Julian Gallo
5-19-14
Women in Sport
Mia Hamm
Over many years there have been many female athletes that have made a tremendous
difference in the success and progress of female sports. Many have participated in the same
sports and some have participated different sports. While there are some that are considered the
pioneer of their sport, few could be possible candidates for a pioneer of female sports as a whole.
Over the course of this past semester we mentioned some past pioneers in Annie Oakley, Mary
Lou Retton, and Pat Summitt. We even discussed a couple of more current athletes like Lisa
Leslie and Florence Joyner. All of these athletes paved the way for the future athletes one way or
another. There was however one female athlete that many young females looked up to on the
soccer field and that was Mia Hamm, one of the most accomplished soccer players of all time.
She was an athlete that did it all in her respective sport and did it with great skill and success.
Not only that, but she was a great ambassador of the game and someone who gave back wholeheartedly.
Early Life:
Mariel Margaret Hamm was born on March 17th 1972 in Selma, Alabama to her parents
William and Stephanie Hamm. Although Mia is best known for her skills on the soccer field, few
know that she was once a multi-sport athlete. One of the most interesting…dancing. Although
she was not super happy about being a dancer, her mother was very fond of a ballerina named
Mia, which is where the nickname originated from (Johnson, R., & Salem, P. 2010).While her
mother wanted her to dance, her adopted Thai American brother was the one that encouraged her
to play soccer. He was a soccer player who asked her to play with him and his friends in order to
make her better. For Mia this was much better than anything dance could ever do for her. She fell
in love with the game and played ever since and trying to be the best right from the start. Since
Mia’s father was in the Navy, she and her family were moved around from base to base a lot.
This may have resulted in her becoming more and more shy, but she never left soccer behind. It
was one of the few things that made her feel safe and helped her make friends and keep them.
After a few years participating in peewee leagues everywhere she went and being the only girl in
the leagues, her father started to notice and really enjoyed watching the game and watching his
daughter play it with such emotion. Mia started developing her skills and found that she was very
good at the game. Even though she played many sports growing up she loved and focused on
sports the most. Thus began one of the most illustrious soccer careers ever.
College Career:
Before Mia had even left for college she was making a name for herself at a high level of
play. At age 15 she participated in her first US National Team game on August 3, 1987 at
Tianjin, China against the Chinese team. Something that should be noted about the school she
had chosen to attend. Since the NCAA started holding a national championship for women’s
soccer in 1982, this school won two three-peat (1982-1984 and 1986-1988). The one loss
separating these two runs was ’85 and it came from George Mason who beat them in the finals.
The school that accomplished this amazing feat was North Carolina-Chapel Hill. As much as
Mia Hamm influenced you women everywhere there were three ladies there before her that had
as big of an effect if not more: Lauren Gregg, April Heinrichs and Shannon Higgins. These three
were hugely instrumental in the changing of the game and were very helpful in the success of
Mia as well. They later went on to become coaches after their careers ended. After Heinrichs and
Gregg had left it was Mia’s turn to step up into the collegiate spotlight and she did it completely
in every possible way. In her first year at school she helped Higgins take the team to the finals
again this time facing Colorado College. Her first finals appearance was also a success because
she was able to assist on a goal to help her team win. The next year UNC lost a game in the
regular season against UConn which was their first in 103 games without one (Weber, C. 1999).
Needless to say the Tar Heels would go on to win the title once again and in fact would finish
Mia’s career 4 for 4 in national titles, another incredible accomplishment that not many people
can say for men or women. On top of this, she was able to obtain the title of ACC player of the
year and All American her last three years. She also was gifted enough to be crowned player of
the year her last two years.
International Play:
After her first year with the international team in 1987 winning silver behind China, Mia
only continued to get better. During her third year of school she red-shirted in order to train with
the first women’s World Cup team to compete. It was only fitting that the coach of that team be
her very own coach, Anson Dorrance. She and teammate Kristine Lily played together on this
particular team. So overall the 1991 Tar Heel team was missing their Head Coach and two of
their top players as they were going into the finals. Together, the team stepped up to defeat the
University of Wisconsin while their teammates were off competing very successfully for their
country. When Mia played in the women’s first World cup she was 19 years old and expectations
were not high for the US women’s team because they had not had an established league or even
varsity sport for soccer. There were many UNC players on the team which worked out very well
for Mia because she knew how many of them played and what would be best for each person. In
the first World Cup the American women were challenged by Norway in the final; however, they
were able to hold them off and come out on top. In the second World Cup they were pitted
against each other a little earlier on in the competition.
The US were not so fortunate this time as they fell to the Norwegians, and were then
bombarded by negative comments from the Norway coach, but this didn’t deter the women.
