The U.S. women’s soccer team is undoubtedly one of the best soccer teams on the planet, but long before there was Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd, there was Mia Hamm.
Any millennial who grew up in the ‘90s will remember her name. She played in the 1996 Atlanta games, the 2000 Sydney games and the 2004 Athens games, and for a spell, she was the all-time leading international goal scorer for both men and women.
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However, Hamm’s teammate, the great Abby Wambach, beat her record in 2013.
After winning two Olympic gold medals and winning two World Cup titles, Hamm retired from soccer after the 2004 Olympics, but her legacy lives on in soccer players all over the world, especially players on the current U.S. Women’s National Team.
So what has Hamm been up to since she hung up her cleats in 2004?
Not surprisingly, she is still involved in the soccer world.
She’s done things like write books, make TV appearances and advocate for women’s sports, but her most ambitious is becoming a co-owner of two professional soccer teams.
On the men’s side of soccer, Hamm became a co-owner of Los Angeles FC in 2014, a team in Major League Soccer. Last year, it was announced she was also a co-owner of Angel City FC, a new Los Angeles-based team in the National Women’s Soccer League.
As an owner of Angel City FC, Hamm is joined by a long list of celebrities and fellow athletes as co-owners: Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Billie Jean King and Wambach, to name a few.
After being in the spotlight for so many years, Hamm has chosen to work behind the scenes in the soccer world, but her impact is still being felt through women’s soccer and women’s sports.
When the Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028, it wouldn’t be surprising if Hamm is one of the former athletes who gets to bring the Olympic torch into the stadium. She certainly is a legend.
