Alex Morgan explains tea-sipping celebration, rips critics for ‘double standard’

Alex Morgan has faced a lot of backlash since she celebrated her goal in the World Cup semifinal on Tuesday by pretending to sip on a cup of tea, and she thinks the criticism proves female athletes are held to a different standard than their male counterparts.

While speaking with the media on Friday, Morgan explained that her tea-sipping celebration was a tribute to “Game of Thrones” actress Sophie Turner, who often offers commentary on current events on her Instagram page and finishes by saying “and that’s the tea” while sipping from a tea cup. Morgan also said the reaction represents how women are viewed differently from men.

“I feel that there is some sort of double standard for females in sports, to feel like we have to be humble in our successes and have to celebrate, but not too much or in a limited fashion,” she said, per Graham Hays of espnW.com. “You see men celebrating all over the world in big tournaments, grabbing their sacks or whatever it is. And when I look at sipping a cup of tea, I am a little taken aback by the criticism.”

Of course, you could argue that a male soccer player grabbing his genitals after a goal would be inappropriate, but could not be interpreted as a swipe at an opponent’s culture. Morgan was also ripped by an English player over the celebration, so the controversy isn’t as simple as the perception of female athletes and male athletes.

Morgan dealt with some backlash earlier in the World Cup over one of her previous celebrations, so she was probably referring to that as well when she said there’s a double standard. She may be right about that, but a male player celebrating the way she did against England likely would have drawn the same reactions.