They were about to play China for third after tying them in the first game of pool play, and Mia
was as good as ever putting in the clinching goal and assisting the go-ahead goal which
ultimately resulted in a US victory and a bronze medal on its way home. Still Hamm was not
satisfied and not done yet. In the 1996 Olympics, which were held in the United States, Mia
Hamm had one of her best games against Denmark in the opening game for the US and teams
took notice, both Sweden and Norway played a very physical game against her. Sweden actually
took her out and she was unable to play against China whom they tied. This was going to be a
special turnout because the US was going to have the opportunity to take on the Norwegians
again and have their revenge. This was not a game Hamm was going to miss and she definitely
did not. Norway came out hammering her to the ground any time that she got close to possessing
the ball and while it did not look good Mia finally got a little space and made it into the penalty
box before getting put down. This resulted in the tying goal that put into overtime and ultimately
led to the gold for the US team. The attendance for the final against China was 76,481 which was
the most to ever watch a women’s sporting event.
Against the Norm:
In 1997 People magazine named Mia Hamm one of the top 50 most beautiful people in
the world. This would normally be a huge accomplishment, but to Mia it was a slight distraction.
Her teammates heckled her for it, but were honestly very pleased that she made the list. For a
soccer player to make the list meant that athletes could spend their time on something other than
their looks and still be just as beautiful as the people that looked beautiful for their job. Mia
Hamm was determined to be a very attractive female athlete, but all of her time was dedicated to
her performance and how ready she was going to be for the next game. This was considered to
be a big part of the change in image. Just as women had proven that they could play society saw
that they could be beautiful images to look at, but that wasn’t what the women of the US soccer
team wanted. Unfortunately that’s what happened and now this image has remained. Now this is
something that all women athletes are faced with.
Even though this new image was created she and her teammates were also able to show
their country and the world that they were a team to be feared because they were a very dominant
and determined group of women that were more than just women they were athletes. That
message was finally received when they beat Norway and then China in the 1996 Olympics. This
tremendous victory for women’s sports won them respect, publicity and great media attention
compared to what they had been getting up until that point. This moment and the moment Brandi
Chastain ran across the field and took her jersey off revealing her sports bra in front of thousands
drastically changed the ideas of people. These soccer stars became something of pop stars and
huge attractions especially to young soccer females. During the time of the 1996 Olympics there
were approximately 7 million young girls that were playing some sort of soccer, whether it was
peewee or for an established league of some sort. This was a major changing point and just as
David Letterman put it that team was “Babe city” (Reid-Walsh, J., & Mitchell, C. 2008).
Mia Hamm Foundation:
This foundation was established in 1999 in order to try and find a cure for bone marrow
disease or cord blood transplants. Mia’s adopted brother suffered from complications to aplastic
anemia. He suffered and passed away which had huge effects on Mia’s life and thus encouraged
her to start her organization to combat this disease so that no one else had to go through it
(Hamm, Mia 2014, May). This foundation also encouraged her to start an all-star game that
raised money and awareness for the disease and she called it “Garrett Game” in loving memory
of her brother. Over the years she continued it and is still going on, but now it is known as the
“Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge”. Mia noted that, “the MHF
brought together marrow donors and recipients at halftime of the game. Undoubtedly, that
moment was one of the most satisfying of my life and one that encapsulates the spirit and aims
of my foundation into the present.” This was a huge moment for her and her organizations
direction.
She doesn’t just spend all of her efforts towards this very relevant issue but she also
focuses on things that made a difference in her life. She was influenced by the greats that played
before her and that her drive even greater, so now she works to give to the young female soccer
players around the US to help them find their passion in soccer. She sets up camps and teaches
girls to play to their best ability. While she didn’t get any direct instruction or any personal
interaction with the greats of her time, Mia watched and learned from them as best she could.
Influences don’t come around that often so when the opportunity presents itself people like Mia
take notice of those who grab and those who let it slip away. These are the great chances that
some of the more fortunate few choose to give back and they are spectacular moments.
Analyzing and Describing:
Mia Hamm has clearly been someone to give back and to do what she can do for those
that are less fortunate than herself. It could have many origins, but I think that the biggest is
simply because of situation. She was very fortunate that she had the opportunities and then she
wasn’t afraid to take them. It was rather interesting to note that she not only helped give back
financially and cling on to things that some people would not necessarily consider super
important. Stuff that others would probably not keep at all costing them a bit of information or
even perhaps a bit of them self in these situations. Mia was always one to give back and she
certainly wanted to make sure that no one was ever missing out on any kind of opportunity
because she knows just how precious those moments can be.
Mia Hamm was a person of very impressive accomplishments, skills and milestones.
There are a few things that are not quite as impressive, but not everyone knows about her and
which are really quite interesting. For instance it’s very interesting to note that Mia Hamm was
born in 1972 only months before the signing and passing of Title IX. The very document that
allowed her to do what she did came out the very same year she was born. That’s either a crazy
amount of coincidence or that was the sign that this great athlete needed. Even though Mia
Hamm wasn’t always a scorer or giving assists she was constantly giving her all and making
female soccer as successful as possible for her and her teammates, but also for everyone. She
took it seriously so she wanted everyone to take what she did seriously. She spent almost every
day training and working to become adequate to play with the top players of the world. Not once
did she look back, nowhere have a seen a quote of regret or remorse. Mia Hamm did exactly
what she wanted to ever since she a had a choice.
