Mia Hamm - The Hero

SOCCER - FORWARD - USWNT

ARCHETYPE: THE HERO

Day 103/135

Athletic Accomplishments

As a kid, Mia Hamm wore corrective shoes because she was born with a club foot. Who’d have thought that just a few years later, she’d dazzle the world with her extraordinary footwork and athleticism, becoming a soccer legend, national treasure, and one of the all-time greatest athletes.

In 1989, Hamm played forward for the University of North Carolina, where she led the team to four NCAA titles, losing just one game of the 95 total she played as a Tarheel. Upon graduating in 1994, Hamm held the ACC records for goals (103), assists (72), and total points (278).

In her time at Carolina, Hamm was a three-time ACC Soccer Player of the Year, and two-time ACC Female Athlete of the Year. She also took home the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female soccer player in both 1993 and 1994, and won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 1994 as the nation's top female athlete. It’s no wonder then that in 2003, she and Michael Jordan were named the ACC's Greatest Athletes of the conference's first 50 years. Pretty elite company.

While at UNC, Hamm also played for the U.S. Women’s National Team. She redshirted in 1991 to play for the inaugural Women’s World Cup, and at 19 years old, was the youngest player on the team. The USWNT won the World Cup that year.

Hamm continued to dominate in international soccer throughout the 1990s, racking up caps and goals. She was, not surprisingly, captain of the USWNT at the 1999 World Cup, when the USWNT won their second World Cup in penalties against China.

Hamm set the record for most international goals and held it until 2013. She was named FIFA World Player of the Year in both 2001 and 2002, and U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row. She won three ESPY awards. The Women's Sports Foundation named her Sportswoman of the Year in 1997 and 1999, and she has been inducted into multiple sports halls of fame.

Character Archetype: The Hero

Mia Hamm was on Wheaties boxes, in Gatorade commercials, and became a marketing icon. It’s not that she sold out. And it wasn’t just that she had a pretty face.

It’s that Hamm, who had won two World Cups, held the international scoring record, and was a generational talent — was everything you’d ever want in a competitor. She was skilled, and worked hard. She was a winner.

After winning the 1999 World Cup in PKs, Hamm collapsed of exhaustion in the locker room. I’m not advocating that, but she’s the type to literally leave it all on the field.

Hamm — and the other brazen ‘99ers who had fought their whole lives to be included in the World Cup, the Olympics, and in the national sport conversation — inspired a generation of girls to play soccer. To compete. To be strong. To win.

Today, Hamm is a co-owner of Angel City FC. Her career was a down payment in the women’s game. And now, with this investment and her track record of success, all I see is upside.