U.S. Women's Soccer Team members Mia Hamm and Cindy
Parlow were interviewed by Diane Sawyer on ABC's "Good
Morning America." Both wore WWC sponsor MasterCard-branded
shirts. Hamm, whose brother died of a bone marrow disease,
said that MasterCard is donating 10% of sales of WWC tickets
bought on the company's credit cards through June 18 to the
her foundation which benefits people in need of bone marrow
transplants ("GMA," ABC, 6/11). In N.Y., Jere Longman
profiles Hamm and writes that she has "reached an uncommon
level of celebrity and corporate appeal." But Hamm is
"being asked to shoulder" an "enormous burden ... this
summer. She is being counted on not only to lead the
favored American team, but also to help fill stadiums, to
lend a name and a face to an emerging game, to be the spark
that could possibly ignite a professional soccer league for
women in 2001" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/11). SCRIPPS HOWARD's Joe
Donatelli writes that Hamm "doesn't put much thought into
being famous." But while recent WWC ads have promoted the
U.S. squad's "team- first attitude," it's "evident" that
Hamm is "No. 1 with the fans" (SCRIPPS HOWARD, 6/11).
A 180 DEGREE TURN? In St. Pete, Darrell Fry writes on
Latrell Sprewell's AND 1 spot: "Let's not kid ourselves.
Sprewell as the American Dream is stretching it a bit.
Actually, it's stretching it a lot. But here's what Spree
is offering us: Being a menace doesn't have to be a
permanent condition" (ST. PETE TIMES, 6/11). In N.Y., Mark
Kriegel: "Sprewell has every right to read from an ad man's
script that proclaims him The American Dream. Even some of
his teammates have taken to calling him Dream. Of course
they have. Victory is virtue" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/11).
