I am amazed the "controversy" around Alex Morgan's tea-sipping celebration against England six days ago has continued for as long as it has.

The American forward claimed on the eve of the Women's World Cup final that the celebration "wasn't a hit to England". 

Her comments came amid suggestions she had mocked the well-known tea drinking nation or had produced a Boston Tea Party style reference when marking her semi-final goal.

Given the current state of the country, mocking England about tea would really be tame had Morgan meant to. I would certainly be supportive of a new wave of goal celebrations marking historical events, though.

I agree with Morgan when she said that she was "taken aback" by the criticism the celebration has caused, but I differ with her view that it showed double standards between male and female athletes.

"I feel that there is some sort of double standards for females in sports to feel like we have to be humble in our success," she said.

"We have to celebrate but not too much, we have to do something, but it always has to be in a limited fashion. You see men celebrating all around the world in big tournaments, grabbing their sack or whatever."

There had already been criticism of the United States team for their overzealous celebrations when racking up the goals in their 13-0 demolition job of Thailand in the group stage of the tournament. The comparison had been drawn to when Germany humiliated host nation Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals of the men's World Cup in 2014, when celebrations for the latter goals became increasingly reserved.

Rather than viewing the criticism of the US team in a negative light, I would argue it is a positive thing for the team. The worst thing for a team is to be liked by your rivals.

Manchester United and Liverpool regularly come out near the top of polls asking people to vote for the team they hate the most. The slogan "hated, adored and never ignored" has been used repeatedly by fans of the former. 

There is certainly something in that, with fans of rival clubs currently reveling in the difficult few years Manchester United have had in comparison to the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

There is an understandable drive towards disliking sustained success and the perceived arrogance that comes with it.

The general joy of watching the talented yet perennial underachievers Spain finally triumph at the 2010 FIFA World Cup was vastly different to the near relief felt when they crashed out at the group stage four years later. It is what winning three consecutive major tournaments will do.

Being cast as the villains, whether rightly or wrongly, feels like a good place to be for the US.

Given the column inches they have generated and the attention they have brought to the several key issues surrounding the women's game, primarily about inequality, the US women's team will be the one to have defined the World Cup regardless of the outcome of today's final against The Netherlands.

I would go as far as suggesting that every sport needs a team or an athlete that can be cast as a villain.

And tennis certainly has its pantomime star.

Whether he was drinking beer or sipping tea at the pub prior to his Wimbledon tie against Rafael Nadal, Nick Kyrgios certainly prepares differently to other players towards the top of the sport.

The 24-year-old Australian has not reached a quarter-final of one of the Grand Slams since the Australian Open in 2015, but people are drawn to his matches given his unpredictable nature.

He understandably infuriates some tennis purists with his on and off court antics and the ongoing feeling that he has not made the most of his talent yet. 

He is one of the few athletes where I have to consider if you can describe him as a "home favourite" whenever he competes in Australia, given the differing opinions around him.

However, there is no doubting that Kyrgios is great entertainment for the casual tennis fan and someone who you would buy a ticket to go and watch.

There was a much-shared clip from Kyrgios' first-round match at Wimbledon when, after faulting, the Australian shouted: "I can't buy a first serve." 

After receiving a let on his next serve, a member of the crowd shouted: "Can't buy a second serve, either", leading to the remainder of the crowd and Kyrgios laughing.

In the early rounds of the tournament, you would probably be better off getting a ticket for one of his matches over watching a Djokovic or Federer demolition of an opponent. 

I certainly received more messages from friends about Kyrgios' match with Nadal than any other men's tie this week, and Nadal was the secondary character in those discussions.

You could make the argument that Kyrgios has provided some of the most memorable moments of the opening week of the tournament in his two singles matches. He was arguably the second most talked about player behind 15-year-old Cori Gauff, who has made a stunning impression in the women's singles draw.

Kyrgios is arguably what tennis needs more of. Someone the sport can focus on outside of the heavyweight clashes in the latter stages of tournaments. 

When the inevitable happens and this golden era of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal concludes, tennis could well need a walking, talking headline generator like Kyrgios to ensure interest does not wane.

It would be great to see Kyrgios fulfill his undoubted potential and reach the latter stages of tournaments. It would make a refreshing change to the often stilted tennis world, where top players shower their opponent with compliments after beating them in finals, to have a player where there might be a healthy degree of animosity.

Kyrgios is undoubtedly a different type of sporting villain to the rather manufactured casting of the US women's football team following their string of success. Yet both, to a degree, share the important role of generating interest around their respective sports.