Throughout the book, many events Hamm describes left me either suspenseful, joyful, or hopeful. One event that left me hopeful was the chapter in which Hamm talks about the first-ever Women's World Cup in China 1991. In the first Women's World Cup was a humungous deal to female soccer players, who for a very long time, had awaited an opportunity to shine in their sport similar to men. However, as exciting and incredible it was to women, the media did not cover this event as thoroughly as it would have if it was men's soccer. Despite the lack of encouragement the U.S National Women's Team received, they followed through by receiving champions. At the 1995 Women's World Cup in Sweden, the returning champions lost a heart-breaking semi-final game against Norway, which was considered their lowest position throughout the U.S team's career. Norway celebrated their victory by doing a congo line, which embarrassed the U.S players. They vowed to never feel that way again. At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the U.S team took their love for the game back, by beating China 2-1 in the championship game. The atmosphere was even more elevated than during the first win in the World Cup in 1991, because the U.S team had come back with the mentality of beating every team in their way. As Hamm limped to the podium because of her sprained ankle, the gold medal hanging from her neck, her teammates immaculate joy and tears, and the 76,000 fans' cheers of "USA!USA!" brought her a sense of pride not only in herself and in her team, but also in her country. The entire atmosphere is described in the sentence,"I remember limping up to the podium and taking my place between Michelle and Shannon and being overwhelmed by all the emotions swirling inside me:pride in the deafening chants of "USA!USA!," satisfaction in all the hard work my teammates and I had put in to get here, and no little amount of awe at the universal symbol of excellence, an Olympic Gold Medal, now hanging from my neck." (Hamm 212).
Setting and Mood
