USWNT F Abby Wambach, D Ali Krieger and their agent, Wasserman Media Group's Dan Levy, "headlined a panel" Wednesday during the first day of the espnW: Women + Sports Summit "capitalizing on the momentum" of the team's World Cup victory this past summer, according to D'Arcy Maine of ESPNW.com. Thanks in large part to the rise of social media, the players "have been given the opportunity to choose how they represent themselves to the public." As a result, fans "have been able to identify with players in ways they've never been able to before." Krieger said, "You can relate to each and every one of us on a different level. We're not all a package deal." Wambach claims that she "doesn't like doing photo shoots or appearances, but does them solely to promote the game." She said, "It's a sacrifice that has to be made for the greater good. But really, only a handful of girly girls actually like the photo shoots." Both Wambach and Krieger "called for the need for more NWSL televised games." Wambach: "We need to have more women making big decisions. They will put us in the position to be seen." She added, "I just can't wait to see what this game looks like in 15 years. And I will make it my damn business to make sure the pay gap has been closed in the meantime" (ESPNW.com, 10/14).
