Call Her Daddy
Call Her Daddy
"I don't know if you ever get over it [imposter syndrome], but you just get used to it — like you just like eventually it's rinse and repeat and you you get used to it, I guess." — Alex Morgan
"We sued our employer in 2019, three months before we went to the World Cup... We were generating revenue for US Soccer like never before... we were like, this doesn't make sense in terms of what we're bringing in but also we're doing the same job for the same company as the men but getting paid vastly different and getting treated vastly different." — Alex Morgan
"I'm proud of what the league has come... I wanted to be able to invest back in the league at the team level and to be in San Diego and raise my kids there and have them have also like some ownership over an affiliation with the team more than just like mom played there." — Alex Morgan
Alex Morgan shares her journey in professional soccer, starting from a childhood dream nurtured by supportive parents. She details her experiences with early coaches, including a notable instance of being told she wasn't good enough, which ironically fueled her determination. Morgan reflects on the mental challenges of being a rookie on the 2011 World Cup team, grappling with imposter syndrome despite her talent. She contrasts this with the 2019 World Cup, where the team embraced their success and advocated powerfully for equal pay.
The conversation delves into the significant advocacy work led by Morgan and her teammates to sue U.S. Soccer for equal pay, highlighting the stark financial disparities between the men's and women's teams. Morgan recounts the lengthy legal battle, the personal risks involved, and the eventual victory that brought about significant changes and back pay for the players. She also discusses the intense pressure female athletes face to be role models and the double standards applied to them regarding their appearance, behavior, and personal choices, such as pregnancy.
Morgan further reflects on her decision to start a family during the peak of her career, the public's mixed reactions, and the subsequent challenges of balancing motherhood with professional athleticism. She details the pioneering efforts required to establish new protocols for player-moms within the league, from travel arrangements to childcare access. The episode concludes with Morgan discussing her retirement, her investment in the NWSL's San Diego team, and her hopes for the future of women's sports, emphasizing the generational impact of the advocacy and progress made.