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Emotional insurance
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[06/16/99]

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By Esmé Raji Codell
[06/14/99]

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The Americans were floundering. They looked tentative, misplaying several easy passes and nearly surrendering a goal to the Danes.

Then suddenly an opportunity arrived. A ball was played in the air deep to the right side of Denmark's penalty box. With her back to the goal, striker Mia Hamm brought it down with her foot, deftly turned inward past a defender and rocketed the first goal of the tournament high into the net.

Giants Stadium went berserk. Hamm high-step sprinted in utter ecstasy 50 yards back to her own half of the field, screaming and wildly pumping her fists until finally she was mauled by overjoyed teammates.

It was as raw an expression of joy as you will see in sports. But a palpable sense of relief was there as well. After enduring months of media appearances to promote everything from a sports drink to a soccer Barbie doll to the World Cup itself, Mia Hamm had returned to what she loves most: playing the game.

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Until recently, you could be forgiven for having no idea who Mia Hamm is.

But over the last couple months, the women's soccer star has graced the front page of the New York Times, been a guest on "Good Morning America" and karate-flipped Michael Jordan in Gatorade TV ads. She has released an autobiography and christened an enormous new office building named in her honor at Nike's corporate campus in Oregon. And she has broken the record for the most career international goals ever scored by any soccer player, woman or man: 110 as of last Saturday.

Find books by and about Mia Hammat BARNES & NOBLE

Hamm is just 27, but the media have already conferred upon her the status of living legend. By tournament's end, she could be more recognizable than any American man ever to play soccer, including (what's-his-name?) the guy with long red hair and goofy goatee (Alexi Lalas). Moreover, she could become the most recognizable woman athlete on Earth.

As the largest team sporting event for females ever held, the Women's World Cup may prove a watershed for women's sports in the U.S. and worldwide. And as the fresh face that media and corporate sponsors have chosen to personify the event, Hamm has challenges far beyond the soccer field. Everyone -- from Nike executives to 13-year-old daughters of soccer moms -- will be counting on her to lead the United States to victory and score plenty of goals along the way.

As soccer's best female player, Hamm is being asked to expand the game's appeal to millions of Americans, many of whom enjoy watching their kids play each Sunday but would never consider attending a professional match. There is even talk of creating a women's professional league in the United States, contingent on the success of the Women's World Cup.

Beyond soccer, Hamm has been thrust into the role of ambassador for all female team sports. As the most scrutinized player in this summer's tournament, she is under intense pressure to prove that female athletes are every bit as entertaining to watch as men -- not just in Olympic gymnasiums or ice rinks, but in the great coliseums such as Giants Stadium.

It's a tall order for a private and intense young woman who has happily toiled in relative obscurity for years. But, as her opponents have repeatedly learned, Mia Hamm should never be underestimated.

Next page | Soccer, "the beautiful game"