Introduction

Alexandra Patricia "Alex" Morgan is a Caucasian American soccer player born July 2, 1989 from Diamond Bar, California. She is known for her outstanding play on the soccer field and being one of the youngest players, age 22, on the national team at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Overall Alex Morgan is known for being one of the top role models for women athletes, having popularity with the press, , and she is also known for her model life outside the sporting world. This blog will also include her success in soccer of course but she is also one of the women soccer players who does not agree with playing on artificial turf which can cause damage to the lower body and more injuries. 

Modeling Life

Alex Morgan not only lives the life of a soccer player, she also found herself in the modeling business. She describes her life as a model from the article, “Soccer Start Alex Morgan Leads a Model Life” saying that female athletes have to choose between messy or Madona. Morgan challenges this saying by doing both and by having not just the beauty, but also the brains. Morgan shows this by showing us that she can go from cleating up and playing out on the soccer field to, the next day going out and modeling for the day. Another article from the business insider, “How Alex Morgan Went From An Unknown College Soccer Player To A Superstar” states that she posed as Katy Perry for ESPN and doing this modeling job then solidified Morgan’s appearance of a celebrity. Being a female athlete causes a struggle for money because the income of playing soccer professionally is not there for these female athletes. They have to go out and find other jobs in order to be able to get an income to be able to live comfortably. Alex Morgan falls into this category as a female athlete by having to do modeling jobs. In some of these modeling jobs she has to use the image of sex appeal. Coming from the article, “How Alex Morgan Went From An Unknown College Soccer Player To A Superstar” states that when she did a job for Sports Illustrated swim suit addition, she had to wear only body paint for the shoot. Unfortunately this is what she has to do in order to get the appeal from the younger male audience. Her sex appeal also helps with her popularity through the media and gives her more attention. This is what Alex Morgan does to be able to help herself out in her financial situation because this is another source of income for her since playing professional soccer as a female athlete is not enough. Morgan tries to show us a positive image through her modeling career by showing us that she has the appeal of a model, but also has the talent and brains of a professional athlete. 

“Soccer Star Alex Morgan Leads a Model Life”

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/16/sports/la-sp-0916-alex-morgan-20120916

“How Alex Morgan Went From Unknown College Soccer Player to a Superstar”

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-alex-morgan-became-famous-2013-3?op=1

Role Model

Through the success of Alex Morgan’s soccer career she has become a big time role model to many young female athletes. Morgan, star of the women's national team, “is much bigger than a mere rock star”. Being a top role model, Morgan took the time to run her first soccer camp for boys and girls on December 30^th of 2013 in Pomona, California which had drawn over hundreds of grade school girls. She wanted to do more than just give back to the girls, Morgan wanted to share her love of soccer with the girls and let them know that their dreams and goals to become a National Women’s Soccer player can turn into reality. Alex Morgan said she was definitely not the most technical person on the national team. “I’ve really focused hard on that the last couple of years: getting my first touch down, working on my technique, getting that repetition that I didn’t get when I was younger. She felt that you are able to learn much more when you’re younger. “If they can learn good technique when they’re younger, they can be even better than the player that I have become.” Not only does she run soccer camps, Morgan also has her own book called, "Saving the Team," the first in a series of children's books about four soccer players called "The Kicks," debuted at No. 7 on The New York Times best-seller list for children's middle grade. At the end of the day in my opinion Alex Morgan is one of the best women role models because she gives off a positive image of herself and she never forgets where she comes from. Not only does she want to remain successful she wants the future of young boys but mainly girls to improve on becoming successful.

 http://espn.go.com/espnw/w-in-action/impact-10/article/10065536/espnw-soccer-star-alex-morgan-no-10-our-impact-10-list

http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/04/sports/la-sp-soccer-baxter-20140105

