team — all champions in their respective sports. However, there was nothing anyone could do about the freight train of momentum that Morgan and her United States women’s national team have been building up over the past month.
While accepting her award, Morgan reiterated the point that there is so much potential in women’s sports, but that potential can’t be achieved if they aren’t given proper investment.
As Morgan thanked ESPN for their recent decision to begin televising NWSL, America’s women’s soccer league, matches, she went on to say, “When the World Cup is behind us it is the professional league that we need to continually lift up and grow. Investment in women and girls should not only happen on the playing field but in more storytelling of amazing women who continue to show that we are more than just athletes.”
Morgan plies her trade in the NWSL, having played for several teams since the league’s first season in 2013. She is currently a member of the Orlando Pride.
When questioned again on the issue backstage, Yahoo reports that Morgan said, “I wanted to say that we need to invest in women, and when you invest in women you see the return on it. The World Cup was a perfect example of it.”
Morgan also gave credit to the United States Soccer Federation, which is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with the Women’s team over discrepancies in pay between the women’s and men’s national team. The issue received international attention throughout the 2019 World Cup.
