“SUPER SPIKE!” the PA announcer bellows inside the electric party atmosphere of the North Arena on the outskirts of Paris.

Arms outstretched wide, Morteza Mehrzad, sitting on the floor in his red top and black trousers, lets out a roar to celebrate yet another punishing blow which immediately ends the rally.

It is just one of the 27 points, the most accumulated by any one player, that helped Iran win a record-extending eighth Sitting Volleyball Paralympic title after beating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final by three sets to one (22-25, 30-28, 25-16, 25-14). When Mehrzad briefly stood to shake hands with his opponent at the end of the game, the net came up to his midriff. His team-mates came up level with his sternum.

Standing at 8ft 1in (2m 46cm) — larger than most doors, longer than most beds — the 36-year-old is the second tallest man in the world.

Born with gigantism, his impairment has posed some problems. Mehrzad had been sleeping on the floor in the Paralympic village. The Iran team requested an extended bed before the Games but the two extensions provided to a standard athlete’s bed were insufficient. A third extension was made and his coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani and Paris 2024 organisers confirmed this week that the issue had been resolved and Mehrzad was sleeping comfortably in the village.

Indeed it was Rezaeigarkani — who has won eight gold medals from his 10 Paralympic games, first as a coach and then as a player — who spotted Mehrzad on an Iranian television programme featuring people with physical abnormalities. The coach contacted Merhzad — who uses a wheelchair having injured his pelvis in a bike accident at the age of 16, stopping the growth of his right leg — and got him into the sport.

Mehrzad rarely went out in public, Rezaeigarkani has said in previous interviews, because his height and facial features — the latter caused by acromegaly, a hormonal disorder — attracted strange looks.

“I was a depressed guy and my life changed completely with volleyball,” Mehrzad told Esportivo. Rezaeigarkani believes the sport gave him hope.

Mehrzad was a key player in Iran’s gold medal pursuit (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Having stood out in public and received unwanted attention, Mehrzad is now head and shoulders above the rest courtesy of his sporting prowess.

Evidently, there are significant advantages to having such a tall player on your team. When sitting, Mehrzad has a maximum reach of 6ft 4in (1.96m). His hand stretches 81cm above the height of the net, allowing him to generate immense power as he kills off points with winning shots. As an outside hitter, that is his job.

Mehrzad has to make sure his body is in the right position, however, and such a large frame requires agile movement. Sweat dripping down his face, he pushes his lower body on the floor, legs extended, up and down the court swiftly, reading the quick interchange of play.

Mehrzad’s reach stretches 81cm above the height of the net (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

In fact, as well as his menacing spikes, what stood out most on Friday night is that Mehrzad, at the changing of ends or time-outs, always moved by shuffling and rarely got to his feet. “Morteza is the best spiker and one of the most important players in the world,” said his best friend and the final’s fastest server (73km/h), Meisam Ali Pour, speaking via a translator after the game. “He knows what to do, but he can’t do it by himself.”

Silver medallist Stevan Crnobrnja of Bosnia viewed Mehrzad as just another one of Iran’s great players. They accepted they could not do much about his height advantage, but focused on neutralising others who were crucial in setting him up. If one of his team-mates does not set or pass the ball, Mehrzad is helpless.

Ali Pour, who, going into the final, had contributed more points (39) than Mehrzad (28), emphasised the need for teamwork. “If all the best players in the world play together, they will not be able to beat Iran,” he said.

Mehrzad towers above his team-mates (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Expressive and animated on the court, off the court, Mehrzad, who was not available for interview, is shy, reserved and does not like attention.

His team-mates and coach see him as just one member of a very united group. “My team has 12 stars, Morteza is one of them,” said coach Rezaeigarkani. “We did not have Morteza before and we will not (always) have him in the future.”

When asked what the secret to Iran’s success is, Rezaeigarkan replied: “Work, work, work.”

(Top photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images) 

For Mike Baumann, it started the same way as his first seven seasons in professional baseball. He was, as always, employed by the Baltimore Orioles, the team that drafted him in the third round in 2017. He wanted to help a familiar organization while advancing his own career.