Popularity with the Press

Being a female soccer player is nothing short of hard work. Alex Morgan gives society the impression of a hard working athlete, yet she likes to have fun on the side. The article, Alex Morgan runs into Jersey Shore cast at her bachelorette party, reveals information about the social life of Morgan. For instance, the article raves upon her celebrating her bachelorette in Miami. Miami is known for being one of the biggest party cities in America and having a bachelorette party in MIA is bound to turn crazy. Photos of Morgan in the article have her shown with her friends, in nice attire, in the club, in the bathroom, and hanging out with Jersey Shore star Sammi Sweetheart. The public turns their heads more and more towards this article as two female stars intertwine with each other and give the public impression of partying in possibly the party capitol of America. Sammi Sweetheart is well-known for her role in the hit TV show Jersey Shore, which is basically a party in a TV. An opposing article called Alex Morgan is going to guest star in a Nickelodeon TV show gives the world a different side to the partying life. Alex is starring in one of the most popular TV networks for kids. An effect of generosity is premiered to the public eye as she switches from the field and party life to the youth world. Morgan says in the article, “I’m horrible at acting,” which leaves the impression of a woman athlete trying to make more money on the side. Guest appearances on big time TV networks brings in serious cash. The fact that Morgan doesn't know, or is just an awful actress proves that when money is involved, the people come crawling. The article does take a turn of events when it starts talking about her recent ankle injury and coming back from it. The readers get a different perception of the soccer star when it starts to talk about Morgan possibly playing in the next tournament. The US squad has an International tournament on December 10 that lasts through the 21^st. It will take part in Brazil, which is a country known for soccer so a person reading this article may get the impression that she needs to play in it. To talk about her injury and recovery stage in a Nickelodeon article says a lot about who she is as a player and human being. 

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/11/alex-morgan-nickelodeon   

http://larrybrownsports.com/soccer/alex-morgan-jersey-shore-bachelorette-party/247132

DelVelcchio, S. (2014). Alex Morgan runs into Jersey Shore cast at her bachelorette party. Larry Brown Spors.

Litman, L. (2014). Alex Morgan is going to guest star in a Nickelodeon TV show. USA Today Sports.

Success In Soccer

Growing up Alex Morgan attended Diamond Bar High School, where she was a three-time all-league pick and was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American. After high school, Morgan went to the University of California at Berkeley, where she led her team, the Golden Bears to the NCAA Tournament each of her four years. At the end of her career at Berkley, in the fall of 2010 she was tied for third on the schools list for all-time scores, with 45 goals which she was third in points with 107. At Berkley, she was known for her speed and sprinting ability. She was named to the all-Pac-10 team four times and was a three-time Pac-10 all academic honorable mention selection. Morgan played for the Olympic Development Program Regional and state teams as well. She later credited the program as an important part of her development as a soccer player programs like “ODP helped me especially because I did come into the club scene late and it was important for me to play as much as possible, play with the best players and learn from the best coaches. That, for me, was crucial to my development”. In 2011 Alex Morgan was drafted first overall 2011 Women’s Professional Soccer draft by the western New York Flash. The same year she was on the US Women’s National Team and the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The youngest player on the team, she scored her first World Cup goal in the semi match against France, and the team went on to the finals, only loss to Japan. Once the WPS suspended play at the end of the 2011 season, Morgan joined the Seattle Sounders. Women of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, along with other U.S. National team members like Hope Solo.

http://www.biography.com/people/alex-morgan-20837393#synopsis

http://www.who2.com/bio/alex-morgan

Artificial Turf

Alex Morgan says that playing on turf is unfair because men get to play on the grass. The injuries they receive by playing on artificial turf are long lasting and make it tougher to compete the next time. Morgan says that it takes longer to get rid of the soreness and pain than it would if they play on grass. These women receive turf burn that can cut very deep and makes them less competitive by making players not willing to play all out because of the fear of an injury. These injuries are not just one game injuries these injuries can be potentially  season or career ending injuries. One female had tore her acl by planting her foot into the ground and getting it caught in the turf. So the question is why wouldn't the people in charge of the sport not create a player friendly turf for women as they do for the men. It is understood that female sports do not receive the same notoriety as men sports but this does not mean that they do not deserve an equal amount of safety protection. The turf beads also are a health risk. Breathing in the carcinogens from the rubber turf could potentially cause cancer. Even though the authorities know what are the risk. They still seem not to care about anything but their pockets and how to keep them full, leaving competitive female athletes lives at potential risk. The next step would be to boycott and try to bring attention to what I going on.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2014/10/15/alex-morgan-us-women-artificial-turf-world-cup/17295011/

http://screamer.deadspin.com/top-female-soccer-players-sue-fifa-over-bullshit-artifi-1641326102