Alex Morgan’s career is filled with World Cup victories and Olympic medals, but she considers her fight for equal pay her most significant achievement. Yet, her greatest legacy will be carried on off the field as a mother, advocate, and influencer. Now retired, taking a trip down memory lane, Alex talked about the bigger cause behind the USWNT women’s iconic revolution.

Beyond equal pay, Alex Morgan’s identity as a mother adds weight to the advocacy. Just months after giving birth to her daughter Charlie in 2020, Morgan returned to soccer – being the first mother to score for the U.S. Women’s National Team immensely inspiring every athlete in the world.

As Morgan confessed in a podcast with Futbol W, “This fight wasn’t just for us, it was for our daughters too.” Her motherhood, thus, became a testament of resilience and inspiration to fellow athletes trying to manage the same.

Now, let’s look back. It was in April 2016 Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and fellow teammates Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, and Becky Sauerbrunn filed a wage discrimination action with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the USSF, shedding light on systemic gender pay differences through such a risky commitment. The USWNT union explicitly called for equal per-game compensation to that of the men’s team during collective bargaining negotiations by 2017. The union’s demand highlighted their unwavering stand. It further intensified in March 2019 when 28 players led by Megan and Alex filed a class action lawsuit alleging pay, travel, and training conditions were allegedly institutionalized gender discrimination.

Megan Rapinoe has always been known for her fearless advocacy and outspoken leadership. She teams with Alex Morgan to boost such a message from the team on and off the field. The two then became the face of a worldwide movement that would enjoin public support and possible legislative action. The GOALS Act of 2021 pressured the USSF with threats of federal funds for the 2026 World Cup.

In February 2022, it paid off; the team received a landmark $24 million settlement. $22 million of this was for grievances going back in time, while $2 million went toward advancing post-playing careers and women’s soccer initiatives. Indeed, this was the first precedent in the world about gender equity in sports as well as empowerment for women in sports and other industries.

Alex hung up her boots this year, but she is not done yet in giving back to the community. Soon to be the mother of 2, she is all set to launch a project that helps athletes who are mothers.

Alex Morgan scores big with a new mental health initiative for athlete moms

After back-to-back World Cup wins, Alex Morgan welcomed daughter Charlie in May 2020. She shocked the world again when she came back to play just a few months later, weathered and sleep-deprived. She harshly juggled inconsistent naps with diaper chores and global tournaments in between games, breastfeeding her little one. No private space to nurse? No support for athlete moms? Morgan didn’t just attempt to survive – she raised the bar. She even took a “daring” month off alone to tend to her mental health. All these pressures, but motherhood is a power boost for her.

Morgan is retired, expecting baby #2 and still fighting for female athletes with a sports drink brand Powerade’s The  Athlete’s Code, launched on December 5th, which protects athletes’ mental well-being without jeopardy to sponsorships. For Morgan, the final whistle doesn’t mean the end, but just another kickoff. Icons don’t quit; they rewrite the rules.