“My expectation was to take a step forward with the Orioles and to be a part of the bullpen,” Baumann said this week. “I was really excited. I was really looking forward to it. I didn’t perform like I wanted to, things just didn’t go my way and that’s the nature of the business.”

The business, though, has treated Baumann in a way that only one other player in the history of the sport has been treated. Baumann has appeared for five major league teams in 2024: the Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins. He’s made so many stops, he should have his own concert-tour T-shirt:

Baltimore, March 28-May 17

Seattle, May 23-July 11

His stint with the Mariners only lasted seven weeks. (D. Ross Cameron / USA Today)

San Francisco (One Night Only!) – July 26

Baumann gave up two runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning for the Giants against the Rockies. (Stan Szeto / USA Today)

Los Angeles, July 31-August 22

His tenure with the Angels consisted of 10 appearances. (Mark Goldman / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Miami, August 27-present

Baumann has now been with the Marlins for 10 days. (John Hefti / USA Today)

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Baumann’s busy itinerary ties him with pitcher Oliver Drake (2018) for most MLB teams in a single season. Twenty others have played for four teams in a season, including relievers Yohan Ramirez and Matt Bowman this year. But only Drake and Baumann have made it to five.

“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, going from highs to lows, but every time I’ve been claimed, I’ve been grateful,” Baumann said. “I’ve been given a ton of opportunities, and I’ve been fortunate for that.”

Zipping through five teams in one season takes several converging factors. Typically, the player needs a skill that teams want; a minimal salary; success in the past and less success in the present.

Baumann fits every category. He throws 96 mph and earns $749,000. He was 10-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 60 games for Baltimore last season, but has a 7.26 ERA since leaving the Orioles in May.

Most importantly, Baumann is out of minor-league options, meaning he cannot be sent to the minors without passing through waivers. Appearances aside, that made the stakes much different for him this season, especially with a strong team.

“I knew I was out of options, and I knew the Orioles had a ton of good depth,” Baumann said. “So going into the season, I told myself I’ve got to perform if I want to be a part of it.”

After a shaky start to the season, Baumann pitched well in his final six outings for Baltimore. But he was designated for assignment when starter Grayson Rodriguez returned from the injured list in mid-May, and the Orioles worked out a trade with the Mariners to send him on his way.

“I wasn’t too surprised,” Baumann said. “I knew I was kind of the last guy in the bullpen. They had a lot of good arms in Triple A and some guys coming back from injury. So it was bittersweet; I loved the Orioles. But when I found out it was Seattle, they were a first-place team at the time and I was really looking forward to the opportunity.”

In his second game as a Mariner, Baumann worked a scoreless 10th inning to beat the rival Houston Astros. But with a 5.51 ERA for Seattle in 18 games, he lost his roster spot again and was traded to the Giants for cash.

With San Francisco, Baumann reunited with pitcher Sean Hjelle, a former teammate at Mahtomedi (Minn.) High School. The fun lasted for two-thirds of an inning against Colorado on July 26, and then it was onto the Angels, who acquired Baumann for cash.

“That one happened so fast,” he said of his Giants tenure. “I didn’t get time to settle in or even get to know a lot of people’s names.”

Five days after facing the Colorado Rockies in his Giants debut, Baumann faced them again in his first game with the Angels. After 10 games with the Angels (and a 6.75 ERA), he joined the Marlins and debuted on Aug. 27 against — who else? — the Rockies.

If they didn’t know better, they’d think he was stalking them. But Baumann just goes where teams tell him to go, without getting too attached.

“I’ve been living in hotels, checking in and out,” he said. “It’s been the easiest way rather than actually getting apartment leases. I’ve kind of been narrowing down my suitcases. I’ve been traveling really light.”

If he’s looking for a higher meaning to all this, Baumann got it with the waiver claim by the Marlins on August 25. When he found out, he was home in Jacksonville, Fla., with his wife, Nicole, who was eight months pregnant with their first child and due this month. To join a team in the same state — albeit a five-hour drive from home — was an ideal fit.

“When we were out West, it was kind of like, ‘Am I going to be able to make the birth of my own child?’” Baumann said. “I remember I was so excited because after going back and forth across the country, I could just go down to Miami.”

