Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm (born on March 17, 1972, in Selma, Alabama) is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female, in the history of U.S. soccer (158). She is the second most capped female player in soccer history behind Kristine Lilly, appearing in 275 international matches throughout her career.

Hamm was named the women's FIFA World Player of the Year the first two times that award was given (in 2001 and 2002), and is listed as one of FIFA's 125 best living players (as chosen by Pelé). Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon called Hamm, "Perhaps the most important athlete of the last 15 years."

She retired from the sport in 2004, when she played her last game in the 2004 Fan Celebration Tour to commemorate the U.S. women's national team's victory in the 2004 Olympics. In 2007, her first year of eligibility, she was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame by having 137 votes of the 141 ballots cast. Women's Professional Soccer, a professional soccer league that launched in 2009, features Hamm's silhouette in its logo.

MIA is a military term for a soldier, pilot or sailor who is missing in action in war, or the status of a missing combatant.

Mia or MIA may also refer to:

Artists

Songs

A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football that are played are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, Rugby league, and Rugby union.

It has been estimated that there are 250 million association football players in the world, and many play the other forms of football.

Football players generally begin as amateurs and the best players progress to become professional players. Normally they start at a youth team (any local team) and from there, based on skill and talent, scouts offer contracts. Once signed, they learn to play better football and some advance to the senior or professional teams.

Research shows that association football players that take less than 200ms after the referee blows their whistle for a penalty kick are significantly more likely to miss scoring than those that take over a second.

American football players are prone to head injuries. This may make them prone to Alzheimers.

Julie Maurine Foudy (born 23 January 1971) was a midfielder for the United States women's national soccer team from 1987 through 2004, finishing with 271 caps. She served as the team's co-captain from 1991–2000 and the Captain from 2000 through her retirement in 2004. She is currently the primary color commentator for women's soccer telecasts on ESPN.

Foudy played in four Women's World Cups, winning two FIFA Women's World Cups—in 1991 and 1999. She also played in three Summer Olympic Games, winning an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996, Silver in 2000, and Gold again in 2004. Her retirement after the 2004 Olympic Games, alongside fellow soccer legends Mia Hamm and Joy Fawcett (and the unanticipated retirement of Brandi Chastain following the change of USWNT coaches), marked the end of what the media labeled the "golden era" of US women's soccer. Foudy also held the captain's position for her WUSA team, the San Diego Spirit. The WUSA suspended operations in September 2003; Foudy is the official player's representative to the ongoing efforts to resurrect the league. She has been selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame for the class of 2007 alongside former teammate Mia Hamm. Foudy and Hamm's induction is the first all-female class of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Anthony Nomar Garciaparra ( /ˈnoʊmɑr ɡɑrˌsiːəˈpɑrə/; born July 23, 1973, in Whittier, California) is a former Major League Baseball player and current ESPN analyst. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and shortstop and third base for the Chicago Cubs. He is one of 13 players in Major League history to hit two grand slams during a single game, and the only player to achieve the feat at his home stadium.

Garciaparra attended St. Mary's of the Assumption School in Whittier, California for elementary school; for high school he attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, where he excelled in football, soccer, and baseball, and had a 3.9 GPA. His teams won high school league championships in 1990–91, and he won the league MVP honors in 1991, his last year of high school. St. John Bosco High School retired Garciaparra's baseball jersey. St. John Bosco High School's Activities Office window is home to an area dedicated to Garciaparra's baseball career both at the school and with the Dodgers.