How is Alex Morgan still this good while 7 months pregnant?

In the CBA, pregnant players who are on contract are on 75% salary through giving birth and up to a year later. After giving birth, the player has to be invited into a camp when medically cleared to play with a chance to win back her spot (the Kate Markgraf rule).

I don't know of any other players invited into train though while pregnant, which is why this smacks of favoritism towards a marquee player. And it doesn't affect a healthy player at all, but I think most players left off the roster (Long, Short, etc.) will look at Morgan in camp with a bit of a jealous eye. Like I said, I think there are probably valid reasons for Morgan to be there (medical and training staff check-ins), and maybe the players who were cut know those reasons. But if they don't, I wouldn't blame them for feeling a bit jealous that they are not getting the same opportunity to showcase in front of a new coach and fight for an Olympic roster spot when they are fully fit and capable of actually playing in a game. I'm not saying it makes sense (nor am I saying it did happen), just that I understand the jealousy that can happen when you're fighting for a spot in going to the Olympics.

 

Well, there's a lot of room hidden in that "don't know"-- there's lots of things I don't know that have probably happened...

Why on earth would you want to lock out a player on leave who wants to come in and work out?

I can see not wanting to pay for it, though even that seems picayune, but if there's no investment for the program it just seems like free money. Don't even have to pick up the phone to find out if she's staying in shape.

And I've been in locker rooms with once and future Olympians-- Jay Rand, Ulf Kvendbo, Tommy Mellor, Joe Lamb, Tom West... and competed for spots on teams with them in other sports. There's always some sort of de facto Jordan Rule for some marquee player or other, and I can't think of any instance of real resentment about it ever. There's always a bit of chaffering and trash talk, but if anything it is sympt0omatic of the incentive to get to that level, that some of the rules are a little relaxed for you because you are a bit more equal than the others.

I think of Pee Wee Reese's highly successful selling point to his fellow Dodgers about buying in to Jackie Robinson's arrival; he suggested that they could all use some of that playoff money, and it seemed like Jackie could get it for them...

I confess, it would never occur to me that Vlatko would make time this month to watch Morgan take shooting drills; nor that he would attach any importance to it if he happened to see it, beyond that she was putting in some work. I'm not convinced that is happening here?

 

In my view, this issue about Morgan turning up is really trivial. Could someone on the team be jealous? Yes. Could someone who didn't make the team be jealous? Yes. But these players have 100 reasons to be jealous. Some players who were on the World Cup team won't be on the Olympic team. Some players who are on the CONCACAF team won't be on the Olympic team. Some players on the Olympic team won't be starters when they feel they should be. Some players on the Olympic team may never get into games as subs.

We have to hope--and Vlatko has to hope--that none of this becomes poison. I'll bet anything that by the time we get to the She Believes games the players on the roster--and those not on the roster but still hoping to make the Olympic team--will be thinking about 1000 things before what just happened with Alex Morgan.

 

Please, educate me on the politics...

 

I'm willing to bet that we will not see an answer that educates any of us.

 

Many of h o c b z s posts are close to troll like. He / she is hovering close to my ignore list.

 

If you don't think there are business and marketing decisions that go into roster choices, I don't know what to tell you. It is well known and has been spoken about by players themselves. On top of that, certain players are on the roster not because they are the best in the country, but because they have personal "chemistry" with the players (like Alex's best buddy Allie Long). Some players get chance after chance, can have bad games and still get many opportunities. Others get dropped/benched without much of a chance to redeem themselves. Crystal Dunn literally said it in an interview last year, you can read between the lines and figure out which player(s) she's talking about. No point arguing with Morgan fanboys who can't see what's in front of them. And of course she't not the only one that benefits from this. Rapinoe, Lloyd and others have too. Ironic since Lloyd is the one who has spoken pretty freely about the starters not necessarily being the best players, and the off field reasons why they play. I wouldn't be surprised if Morgan was the one who tried to get Ellis fired in 2017 when she fell down the depth chart, just like Abby tried to get Tom fired when he told her she was behind Leroux and Press. This is what the coaches coming into this environment have to deal with. Players who are bigger than the program.