The Marlins liked Baumann’s velocity (not just on the fastball, but also his 92 mph slider) and his knuckle curve. With better control, they believe Baumann could be a keeper. He’s had four outings for Miami through Thursday, two scoreless and two in which he allowed three runs.

It’s a fitting performance for an historically uneven season that began on one coast, traversed another and wound up close to home.

Everyday Willy A

Adames, on a power surge, eyes 162

Willy Adames celebrated his 29th birthday on Monday by homering in his fifth game in a row, tying a Milwaukee Brewers club record. The five-game stretch included 11 RBIs, and even when the streak ended on Tuesday, Adames drove in another run to make him the first National Leaguer with 100 RBIs this season.

For Adames — who is positioning himself for a lucrative winter in free agency — another number might matter more: 162 games played. Adames has started every Brewers game at shortstop since Sept. 27, and he hopes to make it all the way this season.

“It’s fun to be out there every day, competing with the boys and just having fun,” Adames said. “I’ve never done it, so I want to do it. I keep fighting with the guys here that want to give me an off-day, but we’re trying to do it this year — and hopefully we can continue to play all the games in the postseason.”

Adames led the National League in RBIs with 100 heading into Thursday’s games. (Katie Stratman / USA Today)

Adames, whose career high in games is 152, is one of seven players who have played every game this season, with the Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna, the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Castellanos and the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr.

Players sometimes take a break once playoff spots are decided, but it’s worth watching to see how many get to 162. The last time seven players appeared in all 162 games was 2007, with Jeff Francoeur, Carlos Lee, Juan Pierre, Jimmy Rollins, Grady Sizemore, Delmon Young and Ryan Zimmerman.

The majors’ longest active streak belongs to Olson, Atlanta’s first baseman, at 598 games. It appears that Cal Ripken Jr.’s record of 2,632, which stretched from 1982 to 1998, is safe.

“I think that’s going to be forever there,” Adames said. “I mean, playing two seasons (of consecutive games) is impressive. Imagine playing 2,000-plus.”

Gimme Five

Five bits of ballpark wisdom

Braves catching coach Sal Fasano on the masters of the position

For most of Sal Fasano’s formative years, a baseball team in his hometown sent a catcher to the All-Star Game. He was a Chicago kid in the 1980s, and if the White Sox’ Carlton Fisk didn’t make it, the Cubs’ Jody Davis usually did. Fasano paid attention to them and other standouts, especially Bob Boone, who made the punishing position seem alluring.

“I always had an affinity for catching,” Fasano said. “It’s like in football, I was an offensive lineman. Nobody loves offensive linemen. I do, and I love catching. I love the backbone. And that’s what we call them: the backbone.”

Fasano, 53, served nine teams as a backbone backup from 1996 through 2008. His finest contemporaries, he said, were Jorge Posada, Jason Varitek and Bengie Molina. They combined for just three Gold Gloves, but invariably led their teams to the World Series.

“Some guys always win,” Fasano said, “and there’s a reason.”

Fasano (left) with Braves catcher Sean Murphy (right) in June. (David Butler II / USA Today)

The Braves have always won since Fasano joined their staff in 2018, the start of their six-year reign atop the National League East. Fasano, who also managed and coached in the Toronto Blue Jays’ and Angels’ farm systems, is the catching coach for the Braves, who are now chasing the Phillies in the East.

Both teams’ success, Fasano said, has a lot to do with catchers coaxing the best from their pitchers.

“Look at what (J.T.) Realmuto’s done with their pitching staff, and look at what our guys have done with our pitchers,” Fasano said. “You’ve got to have guys who know how to control the pitching staff — because it all revolves around that dude in the middle.”

Here are some of Fasano’s insights about five aspects of catching, and who has done it best.

Receiving: “The way we did it in our day, it was treated differently. You didn’t want to move the ball very much, you wanted to keep your body still. It was a different technique, and I think Tyler Flowers became revolutionary. I mean, people caught on one knee before; Manny Sanguillen, Tony Peña, they did their thing and basically made it unique, so it was almost like their art form. … But Tyler Flowers came in and decided to say, ‘Hey, I might be able to create value for myself by stealing strikes.’ So when he went onto one knee, he basically revolutionized the whole system of catcher, because everybody does it now. Teams were studying what he was doing, so when I got hired over here, I was like, ‘You do your mechanic, I’ll learn what you’re doing.’ And then we tried to implement it throughout the system, and we’ve had a lot of success doing it.”

