Alex Morgan Is Now A Soccer Barbie

Barbie appears to be my beat. First, it was Mattel releasing 2020 campaign Barbies to honor the roles women play on the campaign trail, including Voting Barbie. Now comes the news that Alex Morgan has been honored with a USWNT Captain Barbie.

"Alex Morgan is honored as a Barbie “Shero,” a woman who has broken boundaries to inspire the next generation of girls," Mattel says on its Target product page. It's quite an honor. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here thinking about where Mattel makes these dolls. What the factory looks like? What the conditions are like?

According to a 2018 report, Mattel (owns Barbie) workers were being subjected to “nightmare” working conditions. Normally I don't get caught up too much on this stuff because I have things to worry about like a job, getting kids to school, avoiding the 'rona, grocery shopping on my phone, etc.

But if you take a look at Morgan's recent Instagram postings, they include many female empowerment images and cries for social justice. There's even the obligatory Defund the Police post.

I know you guys understand this is about athletes getting paid and parents making our kids happy, so most of us turn a blind eye and just go with it. Go get your $29.99 Role Model Alex Morgan dolls for the kids, just don't look at the back or bottom of the box and get depressed thinking about where it's made.

I'd just prefer athletes not act like they're saving the world while making dollars off the backs of people a world away. That's all.