Communities Effects:
The large effect that the women of the 1996 Olympic team had on the youth of the United
States changed the way that some of the young ladies of our nation thought and did things.
From a once incredibly male dominated sports nations, to a nation that was more proud of their
female soccer team than their male team and most loved their women’s team because they were
passionate, determined and more than anything else they were driven to be the best and prove
their ability to their country and to themselves, but no one else. During and after the Olympic
games that year there was a huge increase in female participation in sport, and that was
including but not limited to soccer. Without these women this spike in performance would not
be what it was.
The publicity that the media was giving was that of what they might receive now. They
receive more media for their good looks as opposed to their skill and everything that they can
accomplish. Mia was not all about the publicity, but she was a class act that knew the ways of
winning and the actions of a winner. She wasn’t one of the dramatic types to do anything too
uncommon even in pretty emotional situations. Not only did her success and fame affect the
public, but it affected how she acted. She recognized that she was a role model for millions and
she had to be careful with how her image looked. Not necessarily how she physically looked but
how she appeared in front of the people she was supposed to be encouraging and changing the
sport for.
While there were many positives from being a giant role model there are also negative as
well. Scrutiny is a huge reason to not want to be put into the spotlight and Mia Hamm was
always watched for what she might do. She had to be on top of her game at all times. Society was
unkind and unrelenting in unintentionally pushing and testing her limits at all times. Another
thing that it can and did do to her was that it forced a certain level of change. Her life was what
she made it up till then, but then society began dictating what she did at times. While she loved
her fans and all the support that she had been receiving over the years, there comes a time when
things are happening because someone else wants it or is asking for it not because she was
wanting it or even thought it was best at all times, but no matter what she always did her duty
with the fans whether that meant signing autographs or whatever was asked of her at that time.
Mia Hamm was a player of the people always putting on the show that they wanted and what she
thought that they deserved. This was partially a part of what captured their hearts right away.
Who Was She?
There are many things that we know about Mia Hamm, about how she played, what she
did to give back and even a little about her family life and history. The important thing to
understand from it all is who she was and how important that was to the life that she led and
what that meant to her even. Growing up not wanting to participate in the ‘feminine’ activities
such as dance and instead focusing on soccer the majority of her childhood made her a very
dominant figure right away for the advancement of women’s sports because right away you saw
a strong and fierce competitor with that burning desire to constantly get better and be the best.
When she had arrived at school she was a fairly raw talent, very quick and fairly strong with the
ball, but it wasn’t until she red shirted for the first World Cup that she really focused her
attention on becoming a more complete soccer player and spending most of her time preparing
for the upcoming international games that she was expecting to participate in. Nothing was going
to stop her and that’s something that can tell you a lot about her.
With her brother Garrett’s death coming as such a blow to her and being such an impact,
her reaction was nothing short of very impressive. Not many people would take something as
hard as that and turn it into a positive for later and for others who haven’t yet experienced
something as difficult as she had to go through. That one experience made her into a better
person who was going to try and make a difference. There was nothing to stop her and now she
has a very successful foundation that has an equally successful even in the All Star Soccer
Challenge which is an exhibition game to raise money. The work and care are both their in all
her work and you see it in everything that she did. Soccer may have been a huge portion of her
life, but there were things that affected her even more that some people don’t even realize. The
death of the family member who started her on the path that she eventually took and followed
was gone, but nothing about him had disappeared.
Still today Mia has tried to do things to further the women’s soccer of the US. She helped
form the professional league that they had which could be a huge step forward for the women in
soccer and even in sport in general. One thing that should be noted is that Mia Hamm and her
teammates left a lasting impression on the US women’s international soccer team. Hard work
and determination are certainly still major components that make up their identity and winning is
still in their blood. This wasn’t something that women like Mia Hamm directly taught, but it was
definitely received as such. Some of the current older players like Abby Wombach and younger
players like Alex Morgan all have something in common, they want to win and they will do
anything that they can to make that happen. You are not likely to find many players that work
harder than them. If you were to look in the past; however, you might have found one for sure in
Mia Hamm, but she is one of those players that is never forgotten. Phil Knight said something
that is perfect for the greatness of Mia Hamm, “There are three athletes who have brought their
sports to a new level: Michael Jordan in basketball, Tiger Woods in gold, and Mia Hamm in
women’s soccer,” and what he meant by this was that although everyone is competing these
three will out work anyone in their field to make sure that they or their team wins at all costs
(Weber, C. 1999). What better way to think about and remember her than to think of her with
these two great athlete, because she equally as great.
References
Hamm, Mia (2014, May) Mia Hamm Foundation. Retrieved from
http://www.miafoundation.org/index/#/mission/.
Johnson, R., & Salem, P. (2010). Great Athletes. Pasadena, Calif: Salem Press.
Reid-Walsh, J., & Mitchell, C. (2008). Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn:
Greenwood Press.
Weber, C. (1999). Mia Hamm Rocks!. Welcome Rain.