Quick release: “When you watch Realmuto, he’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen, (with) probably the best exchange I’ve ever seen in my life. Last year we broke him down for the playoffs and he’s averaging 1.78 to second base. Nobody’s doing that. Pudge (Rodriguez) might have been closest to that. Pudge was the best thrower in my era, like a 1.8. It’s just a math equation. And J.T., in this era, there’s not too many guys like that.”

Balls in the dirt: “If blocking was at zero when I played, blocking is at, like, plus-20 now. Guys block way better. I think Sean Murphy does a tremendous job. He’s one of my favorites when it comes to blocking. In the old days, when we had two knees up, it was really hard to get your knees down at the same time. That’s why being on one knee is actually easier. If both knees hit (the ground) off-time, it stiffens your body. Think about it: if you jump and land one foot at a time, your body’s actually going to vibrate, your eyes are going to vibrate, it’s chaos for your body. On one knee, it’s a slide, so you’re calmer. You can absorb the ball better, you can do a lot of things. But blocking is really a state of mind. I don’t care what technique you have, guys who love blocking are really good at blocking.”

Plays at the plate: “I watched Mike Macfarlane take beatings at home plate — but guys were out. You’ve gotta protect yourself, catch the ball, put the tag on, and if all else fails, complete the play. Those are my rules. Mike was really, really good at protecting home plate. I saw him get crushed by so many people. It was really difficult to watch. I’d say, ‘Mike, man, how do you do that?’ He said, ‘I just want to get into a turtleback. You know you’re gonna get hit and you’re gonna roll.’ It’s against the rules now if you’re in the lane, so we’ve had to make amendments to how we (protect) home plate, because we have to give them a lane. How can we put our left knee down and still create a lane? Or if it’s done early enough, I can take away the lane? And that’s what a lot of people don’t understand. So the little idiosyncrasies of what we can do behind the plate, a lot of people don’t know the rules. There’s a lot of practice and a lot of technique, and that’s what spring training is for.”

Communicating with pitchers: “I was doing catching (instruction) for the Blue Jays, and I remember seeing Dan Jansen, he’s 18 years old at the time and he’s walking to the clubhouse and surrounded by three pitchers, and they’re just having a nice conversation. And I’m like, ‘Oooh, that guy’s born to be a catcher.’ We had just drafted him, he was raw, we didn’t know he was going to be a big league catcher. But once you realize, ‘Oh my gosh, his gift is communication,’ then I don’t care how he catches, I don’t care how he throws it, let’s nurture that. When you give him information, is he able to make the pitchers better? Because that’s really what our position is: can you make the people around you better? That’s the sign of greatness. It’s like Travis (d’Arnaud). We were in Double A, and Travis isn’t the most rah-rah, pump-your-fist kind of guy. He’s kind of like a comedian on the field, he has a good time. But when he has a man-to-man conversation, it’s always in the clubhouse, and he’s always talking to them on a personal level. So his personal relationships with pitchers are huge. Think about when he took the Mets to the World Series with all those young pitchers, and then he did it with us, too. I mean, does he throw the best? No. Does he catch the best? No. Does he block the best? No. But does he call a great game? Yes, and he’s able to get the most out of his pitchers.”

Off the Grid

A historical detour from the Immaculate Grid

Cliff Dapper – Dodgers catcher

In the long and lively history of the Dodgers’ franchise — from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, as the Bridegrooms, Superbas, Robins and Dodgers — 209 players have suited up as catcher. The one with the highest batting average (minimum 10 plate appearances) is also the only one to have been traded for a broadcaster. Cliff Dapper, then, made for a really fun answer on Monday’s grid.

After three seasons with his hometown Hollywood Stars in the old Pacific Coast League, Dapper dazzled with Brooklyn for eight games near the start of the 1942 season, going 7-for-18 (.471) with a homer and nine RBIs in eight games. He spent the next three years in military service and never returned to the majors.

