Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm playing in a match against Brasil (www.glogster.com ())

The first reason why Mia is my hero is because she always puts 100% of her effort into everything she did. Whether it was practice or a World Cup game, she tried equally as hard in both. She inspired me to play as hard in practice, as I would a game, because as I know, practice makes perfect. Also, Mia was so dedicated to everything she did. Her sister, Caroline Cruickshank, says, "Casts were placed on her feet to try and correct that irregularity, as soon as those things were taken off her feet, you could not stop her." That shows you that she was so dedicated to soccer. I think that is heroic because it shows girls that if you are devoted, and dedicated, you can become anything. 

Mia getting ready to kick the ball (time.com ())

The second reason why Mia Hamm is my hero is because she was the best female soccer player in the world. She was the youngest athlete to ever join a national team (joining when she was 15 years old). She wasn't the biggest, tallest, or strongest, but she was still the best because she was so aggressive and had so much skill from practicing a lot. When Mia was the best player in the world, she still strived to get better. Pele, a legendary soccer player, said, "All I can say is that I'm glad I never had to go against Mia Hamm." That shows a lot because Pele was one of the greatest soccer players of all time and for him to say that, it means that Mia was an amazing soccer player. I consider that heroic because she inspired me to keep playing soccer. 

Mia Hamm teaching kids how to kick a soccer ball (miafoundation.org ())

The last reason why I think Mia is heroic is not about something she did for soccer, it is about something she did for her brother. As I said in my introduction paragraph, her adopted brother, Garrett Hamm, inspired Mia with sports. She admired him a lot. In 1997, he died because of complications with a blood disorder. In 1999, Mia created a foundation based on him. It is a "non-profit, national organization" to help families in need of marrow or cord blood transplant. She raises money every year by doing a "Garrett Game". The "Garrett Game" is an all-star soccer match that funds money to support transplant patients. I think that is heroic because she was so sad once her brother died that she started this organization to help patients so the patients' families don't have to feel how Mia did. 

Many people and websites say that Mia Hamm is considered the "best female soccer player in history". She played with the womens national team for 17 years. Mia had 158 international goals (more than any male or female player up until 2013) with 145 career assists, playing in 275 international games. She was with the women's national team when they won the 1991 and 1999 world cups. She was also with the team when they won the 1996 and 2004 Olympics. Mia Hamm played with boys at the beginning of her career, because there were no good girls teams. She is a hero, because she inspired girls all over the world to play soccer.