A Hamm on stage

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts August 2001 Current Issue
August 2001
Short Cuts:A Hamm on stage

Few speakers can boast a background as dramatic as soccer star Mia Hamm’s. Five years ago, women’s soccer generally didn’t make headlines. But when Hamm (pictured below) led the United States to a team gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games to the delight of 80,000 screaming fans women’s sports entered a new age of recognition. Three years later, 40 million viewers watched the United States take home the coveted Women’s World Cup.

While Hamm can’t take all of the credit, she certainly can claim a fair share. The youngest player to join the U.S. women’s soccer team (at age 15), Hamm has been collecting MVP awards and setting records ever since.

But in 1996, while Hamm was winning on the field, her brother, Garrett, lost his life to bone marrow disease. The loss, combined with her own success, reinforced Hamm’s desire to give something back. In 1999 she formed the nonprofit Mia Hamm Foundation with a dual mission to fight related diseases as well as promote opportunities for young women in sports.

These triumphs and tribulations have fueled Hamm’s effectiveness on the podium. She has inspired sales teams for Office Depot, Sam’s Club, BMW, MasterCard and others. “People want to hear about her experiences as a pioneer in women’s sports and how those experiences translate into the corporate world,” says David Bober, Hamm’s New York City-based agent.

On the podium, Hamm draws parallels between the working world and the playing field in terms of competition, obstacles and perseverance. She also stresses that the importance of the team can’t be overshadowed by individual accomplishments. For more information, contact Bober Associates Inc. at (212) 262-4488.

• LOREN G. EDELSTEIN