In 1948, though, Dapper was still a Dodger farmhand when a need arose in the Brooklyn broadcast booth. The venerable voice of the team, Red Barber, had a bleeding ulcer and the Dodgers — always shrewd judges of talent — fixed their ears on Ernie Harwell, who was working for the minor-league Atlanta Crackers on WSB, a station with a powerful signal.

The Dodgers wanted Harwell but the Crackers needed something in return. That something turned out to be Dapper, who would spend 1949 as player-manager for the Crackers. Harwell, meanwhile, went on to a Hall of Fame career in the booth, spending most of his 55 major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers.

To mark Harwell’s retirement in 2002, the Tigers invited Dapper to a ceremony at Comerica Park. It was the first time the two had ever met.

“It was the biggest thrill I have ever had in baseball,” Dapper, then 82, told his local paper, the North County Times in Escondido, Calif., after the event. “I still feel honored that I was traded for a great radio announcer. I’m just some rinky-dink.”

Dapper explained that Branch Rickey, the celebrated Dodgers general manager, was concerned that the trade would be embarrassing for him. In fact, Dapper said, he was eager to get a chance to manage, and thrilled to finally meet Harwell so many years later.

“He said to me, ‘I really appreciate you coming back here, Cliff,’” Dapper said. “He is such a gracious man.”

Harwell died in 2010 at age 92, a year before Dapper died at 91. The Tigers honored Harwell with a statue at the ceremony when the two met.

“When I see a statue, I think of history, of Washington and Lincoln, generals Grant and Lee,” Harwell said that day, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. “I don’t deserve a statue or part of history. But let me tell you, from my heart, I’m proud this statue is me.”

Classic clip

Mark McGwire on “The Simpsons”

Monday marks the 26th anniversary of Mark McGwire’s 62nd home run in 1998, which made him the first player to break Roger Maris’ single-season record. It’s a moment viewed much differently now, but at the time — when we really should have known better — it was hailed as a soaring triumph.

With that, naturally, came television appearances for McGwire. In 1999, he appeared in Helen Hunt’s bedroom on “Mad About You,” wearing only a pillow. He was also on “The Simpsons” that year, distracting the ever-gullible citizens of Springfield with his home run prowess.

McGwire — dispatched by MLB to recover evidence that it was monitoring the town — utters a truly remarkable line, given everything that would surface about his use of steroids. It’s another celebrated instance of “The Simpsons” supposedly predicting the future.

In 1998, when the league and the media should have aggressively challenged the players’ association on the necessity of drug testing (“privacy” was the union’s rationale), we instead built up McGwire and Sammy Sosa into larger-than-life Greek Gods.

As it turned out, McGwire’s big line on “The Simpsons” said it all: “Do you want to know the terrifying truth,” he asked, “or do you want to see me sock a few dingers?”

(Top photo of Mike Baumann: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)

Editor’s note: This is an updated version of an article to reflect Alex Morgan’s retirement announcement on Sept. 5, 2024. The story was first published on Aug. 1, 2024.

Alex Morgan was inescapable this summer, but not because she went to the Olympics. Whether it’s Coca-Cola commercials or Reese’s Instagram ads, she was on every screen and every device. Sponsors made these deals expecting Morgan to be on the U.S. women’s national team roster for the Paris Games. But when head coach Emma Hayes announced her team in June, the unthinkable happened: no Morgan.

It was a surprise and yet it wasn’t.

Morgan has played for the United States in every major tournament they’ve participated in since 2011. She has won the World Cup twice, worn Olympic gold and bronze medals, and with 123 goals, is eighth on the women’s all-time international goals scored list. She is also on the downslope of her career, having long ago left behind the “baby horse” moniker fondly bestowed on her by senior teammates and becoming the senior teammate herself.

“Putting a squad together, you’re always going to disappoint someone,” said Hayes during a podcast taping for “The Women’s Game” with Sam Mewis. “I think when it comes to Alex, first of all, there’s no easy way to give someone crap news…. The human piece for me is around the delivery of that (news). But also accepting that no matter the situation, there’s always gonna be somebody who doesn’t like the decision.”

