Copyright Athlon Sports
Alex Morgan continues to be one of the role models for young athletes in the United States, despite retiring from soccer just over a year ago. The USWNT legend recently gave an interview to Spread the Jelly in which she talked about the challenges of being a mom in the professional sports industry. Morgan revealed that after announcing her pregnancy, she did not receive the expected feedback. “I was at the peak of my career when I had my daughter. I didn’t get a lot of positive feedback when I announced my pregnancy,” she said. “And that’s because women are simply not set up for success as working moms, or as moms in general.” Alex Morgan Blasts System That Left Her Lonely Post-Pregnancy In the same interview, the former San Diego Wave player criticized the United States soccer system for the complete lack of support received post-pregnancy. “My daughter was only four months old, and I was playing while away from her dad, my husband, for months at a time,” Morgan said. “I went to the Olympics in Tokyo a year after giving birth. I couldn’t bring her with me; none of our family could come either, since no fans were allowed. I was away from her for more than 30 days.” Morgan expressed her surprise and frustration at living in a country where you can’t be a mom while trying to fulfill your dream. “The whole experience was jarring, honestly. You spend your life thinking you live in such an advanced country, with resources and opportunities to help people go after their dreams, but moms face so many barriers that make it harder to do both,” she said. “There were a lot of logistics I had to figure out on my own. There wasn’t even a pathway for a childcare provider to join me on the road,” Morgan added. “Who was going to watch my daughter when I was playing games? At training? In meetings? In what way was the team going to support me?”
