Oh yes to this! The latest FIFA video game is breaking gender barriers
We don’t know about the rest of the world, but we’re still riding a high from the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s epic World Cup win two weeks ago. Never mind the fact that these ladies have always been awesome — but it’s safe to say that their victory has officially made some of the players household names. From rising star Carli Lloyd to world-record-holder Abby Wambach, chances are you remember where you were when you watched these ladies kick butt and bring home an incredible win.
Even with all this good feeling, the reality is that there’s still a huge discrepancy when it comes to female star athletes and their male counterparts. We’re talking salary, the turf vs. grass debate, merch representation, and even video games. While that’s kind of a bummer-long list, we are here and happy to say that (at least) in the world of gaming some strides are being made.
Electronic Arts announced Tuesday that U.S. player Alex Morgan will be featured as the first female soccer star on the U.S. version of its EA Sports FIFA video game! She’ll be appearing on the front of FIFA 16 alongside male footballer Lionel Messi of Argentina, while Canadian player Christine Sinclair will appear with Messi on the Canadian version of the game cover. It’s about time!
In a statement, Morgan said, “It is an incredible honor to be one of the first women featured on the cover of EA Sports FIFA. I know people all over the world play this game and I’m really excited that FIFA 2016 is putting such an important spotlight on women’s soccer.”
Although the FIFA game has been around since 1993, only men’s teams have been available for play — but along with the exciting news of Morgan as cover star, players will now be able to select over 12 international women’s teams. Praise hands emoji!
What makes this even sweeter is the reality that FIFA 16 will be introducing more people to these fantastic female athletes. The other upside is that if you’ve always wished you could be as awesome as Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, or Alex Morgan you can now officially pretend — with tiny versions in a video game, that is.
We need to talk about the gender pay gap in sports
Meet Carli Lloyd, kickass World Cup winner who led the U.S. to victory
[Featured image via.]