Emotionally, it’s always jarring to see a great generational player sunsetted by a coach. The name “Alex Morgan” has been synonymous with the USWNT for over a decade. But logistically and tactically, there was certainly an argument for leaving the 35-year-old Morgan and taking a newer generation of scoring talent, one that is still bolstered by veteran presence from Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle.

As the USWNT captured gold against Brazil, there was no question of needing another veteran. Hayes’ preferred starting front three of Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman dazzled, with rookie Croix Bethune waiting in the wings.

The end of Morgan’s time with the U.S. was writing on the wall when Hayes first left her off the W Gold Cup roster in February. Morgan was only called in after Chelsea forward Mia Fishel tore her ACL in training. It’s hard not to assign symbolism to the image of Morgan in a differently-numbered jersey, sporting a No 7 in place of her iconic No 13 due to CONCACAF rules about wearing the same number as the player you replace. After 14 years in the No 13 jersey, the number is almost as much a part of her brand as her actual play on the field.

Morgan scored two goals in that tournament, one of them a penalty. It was her first goal in 10 international games, covering more than a year. On Thursday, she announced she was retiring from the sport and expecting her second child. Her final game will take place on Sunday against North Carolina Courage in the NWSL.

Her on-field role has increasingly become as much about the damage she can absorb as she pulls attention away from other players as it is about scoring. That defensive attention is a hallmark of the respect she has still accorded, the danger she still presents in front of goal. But it’s no longer consistent, varied or efficient enough to justify a spot on the toughest international roster to make, at least not in Hayes’ mind.

Still, in the face of declining stats, there was always the argument for Morgan’s presence as a veteran and a leader. She was, until recently, co-captain with Lindsey Horan, someone whose voice carried authority with both teammates and fans. When midfielder Korbin Albert’s anti-LGBTQ social media posts began circulating widely, Morgan was out in front of the cameras with Horan at her side, reading a prepared team statement about maintaining a respectful space and speaking internally to Albert. It was unquestionably a captain’s job, intercepting scrutiny on behalf of the team, the kind of thankless task that comes with the armband.

Horan has taken leadership lessons from Morgan, too, while she’s still learning on the job as the new, and only, team captain.

“Experiencing a World Cup with Alex was crucial for that experience,” Horan said in New York before leaving for France.

Horan credits Morgan for helping her take on the role of captain (Brad Smith, Getty Images)

Before Horan, Morgan and Megan Rapinoe were co-captains. The two arranged team dinners before camps so the players could bond and have a night out.

“There are things that exist (that) leaders and veterans on this team have been doing for many years and it’s kind of been passed down,” said defender Naomi Girma, who said that in this iteration of the USWNT, Emily Sonnett and Lavelle arranged the latest team dinner in New York. “Everyone is so special in their own way, so there’s never going to be another one of an Alex or Pinoe.”

Sonnet, who was on the 2019 and 2023 World Cup teams with Morgan and Rapinoe, said the players often do things they think the two former leaders would have done.

“Alex is an incredible leader and she’s been on this team for so many years,” said Sonnett. “Leaders like Lindsey, Mal (Swanson), Rose, they’re definitely remembering things that Alex, Pinoe, who aren’t on this roster, what they would be doing because we’ve just been around them for so many years.”

Alongside her teammates, Morgan was part of historic collective bargaining agreement negotiations that helped pave the way for the USWNT as it exists today, with not just better money and working conditions, but also benefits like parental leave and short-term disability.

She’s spoken up about LGBTQ+ rights, including supporting trans children in sports, and followed Rapinoe in 2020 in kneeling during the national anthem to protest anti-Black police brutality and racism. When she was on loan at Tottenham Hotspur in 2020, she saw the women’s senior team training at an inferior facility and convinced the club to allow the women to use the same new training facility as the men. When Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir sued her own club Lyon for withholding her salary when she got pregnant, Morgan again advocated for the standards clubs should provide for parents.

Through Sara’s story, I feel compelled to express how at the very least a team can support their player that’s a mom. 1. Providing their own hotel room on away trips(yes we usually have roommates 2. Providing a hotel room for nanny/caregiver 3. Providing seats on the…

— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) January 19, 2023

And she feels compelled to speak up as one of, if not the most visible, players wherever she goes, publicly stating she was disappointed to hear about allegations of harassment against Wave president Jill Ellis, writing on X: “It’s important to me that we are creating that environment for both players AND staff throughout the entire organization.”

