Go Team!

Women’s sports are having a moment. Along with over 14 million people, I witnessed Iowa’s victory over UConn in the recent Women’s NCAA Final Four tournament. It was the most-watched women’s basketball game of all time and the largest audience ever for an ESPN basketball broadcast. As the daughter of a proud Iowa alum, it was hard not to cheer on Iowa’s team and phenom Caitlin Clark.

The team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.

Mia Hamm

While some athletes become a team’s headliner, it’s what happens at practices and in the locker room that makes for a strong team while setting the stage for meaningful friendships. A 2019 article on sportenegine.com captures it well: “Sports are about more than a final score. They’re also about a community.” Sports give us a chance to work hard together on a common goal and bond over shared experiences. Trust is formed, and we learn to build on one another’s strengths.

The lifelong bonds formed by members of the 1999 US Women’s World Cup Soccer championship team exemplifies this, with team stand-outs and besties Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Tisha Hoch forming the Berkshire Soccer Academy for Girls years after retiring from the team. Together, they’ve created an experience that guides “girls to discover their greatness on and off the field.” They are a model for staying close friends and teammates in a new capacity, 25 years after their championship season.

While my own participation in team sports was far from remarkable, it provided me with experiences I’ll never forget and friendships that have lasted a lifetime. In one of our first posts, Sara wrote about how our friendship deepened through our experience on the first-ever girls soccer team at our high school. My parents were bewildered by that team: My brother played sports; my sisters played violin, clarinet, and piano.

I didn’t mean to be a family rebel by participating in sports, I was just interested in trying something new and being part of a group. After playing high school soccer in the 1980s, I played club rugby in college and rec-league soccer in Germany, and I’ve run three marathons. Sports have helped me gain confidence, battle an eating disorder, and learn to build and lead teams.

We are the ally, advocate and catalyst for tomorrow’s leaders. We exist to enable girls and women to reach their potential in sport and life.  

Women’s Sports Foundation’s Mission

Years later, I love seeing the impact of sports participation on the younger members of my family. I’ve enjoyed hearing about my niece’s championship season with the Rainbow Lightning U8 soccer team, and watching my nephews, who are cousins, play on rival Little League teams. And as a parent to athletes, I get to watch my sons form new skills and relationships, while finding community with other sports parents.