Mia Hamm

In 1999, the World Cup was held in the USA, hosting 16 countries from all over the world (“FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 1999” Fifa.com). The final game, held in the Rose Bowl Stadium, was full of laughter, excitement, and chants as the hosting team walked through the dark tunnels. Mia Hamm, part of the starting eleven, was one of the most effective players on the U.S. National Team to play China. Mia Hamm, a retired professional soccer player, discovered her passion for soccer when she was living in Italy. As she grew up, she became a star for her high school, college, and eventually the national team. As the youngest player on the women’s national team, Hamm was an inspiration for the younger kids out there to play sports. Through her journey, she opened her Mia Hamm Foundation to help patients with bone marrow disease. When 1999 came, Hamm was ready to show the world that she was the best player in the world. Mia Hamm has done great deeds for the world by helping those who need saving and showing that she can be the greatest player ever. Mia Hamm, known for her amazing skill and talent, is a hero for young girls because she has shown through her actions that she is caring, determined, and an inspiration for women’s soccer around the world.

Mia kicking a cornerJohnmaxmena2 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]The Mia Foundation has shown Hamm’s leadership and her caring about others before herself. Hamm raised lots of money to support bone marrow research: "Hamm became a leader in other aspects of life as well. Her brother Garrett contracted a rare blood disease, aplastic anemia. Hamm joined the board of the Marrow Foundation and raised $50,000 for his bone marrow transplant with a charity soccer match. After his death, she established the Mia Hamm Foundation to raise money for bone-marrow research and to set up clinics and camps for young girls in soccer and other sports" (“Mia Hamm.” Notable). Mia Hamm cared so much about her brother and his disease that she created an organization. With the Mia Hamm Foundation, she was able to raise $50,000 to give her brother the transplant. She set up clinics for young girls to raise more money for her foundation. When Mia launched her foundation, she wanted to raise awareness for the disease: “Hamm also serves on the board of the Marrow Foundation, an organization based in Washington, D.C., that sponsors research and raises money for the National Marrow Donor Program. She encourages people everywhere to take part in bone marrow screenings. ‘A simple blood test can save someone's life,' she says” (“Mia Hamm.” Biography.com). Through this foundation, she has shown leadership and kindness. She cares about those who need help, and she showed that through her foundation. Her leadership and her care for others was expressed through her Bone Marrow Foundation.

Mia Hamm warming up before a gameJohnmaxmena at English Wikipedia [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]As the youngest person on the Women's National Team, she was determined to defeat the international goal scoring record. Hamm was 15 and determined to show the world what she was capable of: “Hamm actually started playing with the U.S. national team in 1987, when she was still in high school. At 15, she was the youngest player ever to make the team... She was still the youngest player on the team, at 19, when the United States won the first Women's World Cup soccer championship in 1991” (“Mia Hamm.” Mia Hamm). As the youngest player on the U.S.W.N.T. (U.S. Women's National Team), she wanted to represent her country in the best way she could. She went into the the most difficult tournament in the world and she came into the World Cup strong and determined. Hamm had no limits to how many goals she scored: “In 1999, Hamm set a new record for most international goals scored when she made her 108th goal for the U.S. team, succeeding Italian player Elisabetta Vignotto” (“Mia Hamm.” Biography.com). Through Hamm’s career, she scored 158 goals in total, which set the world record for the most international goal scorers. She was the best women's player in the world for girls to look up to. With the most international goals in the world, she was determined to set more records.

With her talent and determination, and her caring, Mia Hamm is a deserving hero. Hamm is an inspiration because she cared about others before herself and she was determined to be the best player yet. Mia Hamm inspired the people around her because she wanted to save people’s lives for the better and inspire people to never give up. She believes that we can help someone through simple acts and to care for people around us. Mia Hamm isn't just a soccer player - she will be known as an inspiration for young girls, and a hero.

Works Cited

“Mia Hamm.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017,

www.biography.com/people/mia-hamm-16472547.

“Mia Hamm.” Mia Hamm (Biography Today), Jan. 2010, p. 1. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b6h&AN=34912753&site=brc-live.

"Mia Hamm." Notable Sports Figures, edited by Dana R. Barnes, Gale, 2004. Biography In

Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K2440301211/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=a18aa8b3. Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.

"Mia Hamm." UXL Biographies, UXL, 2011. Student Resources In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2108100971/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=5be224bf. Accessed 26 Mar. 2019.666