Her on-field success was unparalleled. Now Alex Morgan aims for the same heights in business

DEL MAR, Calif. -- One twelvemonth ago, aft Alex Morgan announced to the satellite successful a video that she was large and retiring with astir contiguous effect, she sat successful her car unsocial and cried.

"I was similar OK, it's retired there. Now I'm going to bask it," she told ESPN successful a sit-down interview.

Morgan's 15-year vocation -- which included 2 World Cup titles, an Olympic golden medal and aggregate large nine trophies -- ended abruptly, but she'd already been moving for years connected her adjacent section to travel successful the satellite of business.

Morgan was the look of the U.S. women's nationalist team and arguably the astir celebrated pistillate jock globally for implicit a decade. She grew to specified fame that she transcended the sport, signing deals with Coca-Cola and Nike, appearing successful commercials with NBA prima LeBron James and adjacent receiving her ain customized Barbie. Along the way, she observed however the concern of sports operates, but besides however it failed pistillate athletes with minimal media sum and debased salaries ($6,000 was the minimum erstwhile the NWSL launched successful 2013).

Now, Morgan is simply a number capitalist successful San Diego Wave FC, the past squad she past played for, on with different investments including the caller 3-on-3 women's hoops league, Unrivaled. In 2019, successful the premier of her career, she co-founded the contented marque Togethxr with chap athletes and Olympic golden medalists Sue Bird, Simone Manuel, and Chloe Kim.

"I conscionable realized that determination are truthful galore ways for athletes to transportation connected their concern acold past their playing vocation and to marque a concern of it, of their brand, acold past their playing days," Morgan said. "That's what I've tried to acceptable up the past 5 to 8 years.

"And I deliberation that's wherefore I was truthful astatine bid with retiring from playing soccer, due to the fact that I didn't discontinue and aftermath up the adjacent time going, 'What's next?' I already had truthful galore antithetic things successful question -- it wasn't similar figuring the adjacent happening retired arsenic 1 doorway closed and the adjacent doorway opened. I was juggling a batch of things astatine erstwhile and trying to larn a batch of caller things disconnected the field."

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Morgan's hands-on acquisition astatine the highest level of athletics is wherefore different businesswomen person invested successful her. Olivia Walton, the laminitis of Ingeborg Investments -- which focuses connected women-led, early-stage startups -- met Morgan astatine a league for women successful task capital. The 2 shared a imaginativeness "from the beginning," said Walton, who joined Togethxr arsenic an capitalist earlier this year.

Morgan's achievements arsenic a subordinate were portion of the selling constituent to Walton.

"Alex approaches concern the aforesaid mode she approaches contention -- with curiosity, intensity, and purpose," Walton told ESPN via email. "She sees opportunities others miss due to the fact that she's lived the athlete's journey, and she brings an authenticity that's uncommon successful this space."

Togethxr's superior concern is branded workplace content, including films focused connected women athletes. The institution said it was profitable past twelvemonth and claimed it saw a ample summation successful gross (to $30 million) and valuation.

"That 360-degree position is unmatched, and it makes her 1 of the astir important voices shaping the aboriginal of the game," Wa...