Support for Transplant Patients and Families - I understand first hand the pain associated with having a family member who needs a marrow or cord blood transplant. In 1997, my brother Garrett passed away from complications related to aplastic anemia. Through an all-star exhibition soccer match, "The Garrett Game", we are able to raise awareness and funds for bone marrow disease research, and to support families through the marrow transplant process. At halftime in the 2001Garrett Game we brought together marrow donors with recipients for the first time. It was clearly my most satisfying moment away from the field.

Young Women in Sports - Needless to say, I would not have had the life experiences to date without other pioneers who worked tirelessly to provide opportunities for women in sport. Although I am encouraged by the growth of opportunities for girls, I am committed to continue the progress made in the last decade. It is my goal to help further the development of programs and initiatives for young women in sports.

With these issues in mind the mission of the Mia Hamm Foundation is as follows:

Mia is widely recognized as the world's best all-around women's soccer player. In Atlanta at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games she proved it by leading her team to Team Gold in front of 80,000 screaming fans in Athens, Georgia. Never in history had so many spectators come out to watch a women's sporting event. The Games highlighted female athletes like no other time in modern history and Mia emerged as one of the Game's true examples for people of all ages who have a dream and go for it. The 1999 Women's World Cup, where the USA took home the championship in front of 40 million viewers in this country alone, sold over 650,000 tickets, including sellouts at Giants Stadium and the Rose Bowl. There is no stopping women's soccer and Mia's enormous impact, both on and off the field.

Mia played collegiately at UNC and led her team to four consecutive NCAA championships. Her awards and accomplishments only tell part of the story of this remarkable athlete; she gives much of her precious free time to charitable causes and strives, in anything she does, to promote women's athletics, the sport of soccer, and a feeling of confidence and sense of purpose in young people.

Mia was the youngest player ever to play for our National Team (age 15) and retired in 2004 after 17 years, 2 World Championships, and 2 Olympic Gold medals. Her records in appearances and goals, MVP awards and overall performance put her at the top of the sport. As Phil Knight, Chairman of Nike says, "I think we've had three athletes who just played at a level that added a new dimension to their games. That's been Michael Jordan, in basketball, and in some ways Mia Hamm in women's soccer and Tiger Woods in golf." In April of 1999, Nike named the largest building on its corporate campus after Mia.

Having seen the enormous support her and her teammates received at the '96 and '00 Games, Mia became a founding member of the Women's United Soccer Association and led the Washington Freedom to the Founder's Cup. Poised, articulate and honest, Mia is a pioneer in her sport and a role model for athletes and fans alike who believe in equal opportunity, Title IX legislation, and the love of the game.

AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

- Youngest woman (at age 15) ever to play with the U.S. National Team (1987)

- Won 4 NCAA championships with the University of North Carolina (1989, 1990, 1992, & 1993)

- Named to NCAA All-Tournament Team (1989 & 1990)

- All-American and ACC Player of the Year (1990, 1992, & 1993)

- Led the nation in scoring at the collegiate level (1990, 1992, & 1993)

- Youngest player (at age 19) on the World Championship-winning U.S. Team at FIFA Women's World Cup (1991)

- Won the Missouri Athletic Club and Hermann Awards for Outstanding Collegiate Soccer (1992 & 1993)

- Completed collegiate career as ACC's all-time leading scorer in goals (103), assists (72) and points (278) (1993)

- Leading scorer (with six goals) of silver medal winning U.S. Team at the World Univeristy Games (1993)

- Named U.S. Soccer's Female Athlete of the Year (1994 -1998)

- Had her UNC number (19) retired (1994)

- Received the prestigious Honda-Broderick Award as the nation's outstanding female collegiate athlete (1994 & 1995)

- First place, U.S. CONCACAF Qualifying Championship - scored six goals in three games (1994)

- Third-place, U.S. Team FIFA Women's World Championships; started all games and scored twice during Cup (1995)

- U.S. Women's Cup in Norway - Selected tournament's MVP with five goals and six assists (1995)

- Member of the Gold Medal winning 1996 U.S. Olympic Team in Atlanta

- Named to People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list (1997)

- U.S. Women's Cup MVP for the second time (1997)

- Women's Sports Foundation Team Athlete of the Year (1997)

- Nominee and finalist, U.S. Olympic Committee's Sportswoman of the Year (1996 & 1997)

- Winner, ESPN's "Espy" award for Female Athlete of the Year (1998)

- Amateur Athletic Foundation World Trophey recipient (1998)

- Member of Gold-Medal winning team at the Goodwill Games in New York City (1998)

- First U.S. player to score 100 goals in their career, scored at U.S. Cup in Rochester (1998)

- Became the world's leading goal scorer in international competition, male or female (1999)

- Had Nike's largest building on it's corporate campus named after her (1999)

- Formed the Mia Hamm Foundation (1999)

- Lead the U.S. to the World Championship at FIFA Women's World Cup (1999)

- Winner, ESPN's "Espy" award for Female Athlete of the Year and Soccer Player of the Year (1999)

- Member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team -- awarded Silver Medal in Sydney

- Founding member of the Women's United Soccer Association (2001)

- Began career in WUSA with the Washington Freedom & led all Freedom scorers in goals & assists (2001)

- Named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year (2001 & 2002)

- Averaged a goal every 63 minutes and tallied 3 game-winning goals for the Freedom (2001)

- Led Freedom to Founder's Cup championship game (2002)

- Best season in the WUSA: Led the WUSA in assists with 11 and tied for the league-lead in game-winning goals with 4 (2003)

- Assisted in Washington Freedom's success as Founder's Cup Champions (2003)

- Graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in September; only the second female soccer player to appear on the cover (2003)

- Member of Bronze Medal-winning U.S. Team at the FIFA Women's World Cup -- her fourth appearance in a World Cup tournament (2003)

- Currently holds record as world's all-time leading scorer, male or female, with 158 goals scored in international competition (December 2004)

-Member of 2004 U.S. Olympic Team--awarded Gold Medal in Athens, Greece.

