Alex Morgan Will Be the First Female Cover Star for EA’s FIFA Video Game – U.S. soccer player cracks gender barrier
The cover of FIFA 16 will feature a woman for the first time.
Female sports stars often don’t get as much money, endorsements or respect as their male counterparts. But in a nice victory for women’s soccer, Electronic Arts is poised to announce today that Alex Morgan will be the first female soccer star to appear on the cover of its EA Sports FIFA video game.
Morgan, the striker who helped lead Team USA to the 2015 World Cup title, will share the cover spotlight of the new FIFA 16 with Lionel Messi, the world’s top male footballer.
This year will be the first year that EA Sports adds women soccer players to the FIFA-licensed title.
Gamers will be able to play as one of a dozen different women’s national teams. They are USA, Canada, Brazil, England, Mexico, China, Germany, Australia, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.
Morgan won’t be the only female soccer star getting the cover treatment. Christine Sinclair, captain of the Canadian team, will appear with Messi on the cover of the Canadian edition. FIFA 16 goes on sale in North America on Sept. 22.
In a statement, Morgan said she’s excited her sponsor EA Sports is “putting such an important spotlight on women’s soccer.” The two female stars are “perfect cover athletes based on their accomplishments,” David Pekush Sr., manager of North American marketing for EA Sports, said in a statement.