Celebrity athletes are on the covers of magazines, they star in commercials, and sometimes movies; even rappers mention the names of the greats in their songs! A celebrity athlete is a product of the public, in other words they are something that can be sold. Once in a while, an athlete comes along that can uplift, empower, and unify their country; at this point the athlete becomes an America hero. The two underdogs of American sports: females and soccer were given the attention they deserve after Mia Hamm took to the field. She made herself a household name, and with that she gained the country's respect for her sport and female athletes everywhere.
At age 15, Mia Hamm became the youngest player to ever be selected for the women's national team. When it came time to choose a college team, Hamm chose powerhouse school UNC-Chapel Hill and went on to make history. Within those four years she amassed 103 goals, 72 assists, 278 points, three National Player of The Year Awards and four straight National Championship appearances. Later, she took a year off of school, only to win the 1991 Women's World Cup in China with the national team.
1999 was another major year for Hamm. She scored her 108th goal, breaking the international career goals record. That summer she played for the women's national team where they won the World Cup on US soil in front of a record 90,000 strong crowd. Later that year Hamm was awarded Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation. She also went on to win the Female Athlete of the Year award for the sixth time.
In 2001 FIFA decided to create a Women's Player of the Year award which was, with little debate, awarded to Hamm.
As a soccer player myself, I can't think of another female player that has made such an impact on the game. No matter where you went in the world people knew who you were talking about when you mentioned Mia Hamm. Boys and girls alike understood just how special of a player Hamm was; it was as if we knew we were witnessing something that might never be replicated in our lifetime. One can only hope that the women's national team of the current World Cup will channel their inner Hamm and bring home another cup for the USA!
