When new Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciaparra married Mia Hamm in Santa Barbara, Calif., in November, it was a rare union of two superstar athletes.
Hamm, a veteran of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, is the international all-time scoring leader. On Sunday, Hamm scored a goal and set up two more as the U.S. team beat China 3-1 in an exhibition in Connecticut.
Off the field, the North Carolina graduate was named one of People magazine’s
50 Most Beautiful People in 1997.
Hamm found a soul mate in Garciaparra, who played soccer in high school and is an avid World Cup soccer fan. So how much attention did the Garciaparra-Hamm wedding draw? Boston papers reported that when he got fitted for his tuxedo, more than 100 people gathered outside the store to watch.
She’s famous for trying to stay out of the spotlight, downplaying her legendary status in a sport hungry for marketable players. But she does have a sense of humor. When asked recently by the San Diego Union-Tribune how she’d like to be remembered, the 5-foot-5 Hamm said, “As 5-11.”
And though the 32-year-old will retire after the Athens Olympics, keep this in mind when the Cubs and Garciaparra talk about a long-term deal: the U.S. Soccer Federation headquarters are in Chicago.
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Edited by the sports staff of RedEye
