Three days before the 1999 Women’s World Cup began, Brandi Chastain made an appearance on “Late Night With David Letterman.” Mia Hamm, the reluctant superstar, had declined, so Chastain went instead. But no one, we soon learned, was better prepared for bright lights and big moments. Three weeks later, Chastain scored the decisive penalty to defeat China, 5-4, in the final in front of 90,125 fans at the Rose Bowl, the largest official crowd ever to watch women’s soccer. What resulted was perhaps the most iconic photograph ever taken of a female athlete, a depiction of pure spontaneous joy. It was a moment of freedom and liberation, Marlene Bjornsrud, a longtime women’s coach and influential sports executive, once told me.

Source: New York Times July 05, 2019 15:45 UTC