Alex Morgan, Christine Sinclair Become First Women On EA's "FIFA" Video Game Cover

EA Sports yesterday announced that USWNT F Alex Morgan and Canada women's soccer team F Christine Sinclair will be the first women to appear on the cover of the "FIFA" video game franchise. Morgan will share the cover with Barcelona F Lionel Messi in the U.S. version of the game, and Sinclair will appear alongside Messi for the Canadian version. "FIFA 16" will be the first iteration of the franchise to feature women's teams (EA Sports). ADWEEK's Michael McCarthy noted "FIFA" has "grown into one of the world's best-selling video games." Giving Morgan "co-equal billing" on the cover is an "important step for the sport" (ADWEEK.com, 7/20). EA Senior Global Product Marketing Manager David Pekush said, "We actually made the decision to put Alex on the cover several months ago before the Women’s World Cup. ... We wanted to celebrate women’s soccer. And the fact that the women won the World Cup, it’s really icing on the cake for us." YAHOO SPORTS' Graham Watson wrote fans following the USWNT's World Cup victory "created an online petition to put the entire team on the FIFA 16 cover, but Morgan, who is one of the world's best players, definitely wasn't a bad choice" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/20). SLATE.com's Elliot Hannon wrote advancements in gender equality on a video game "may seem trivial compared to other aspects of the women’s game," but the EA Sports franchise "is a powerful motivator of future interest" (SLATE.com, 7/20).

GAME BOYS: EA Sports yesterday became the exclusive and official video game partner of La Liga club Real Madrid as part of a three-year deal. The partnership includes in-stadium displays on Santiago Bernabéu's videoboard during player celebrations at home games (EA Sports).