 

Yes, clearly if they picked the players you want, they might've been able to win the World Cup...

 

I'm not saying Alex shouldn't have been at the WC, or she wasn't an important part of the win. But she's not necessary to the team and they can and will win without her, so to take her to Tokyo over a fully fit player because of her perceived popularity would be unfair. They should have learned this lesson with Rapinoe in 2016. yeah, she has been continually dropping statements to the media that she wants to be there. She is media saavvy and knows what she is doing.

 

There were a lot of players I would take at below 100% over others that are 100%.

Michelle Akers, for example, I think she played hurt in every World Cup of her career.

I would probably take an 80% Morgan over McDonald. YMMV.

 

I would too. Not convinced of McDonald at all. But it depends on what the options are. If Lynn can play the 9 like she did against canada and is fully fit? I'd rather have her as an option. Possibly some others like a healthy Pugh, and play Press at the 9 more. And I would be surprised if Morgan is 80%. She won't have to prove herself like a lot of others in the NWSL though, which also bothers me. I doubt she sets foot in Orlando at all next season, given her history with and cavalier attitude towards club play. And I woudl be surprised if she makes scrimmage rosters before June, so very little time to evaluate her. It could very well be a Rapinoe like situation where she is rostered at 50% or less and they hope she works herself into form throughout July.

 

Non-factor to me.

We won World Cups without a women's league, so performance in a women's league doesn't really matter to me.

Especially since it's a player who's actually performed at World Cups prior to her pregnancy.

 

Well said.

 

Why don't we worry about this when it actually happens, instead of resenting it when it hasn't.

And even then-- what are you gonna do if she goes and wins boot and ball-- whine that it wasn't fair for her to be there?

The future hasn't happened yet, and speaking confidently that is will happen in a specific way is so much gas...

 

It should matter. The NWSL should be a talent showcase and a stepping stone to the natioanl team for players who do well. Not everyone can make the transition, but it should get them opportunities. A player shouldn't be permitted to ride on past glory forever. And to be completely honest, none of Morgan's big tournament performances have been anything spectacular since 2012. I think poster "Kevin" has given the breakdown before.

 

You can see Alex Morgan is determined to get back in. And it would take her 3 months to get back in shape. We’ve seen famous female celebrities able to look good after exercising post birth. She’s also making sure her skills are still sharp and not being rusty. And I have no doubt it shouldn’t be hard for her to lose weight in her situation and regain some strength. Even some women in CrossFit who are pregnant were able to workout.

 

And for Chrissake, can we worry about it when we get there? I mean, maybe she miscarries tomorrow, maybe she never gets back to this level, maybe the kid is very late, maybe all the other contenders break legs.

The one thing we can absolutely count on is that we can't count on anything.

 

I agree. Why all this endless speculation on what might or might not happen with Morgan? Let's hope all goes smoothly with her pregnancy, delivery, and health after birth. We know she'll try her hardest to get back into shape. And then Vlatko will decide: will she be on his Olympic roster or not?

 

Because that's what we do around here. It is a discussion forum.

 

I usually respect your posts but this is just flat disgusting. How can you post something this callous. Like her or not, don’t wish Ill will on an unborn child

 

That's a pretty tortured interpretation.

 

OK. Then as part of the "discussion forum" I will say that some endless discussions seem to me a waste of time. I'm absolutely in favor of the your right to post whatever is meaningful to you. But I'll say that "what we do around here" sometimes can and should be challenged.

 

Challenge away, but many such challenges are obvious attempts to shut-down the conversation. See post #43, above, for a particularly unpleasant, egregious example

If you're not interested in a thread topic, don't 'watch' it, and if you were interested once but now find the discussion 'endless,' 'unwatch' it. If you find a particular poster insufferable, 'ignore' him or her. If something offensive is said, report it. But try not to get upset while the discussion goes back and forth.

I'll give you a recent example. In a current, nearby thread, another poster asked why Andi Sullivan had not played. Three straight posters responded (in effect) 'because the coach chose not to play her.'

If you want to voice a complaint, that's what you should be addressing. Rudeness. Nonsense. Efforts to shut down the conversation, and in particular (as in this thread), attempts to stifle any speculation.