Favorite Athlete Ever?

People are often asked the question "Who is your favorite athlete of all time?" You'd hear the common responses of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Walter Payton, Joe Montana and so on and so forth. My response is different from other people in the United States. My favorite athlete of all time has to be Mia Hamm. Some people would look at this name and say, "Who is that?" Well, Mia Hamm is now a former American Soccer Player. She played on the United States National Team and won two FIFA Women's Player of the Year awards in 2001 and 2002. She was and still is an inspiration to not only young female soccer players, but also youth soccer as a whole. After she helped the 1999 Womens National Team won the Womens World Cup against China in penalty shootouts, I was given a book written by Mia Hamm talking about her life of becoming a soccer player from the high school level, to the international level. She has always been an inspiration to me when watching her play on the field and her actions off the field. I have always wanted to meet Mia Hamm and maybe get a few pointers on how to become an elite soccer player. Just recently, she was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame as well as being selected as one of the top 125 greatest living soccer players. Now 125 may sound big, but there were only two from the United States of America, both being from the Womens National Team. So as a diehard soccer fan, my favorite athlete of all time has to be Mia Hamm.