-Elected as first soccer player to carry the U.S. Flag for the Olympic Closing Ceremonies (2004)

-Played her last international soccer game of her career on December 8, 2004 in Carson, CA.

- Gave birth to twin daughters, Ava and Grace, on March 27th 2007, with husband Nomar Garciaparra.

- Inducted into National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York in August of 2007.

Mia Hamm Foundation is one of several organizations that:

• honors bone marrow donors for their gift of life;
• celebrates the lives of bone marrow recipients; and
• raises awareness about the need for more bone marrow donor volunteers.

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is the landmark legislation that bans sex discrimination in schools, whether it be in academics or athletics. Title IX states:

"No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid."

Athletics has created the most controversy regarding Title IX, but its gains in education and academics are notable. Before Title IX, many schools saw no problem in refusing to admit women or having strict limits. Some statistics highlighting the advancements follow:

• In 1994, women received 38% of medical degrees, compared with 9% in 1972.
• In 1994, women earned 43% of law degrees, compared with 7% in 1972.
• In 1994, 44% of all doctoral degrees to U.S. citizens went to women, up from 25% in 1977.

Title IX and its application to intercollegiate athletics:

Title IX governs the overall equity of treatment and opportunity in athletics while giving schools the flexibility to choose sports based on student body interest, geographic influence, a given school's budget restraints, and gender ratio. In other words, it is not a matter of women being able to participate in wrestling or that exactly the same amount of money is spent per women's and men's basketball player. Instead, the focus is on the necessity for women to have equal opportunities as men on a whole, not on an individual basis.

In regard to intercollegiate athletics, there are three primary areas that determine if an institution is in compliance:

1. athletic financial assistance
2. accommodation of athletic interests & abilities
3. other program areas

Appraisal of compliance is on a program-wide basis, not on a sport-by-sport basis.

Athletic Financial Assistance

First, financial assistance must be awarded based on the number of male and female athletes. The test is financial proportionality. The total amounts of athletics aid must be substantially proportionate to the ratio of male and female athletes.

Accommodation of Athletic Interests & Abilities

Second, the selection of sports and the level of competition must effectively accommodate the students' interests and abilities. There are 3 factors that are looked at consecutively.

1. Whether the intercollegiate level participation opportunities for male and female students are provided in numbers substantially proportionate to their respective enrollments.
2. Where the members of one sex have been and are underrepresented among intercollegiate athletes, whether the institution can show a history and continuing practice of program expansion which is demonstrably responsive to the developing interests and abilities of that sex.
3. Where the members of one sex are underrepresented among intercollegiate athletes and the institution cannot show a continuing practice of program expansion, whether it can be demonstrated that the interests and abilities of the members of that sex have been fully and effectively accommodated by the present program.

Other Program Areas

Third, all other benefits, opportunities, and treatments afforded sports participants are to be equivalent, but not necessarily identical. Title IX specifically looks at the following program components:

1. Equipment & Supplies: quality, suitability, quantity, availability, maintenance, & replacement.
2. Scheduling of Games & Practice Time: number of competitive events per sport, number and length of practice opportunities, time of day competitive events and practice opportunities are scheduled, opportunities to engage in available pre-season and post-season competition, the season a sport is scheduled, & the length of season.
3. Travel & Per Diem Allowances: modes of transportation, housing furnished during travel, length of stay before and after competitive events, per diem allowances, & dining arrangements.
4. Opportunity to Receive Academic Tutoring: availability of tutoring, tutor qualifications and experience, rates of pay, & employment conditions.
5. Opportunity to Receive Coaching, Assignment, & Compensation: availability, assignment, & compensation of full-time coaches, assistants, graduate assistants, or restricted earnings coaches.
6. Locker Rooms, Practice, & Competitive Facilities: quality, availability, exclusivity of use, maintenance and preparation of facilities.
7. Medical & Training Facilities and Services: quality and availability of medical personnel; athletic trainers; weight and conditioning facilities; training facilities; & health, accident, and injury insurance coverage.
8. Housing & Dining Facilities and Services: housing and dining benefits available during the regular year, the provision of pre-game and post-game meals, & housing and dining services provided when classes are not in session.
9. Publicity: availability and quality of sports information personnel, access to publicity resources, & quantity and quality of publications and other promotional devices.
10. Support Services: administrative support, clerical and secretarial support, office space, equipment and supplies, & availability of other support staff.
11. Recruitment of Student-Athletes: opportunities for coaches or other personnel to recruit, whether financial and other resources are equivalently adequate, & treatment of prospective student-athletes.

One example of an organization doing great work is the Women's Sports Foundation.The Women's Sports Foundation is a charitable educational organization dedicated to increasing the participation of girls and women in sports and fitness and creating an educated public that supports gender equity in sport. http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org