Morgan’s advocacy for various causes could have backfired in terms of her marketability. But it hasn’t. She is as potent a brand as ever, landing on Forbes’ highest-paid female athletes list in 2023 with endorsements estimated around $7million. In 2021, she founded TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company, alongside Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel and Sue Bird. Her hustle is admirable to the point of pathos. During one scene in Netflix’s “Under Pressure” documentary, she comforts daughter Charlie while Charlie cries for attention in the midst of Morgan opening a soccer store — a reminder of Morgan, the mother.

But the reality of being a woman in professional soccer is that no one, not even Morgan, is going to make enough money to retire without careful, calculated investment and branding. Similarly high-profile men’s players can set themselves up nearly off pure performance. Any man knocking in the kinds of numbers that Morgan has produced in her career will make millions from his salary alone, let alone endorsements.

Morgan has advocated for parental rights at club and national level (Brad Smith, Getty Images)

But Morgan has had to cash in on her clutch, once-in-a-lifetime talent while also leveraging her privileges: she is white, straight and femme-presenting. That makes her a more palatable brand to both businesses and audiences in a country that has a well-documented history of racism, misogyny, and transphobia towards athletes outside of a stereotypical presentation of femininity, athletes like Rapinoe, Serena Williams, Katie Ledecky, Brittney Griner, Simone Biles, and Sha’Carri Richardson. The space Morgan is afforded to speak out and speak up is accordingly bigger compared to Dunn or even Rapinoe, whose outspokenness has incurred criticism that she has weathered through her own unique levels of “not giving a f***.”

Morgan has admirably walked the line between performance and brand, outspokenness and marketability. She’s presented herself as player, mom and advocate while also guarding her private self.

With someone as famous as Morgan, who partially built her reputation on being a role model, and partially was assigned the responsibility through social expectation of women in sports, there is a natural desire to want to know that authentic, private self. One aspect of her smart marketing has been to give enough of a glimpse into that private life — like the aforementioned scene with Charlie — while maintaining a fairly strict boundary between herself and the public.

Her social media posts about her family are warm and personable but don’t give away any more than Morgan wants to give away. She’s funny and charming on camera and doesn’t mind speaking candidly on social justice topics, but these moments are curated, usually with time to plan ahead. You won’t see the minutiae of her day, the gossip she shares with friends or disagreements with family. Like any athlete, Morgan has a right to privacy and to decide how and when she wants to dole out any piece of herself. And her ability to pick the right how and when has served her well.

Who’s next?

Walking down the street and asking someone to name a women’s soccer player, you might get a mix of Morgan, Mia Hamm, Marta, perhaps Wambach.

In this next era of women’s soccer, is it even harder to climb to generational megastar who carries “only name I know” status? While the women’s game is growing ever more popular, it’s also becoming more competitive and therefore more difficult to separate yourself from the pack. Racking up Morgan-level stats feels harder to reach, although certainly not impossible.

There are a few American contenders for the crown, based on the performance-personality axes of measurement that Morgan has played so well: that front three of Rodman, Smith, and Swanson.

Swanson, Smith and Rodman have emerged as a scoring trio at the Paris Games. (Photo by Brad Smith, Getty Images).

The trio has already built a strong fanbase, both individually and as a group, over the past few years and will only gain more leverage should they find the ultimate success at the Olympics this summer. American audiences love gold medals, sometimes to the point of extreme valorization, and U.S. Soccer has already scheduled its first post-Olympic friendlies in October against Iceland, no doubt hoping to parade a team of winners.

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While Morgan’s time on the field is coming to an end, her impact off it is not. She’s still here. Still speaking up. Still feeling responsibility in situations that call for a voice of leadership. The example she sets is the standard many players follow for success.

There is an Alex-Morgan-shaped hole in the USWNT, but it’s also being filled by all types of players in all kinds of ways. Morgan, who fought so hard for the USWNT to be treated with respect, to be set up to win in any circumstances, is in some ways the architect of her own absence. This is a team that can exist without Morgan and that’s ultimately for the good.

(Top photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images; design: Dan Goldfarb)