Sept. 7, 2004

By Rick Brewer

America has a new female sports star.

I doubt if Carly Patterson really understands how her life immediately changed once she won the gymnastics all-around competition at the Athens Olympic Games.

Her status as perhaps the face of women's athletics in this country became official just a few days later when Mia Hamm finished her remarkable soccer career.

The United States women's soccer team's Gold Medal victory apparently marked the last time Hamm will compete in an international tournament.

For the last decade Hamm has been the most popular female athlete in the country. Little girls screaming "Mia! Mia!" have resonated through every stadium in which she has played.

When she did a book signing in Chapel Hill a couple of years ago, the lines were longer than those that even Dean Smith drew.

The unique thing about Hamm's popularity is it came in a sport that had never produced a national hero, either male or female. In fact, young girls and teenagers had just begun playing the game on a national basis.

For years the women's athletes who attracted the most attention from young girls were those from individual sports. In the 1960s there was figure skater Peggy Fleming. She was followed years later by Dorothy Hamill and now the current stars, Michelle Kwan and Sarah Hughes.

But, few young women could become active in the sport because of its costs and a lack of facilities and coaching.

Mary Lou Retton, of course, sparked an interest in gymnastics when she won the Olympic all-around title in 1984. Unfortunately, there was not a sustained ground swell of interest in the sport. Again, a lack of facilities, equipment and coaching probably had a great deal to do with that. So did the unfortunate fact that gymnastics only receives national media attention during the Olympics.

It has been the success of tennis players that has encouraged the most young women to become sports participants and not just observers. The most important was Chris Evert, whose accomplishments at an early age prompted a generation of girls to take up the game.

Evert's success coincided with the passing of Title IX that gave young women opportunities that had never existed in the past.

That interest in tennis has been solid ever since. The popularity of Evert got women's tennis on television more often and that allowed Tracy Austin, Monica Seles and now the Williams sisters, among others, to become stars.

However, until Hamm, there had not been a national star in one of the team sports.

A turning point for women's sports unquestionably came when Title IX was passed. North Carolina became one of the first schools to make a commitment to women*s soccer and it has paid off with the most successful program in the history of college athletics.

The more successful the Tar Heels became, the more outstanding young players Anson Dorrance was able to attract. He brought Hamm to Chapel Hill and the sport has never been the same.

Dorrance coached the first U.S. World Cup team in 1991. Nine of the squad*s 18 players, including Hamm, were Tar Heels. The competition was in China and thus the Americans* victory did not receive a great deal of attention.

That all changed in the next few years as ESPN began to televise more women*s soccer matches. Because of its* success Carolina got the most coverage. Hamm played on Tar Heel teams which won four NCAA championships and posted an overall 92-1-2 record. She set NCAA single-season and Tournament scoring records.

Other schools increased their number of women*s scholarships to try to keep up with the Tar Heels. With more opportunities, youth soccer programs mushroomed.

Hamm became the hero for those young girls. Not only was she a dynamic player, but also an attractive young woman. Whether that's unfortunate or not, good looks can make a star athlete even more popular.

The figure skaters and tennis players are further proof of that.

Advertising agencies understand that fact better than anyone and Hamm got endorsement contracts from major companies. She was chosen by People Magazine in 1997 as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.

Hamm was selected by FIFA as international woman*s player of the year in 2001 and 2002, the first two years the award was given.

She is arguably the most recognizable female athlete today. While some endorsement opportunities may disappear as she leaves the playing field, there will still be enough to keep her in the public eye. Retirement hasn*t dried up those chances for Michael Jordan, Arnold Palmer, Cal Ripken, Retton, Evert or Seles.

Plus, she still will be the face of women*s soccer for the foreseeable future. It is not a position with which she may be entirely comfortable. But young women will almost certainly continue to look to her as their hero.

Now Carly Patterson, although just 16 years old, will be the key figure in her sport. Her success in Athens will likely result in more attention for gymnastics and endorsement opportunities for her. Whether that national interest in gymnastics can be sustained longer than it was 20 years ago remains to be seen.

Regardless, it may be a while before she or any other athlete passes Hamm as the most popular female athlete in America, especially among those young women who have spent so much time yelling "Mia! Mia."