Call to Action: Jefferson Award nominees

The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America.  They began in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a “Call to Action for Volunteers” in local communities.

Did you know that athletes give back to their communities more than most groups?  Well, it’s true. Check out some of their random acts of kindness.

This month, voting begins for the prestigious national Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Athlete.   A list of highly impressive nominees includes the following women:

Cheri Balwut – Paralympic Gold Medalist

Brandi Chastain – Soccer player

Lauren Fleshman - Long distance runner

Sara Hall – Runner

Mia Hamm – Soccer player

Lindsey Harding – Basketball player

Ana Ivanovic – Tennis player

Jelena Jankovic – Tennis player

Jessica Mendoza – Softball player

Angela Ruggiero – Hockey player

Kerri Walsh – Volleyball player

If you’re not already familiar with these inspiring women, you need to be. Click here to read about the incredible things these athletes are doing and to vote (by November 15th) for your favorite nominee.

Tenth anniversary of USA’s 1999 Women’s World Cup title not much of a party

It was billed as a party to celebrate the WNT’s accomplishments ten years ago, when the United States defeated China in a penalty kick shootout at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The game, played in front of a crowd of 90,185, remains the best-attended women’s sporting event in history and raised the profile of women’s soccer globally for years to come.

The first-place Los Angeles Sol recognized Mia Hamm and Joy Fawcett, two members of the U.S. Team that captured the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Championship, on Sunday, June 21, at The Home Depot Center when they played FC Gold Pride (Bay Area).

Hamm and Fawcett were honored in a subdued halftime ceremony.  Two Gold Pride players were also members of the 1999 U.S. team, Brandi Chastain and Tiffeny Milbrett, but only Milbrett showed up to play.

There were colorful signs in the stands and plenty of fans ready to relive the glory days of the 1999 championship but the opportunity came and went without the party ever taking off.

All seven Women’s Professional Soccer franchises will feature a 10th Anniversary Tribute Day at one of their home games this summer.  In addition to Hamm and  Fawcett, Lorrie Fair, Tiffany Roberts, Tisha Venturini, Danielle Fotopolous and others on the gold-medal winning side will be recognized at venues throughout the league.

Hope some of those celebrations are more fun than the one at the Home Depot Center.  Fortunately the Sol won Sunday’s game with a couple of dramatic goals in the first half so the day still ended on a positive note.

With the victory, the Sol remains comfortably atop the WPS standings with an 8-1-4 record (28 points), while FC Gold Pride falls to 3-6-3 (12 pts.).  Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc made three saves to register her WPS-leading ninth shutout, while midfielder Camile Abily notched her league-best seventh goal of the season.

Party like it’s 1999

The year was 1999.  A team of inspired women and a tournament of historic proportions captured the hearts and minds of an entire nation.  I was just a young girl (well not that young) and one of 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl  watching the epic final and witnessing history.

The 1999 Women’s World Cup ran from June 19-July 10, 1999, in packed stadiums across the United States, raising the profile of women’s soccer globally, creating new heroes in the sport and setting the bar for future FIFA Women’s World Cup™ tournaments

Now, 10 years later, U.S. Soccer and Women’s Professional Soccer will honor the legacy of that tournament and the legends from the World Cup-winning U.S. Women’s National Team at WPS games throughout late June and early July.

Working with U.S. Soccer, all seven WPS franchises will feature a 10th Anniversary Tribute Day at one of their WPS home games coinciding with the anniversary of the tournament dates of the 1999 Women’s World Cup. Former U.S. Women’s National Team players will make appearances, sign autographs and be recognized for their accomplishments ten years ago.

Remembering ’99 Tribute Schedule

Date	Match	Stadium	TV Game	Tickets
Saturday, June 20	Saint Louis vs. Washington	AB Soccer Park		Tickets
Sunday, June 21	Los Angeles vs. FC Gold Pride	Home Depot Center	Fox Soccer Channel	Tickets
Saturday, July 4	Sky Blue FC vs. Boston	Yurcak Field		Tickets
Sunday, July 5	FC Gold Pride vs. Saint Louis	Buck Shaw Stadium		Tickets
Sunday, July 5	Washington vs. Los Angeles	Maryland SoccerPlex	Fox Soccer Channel	Tickets
Sunday, July 12	Boston vs. Sky Blue FC	Harvard Stadium	Fox Soccer Channel	Tickets
Sunday, July 12	Chicago vs. Bay Area	Toyota Park	Comcast	Tickets

Retired players from the 1999 World Cup team making appearances will include: Mia Hamm, Joy Fawcett, Lorrie Fair, Tiffany Roberts, Tisha Venturini and Danielle Fotopolous among others. WPS currently has five 99ers playing in the league: Brandi Chastain (FC Gold Pride), Kristine Lilly (Boston Breakers), Tiffeny Milbrett(FC Gold Pride), Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC) and Briana Scurry (Washington Freedom).

Beyond the on-site events, the WPS league website (www.womensprosoccer.com) and U.S. Soccer website (ussoccer.com), will feature a unique series called “Remembering ‘99”. Each day from June 19-July 10, a different WPS player or U.S. Soccer legend will provide their memory of the 1999 Women’s World Cup in their own words.

I plan on heading to the Home Depot Center this weekend to relive that moment and to watch the LA Sol honor soccer greats Mia Hamm, Joy Fawcett, Tiffeny Milbrett and Brandi Chastain.

Should be quite a party!

Women’s HerStory Month on ESPN

Billie Jean King made history 35 years ago by beating Bobby Riggs in a tennis match in an iconic moment in the history of women’s sports. Today, a new generation of female athletes make their own history on playing fields across the country.

