Mia Hamm, a member of the legendary '99ers U.S. Women's World Cup soccer team, catapulted women's soccer into the national spotlight in the '90s and early 2000s. Hamm and her teammates created global recognition and relevance for a sport that once didn't get the deserved amount of attention. Hamm is not just the face of soccer in the United States, but rather an entire generation of female athletes.
With the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup set to kick off in just a few days, Hamm sat down with CBS Sports to chat all things soccer as well as the new project Hamm created with USWNT forward Mallory Pugh and Gatorade.
Gatorade's 'Sisters in Sweat' initiative, which addresses an alarming stat: by age 17, girls drop out of sports at 1 1/2 times the rate of their male peers, and as a result, disproportionately miss out on the skills and long-term benefits associated with playing sports. Those who stay playing sports are healthier, happier and more successful later in life. Hamm and Pugh's goal is to bring attention to this growing issue and show girls that staying in sports throughout their teenage years has long-term, personal benefits.
Hamm and USWNT forward Mallory Pugh are featured in Gatorade's new film, 'Every day is your day,' which taps into the famous Dr. Seus poem to inspire the next generation of female athletes to keep playing. Have a look:
"In a way, it's a passing of the torch," Hamm told CBS Sports. "I was [Gatorade's] first female roster athlete and whether you're competing or you've retired like myself, they're very conscientious of keeping us all connected."
Hamm has still maintained an active presence in the soccer community since she retired from the game 15 years ago. She is part-owner of the Los Angeles Football Club, a global ambassador for FC Barcelona and founder of the Mia Hamm Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for families in need of a marrow or cord blood transplant and helps develop more opportunities for young women in sports.
Hamm recognized Pugh's talent back in 2016 when she was just 18 years old.
Speed kills but technical speed absolutely annihilates defenders . Mallory Pugh is for real.
— Mia Hamm (@MiaHamm) July 23, 2016
It came from someone who would know. Hamm scored 158 goals in 276 appearances for the United States, an all-time international record until Abby Wambach broke it in 2013. Wambach finished with 184 goals by the time she retired in 2015.
"I'm so excited for [Pugh] and to see her growth and development," Hamm said.
This past May, Pugh wrote an article for "The Player's Tribune" in which she declared Hamm as one of her heroes:
Mia Hamm was one of my biggest heroes growing up, so I'm hoping that I can make a statement at this summer's World Cup -- just like she did back in 1999. I'm hoping to get into one of those Mia Hamm Zones.
In December 2015, Pugh became the youngest player in the past 11 years to get called up to play for the women's national team. She scored her first goal on the team in January 2016, and at 21, this will be her first World Cup appearance. Pugh, along with Tierna Davidson, a 20-year-old defender, are the team's youngest players.
Pugh had attended UCLA on a soccer scholarship for one semester, but ultimately, she decided to forgo collegiate soccer and join the professional circuit where she currently plays for the Washington Spirit in the NWSL.
"I was fortunate, I had college when I played, and the schedule wasn't as demanding as it is for Mal," Hamm said. "She's having to learn on the job so to speak. She's had to do it on the road and she's handled it incredibly well. She's continued to deepen and develop her talent and her contribution to this team continues to grow each and everyday."
How will this USWNT squad match up with its competitors in France this summer? Hamm says "some of the members of the team are playing their best soccer" leading up to the tournament.
"I think they match up incredibly well, Hamm said. "... There's this kind of shift in excitement once the roster is chosen, it's like all the sudden everyone lets out a deep breath, and says, 'OK, it's on.'"
Hamm will be in France towards the end of the tournament with her family where they'll "be decked out in USA kits and screaming our faces off for this team." Hamm and her teammates gave women's soccer the platform, and now this generation of players are using the platform to enact positive change for their sport. In March, the USWNT filed a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The lawsuit alleged gender-based discrimination in comparison to the men's team.
"I'm incredibly proud," Hamm said, when asked about the current USWNT bringing attention to the pay inequality issue. "Our game outlasts your time on the national team, so while you're there, both on and off the field, you are moving for positive change. As the mom of two 12-year-old girls, the fact that they have this team and these players to look up to as role models, I'm incredibly proud and grateful to them."
The Women's World Cup begins June 7, and the USWNT will play their first match against Thailand on June 11 as the team aims to defend its title. You can stream the entire tournament via fuboTV (Try for free). The U.S. is one of the most successful women's soccer teams, having won four Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012) and three World Cup titles (1991, 1999, 2015). The Americans are considered the favorites heading into the tournament. You can find the full World Cup schedule here, as well as the odds for the first group stage matches.
