For Mia, on behalf of us all

 Some people need no introduction.

And yet they deserve every word.
Every sentence.
Every tribute.

Mia Hamm is one of them.

On behalf of the world –
for the doors you kicked open with your feet, your vision, your fire.
For the goals, the glory, the relentless dedication.
For the girls who dared to dream because of you,
and the women who were finally allowed to begin.

You were the one who said:
"Why settle for side pitches?"
"Why not the biggest stadiums in the country –
the ones where the biggest dreams take shape?"

And you got it all thrown at you.
Too big.
Too ambitious.
“No one shows up for women’s soccer.”

But look.

They came.
They came hours before kickoff.
With signs, with flags, with wide-eyed wonder.
They sang, they cheered, they believed –
because you believed first.
Because you were brave enough to ask for more.
For them.
For all of us.

And then came that goal against Denmark.
The world stood still.
Etched into our memory forever.
Not just a goal,
but a promise –
that nothing is impossible if you dare to change the game.

You were more than a star.
You were a storm.
A pioneer who moved mountains.
Who didn’t just change the game,
but the field itself.

Without you,
we’d still be playing on side pitches.
In oversized shirts.
With dreams that almost fit.

But because of you,
an eight-year-old girl knows she can be number 9 someday.
That she can score.
She can shine.
She belongs.

Thank you, Mia.
For everything.
On behalf of us all.

#ThankYouMia

#DankeMia
#GrazieMia
#GraciasMia
#MerciMia

#USWNT #MiaHamm