This month, in honor of  Women’s History Month, ESPN will broadcast a contemporary collection of stories of empowerment and inspiration, struggle and triumph. The programs, which feature both pioneers as well as a new generation of female sports icons will appear across ESPN platforms, including television and ESPN.com.

Stories include a profile of supergirl Candace Parker  (now dunking for two), who will appear on the cover of the March 23 issue of ESPN the Magazine. In that same issue, and on March 8 on “Outside the Lines,” senior writer Peter Keating expands his ongoing investigation into sports and concussions by examining the ramifications on female athletes.

A series of vignettes featuring the newest generation of female athletes will begin airing March 8. Athletes such as Jessica Long, a double amputee swimmer who won gold at the Paralympic Games in Beijing (not to mention the Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete back home), and Darienne Serna, a spectacularly agile wide receiver who helped her Texas team win the girls 12- to 14-year-old NFL flag football championship by channeling her hero, Larry Fitzgerald.

On March 14, ESPN Classic will run an 11-hour marathon showcasing many of the pioneering women who led the march across the frontiers of equal prize money, equal access and equal opportunity.  Beginning with a documentary on Title IX and including the smackdown match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, the ESPN marathon will highlight some of the most significant moments in women’s sports history.  Profiles include Mia Hamm, Chris Evert, Bonnie Blair and FloJo.

On March 27, ESPN will air a one-hour special, “Her Story,” with Sports Center anchor Hannah Storm. The special focuses on fresh stories about young athletes including surfer Bethany Hamilton’s extraordinary comeback from a shark attack, as well as reporter Shelley Smith’s astute look at what it means to be a young Hispanic athlete. 

The ”Her Story” page on espn.com will include stories, columns, videos and links to all kinds of content from television, ESPN The Magazine and ESPNRISE.com. Readers and viewers also can help document the new history by submitting their own inspirational sports stories. The “My Story” section of the page lets anyone with a camera produce a short video clip about themselves, a coach, a teammate or a team. The winning clip will air on the “Her Story” television special on March 27.

Women’s History Content on ESPN

Date	Time (ET)	Program	Channel
March 8	9:00 a.m.	Outside the Lines: Girls and Concussions	ESPN
March 14	10:00 a.m.	On the Basis of Sex: The Battle of Title IX	Classic
Marathon	11:00 a.m.	Firestone IndyCar 300 at Japan – Danica Patrick’s first win	Classic
	1:00 p.m.	2004 PBA Banquet Open, Liz Johnson, 1st woman to reach final of PBA event	Classic
	2:00 p.m.	SportsCentury: Nancy Lopez	Classic
	2:30 p.m.	SportsCentury: Bonnie Blair	Classic
	3:00 p.m.	SportsCentury: Mia Hamm	Classic
	4:00 p.m.	SportsCentury: Florence Griffith-Joyner	Classic
	4:30 p.m.	SportsCentury: Chris Evert	Classic
	5:00 p.m.	1978 Wimbledon Final: Martina Navratilova vs Chris Evert	Classic
	7:00 p.m.	Reel Classics: When Billie Beat Bobby	Classic
March 27	8:00 p.m.	Her Story: Celebrating Women in Sports	ESPN

Hamm Soccer Challenge scores big

Jan. 27, 2008 - Want to guess who scored the first goal in Saturday’s Celebrity Soccer Challenge at the Home Depot Center, hosted by soccer icon Mia Hamm and her husband, Dodgers first baseman Nomar Garciaparra? One hint: It wasn’t Nomar.

Hamm, a World Cup and Olympic champion and soccer’s all-time scorer, male or female, sent a 10-footer into the net in the second minute of play, and her team, F.C. Mia, played her husband’s team, Nomar United, to a 12-12 tie.

The final score was the last thing on the minds of the 10,000 who showed up under brilliant sunshine — what mattered far more was the inspiration for the event — a benefit for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Mia Hamm Foundation.

Other celebrities taking part included Oscar-nominated actress Elisabeth Shue and “Saturday Night Live” actors Seth Meyers and Andy Samberg.

Random Acts of Kindness

Show Me The Charity: Every day we’re taught that to give is better than  to receive and to treat others how we wish to be treated. To that end, athletes and sports organizations have long stepped up to the plate and been involved in some great charitable work.

From relief efforts for victims of the California fires, Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami to raising money for healthcare, medical research and at-risk youth, companies and individuals involved in the action sports industry, professional leagues  and Olympic sports have been at the forefront.

Read more

Madison Avenue courts female athletes

Skateboarder Patty McGee sold the virtues of extension phones (remember those?) in a 1964 commercial and Dorothy Hammill pitched the soft drink Tab in a 1984 ad. More recently, female athletes are selling everything from cars to energy drinks and sporting goods. Take a look at some of our favorite athletes in our fave TV commercials.

Justine Henin, Natalie Coughlin among nominees for 2007 Athlete of the Year

Dec. 1, 2007 - Starting 1 December, sports fans worldwide can vote online for the 2007 United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year presented by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com. Last year, the ballot attracted nearly half a million votes from around the globe. Votes will be collected through 24 December.

To submit your vote,  click on the banner to the left. Read more

100 Most Influential Student Athletes

As part of the Centennial celebration in 2006, the NCAA has created a list of the 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes.

The NCAA defines the Most Influential Student-Athletes as those who have made a significant impact or major contributions to society.

Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe, Jesse Owens, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John Wooden top the list. Women account for 25% of those chosen. How many of the names do you recognize? Read more