The U.S. Women's World Cup team plays Denmark on
Saturday in a game broadcast live on ABC, and in CA, Richard
Ramus wrote that the 16-team tournament will be the "biggest
women's sporting event in history." More than 425,000
tickets have already been sold for the event (Riverside
PRESS ENTERPRISE, 6/13). But in Philadelphia, Mike Jensen
wrote that the '99 Women's World Cup (WWC) should "come with
a subtitle: 'The soccer tournament that will fall down like
a house of cards if Americans get knocked out.' It's not
just that people in this country will lose interest. Around
the world, the women's game hasn't caught on like it has
here" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/13). In N.Y., Filip Bondy
wrote on the U.S. team: "Losing by a single penalty kick
will not do this month -- not on the field, not on Madison
Ave., not in the corridors of sports investment brokers.
The future of a possible American pro league, of a national
feminist mindset, is at stake" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/13). In
St. Paul, Tom Powers writes that the WWC is "more tolerable"
than its men's counterpart. Powers: "The U.S. gals actually
can play" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 6/14).
THE PLAYERS: Mia Hamm is the subject of USA TODAY's
Sports cover story, as Jill Lieber writes under the header,
"Reluctant Soccer Icon." Hamm's face will soon be
"plastered on three million half-gallon cartons of Dreyer's
and Edy's Frozen Yogurt," and she will be a "visible"
spokesperson for the FleetBank All-Stars. Lieber: "Carrying
the banner for women's sports, being anointed the icon for
the U.S. women's team and hoisting the torch for all those
corporations, products and causes would be a difficult task
and a heavy burden for most mortals. But, that's the charm
of Hamm. Since she didn't choose to be The Chosen One, she
hasn't allowed herself to get caught up in the hype and
hoopla" (USA TODAY, 6/14). NEWSWEEK's Mark Starr profiles
Hamm and writes that she has become a "hero to millions of
young, sports-minded girls." Called the "reluctant diva" by
U.S. Soccer and team officials, Hamm's "popularity in the
country's suburban soccer enclaves has been built with
deeds, not words" (NEWSWEEK, 6/21 issue). Nike Soccer
Sports Marketing Manager Joe Elsmore, on Hamm: "She's just a
very special person. ... We resigned her a couple of years
ago for a longer term, through the (2000) Olympics. And
Mia's the type of person you'd like to have for life,
really. Even when she's finished playing, she'll still be
part of the team." Gatorade Dir of Communications P.J.
Sinopoli: "Using her is not just trendy. It's reflective of
reality. There are a lot more women out there playing hard
and sweating" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 6/13).
A NEW MODEL: In an Op-Ed in Sunday's N.Y. TIMES,
HarperCollins Exec Editor David Hirshey, who coaches a young
girls team in N.Y., writes of his players' adulation of the
women's team. Hirshey: "There have been soccer heroes in
this country before. ... It's just that they have all been
men and none of them homegrown." The women players, like
Hamm and Kristine Lilly, have "boldly planted the flag of
women's soccer in the consciousness of the 7.5 million girls
who embrace the sport with all their pony-tailed passion"
(N.Y. TIMES, 6/13). In an Op-Ed in USA TODAY, Sandy Grady
writes under the header, "Move Over Guys, Female Athletes
Are Muscling In." Grady: "Face it, Mr. Sports Junkie: Women
have knocked down the doors of our all-male bastion. And
all for the better. The next surprise, I suspect, will be"
the WWC. Grady: "I'm no soccer addict, but this will be
shockingly big" (USA TODAY, 6/14).
TV TIME: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir previews ESPN and
ABC's coverage of the event. Event Exec Producer Geoff
Mason: "This will have more sizzle for TV viewers than last
summer did ['98 men's World Cup in France]. This is
absolutely perfect. Women's sports are hot. The team does
well globally. America will fall in love with these women.
They play exciting soccer." Unlike last year in France,
"one advantage ESPN and ABC will have is total control of
the production" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/13).
