I think there's so much emphasis on body image and results and outcome, but really what you should be after is to be healthy and to feel good about yourself.
Abby WambachRead
I don't care how many championships you've won or how many records you've broken - if you've had a hand in pushing forward not only a game but women in sport's movement, then I think that's pretty darn good.
Interpretation
Success is measured not just by personal achievements but by contributions to broader social movements.
In this quote, Abby Wambach emphasizes that true success transcends individual accolades like championships and records. Instead, she highlights the importance of making a positive impact on society, particularly in advancing opportunities for women in sports, as a significant measure of one's legacy and influence in the sporting world.
In practice
This quote can be used during a sports event to inspire athletes.
I think there's so much emphasis on body image and results and outcome, but really what you should be after is to be healthy and to feel good about yourself.
When you're a pro athlete, life is very narcissistic - everything relates back to you and how you play. When you are getting out of pro sports, you suddenly have to get a little more mindful of what's going on around you and how you affect the rest of the world.
For any athlete growing up, the Olympics is the one thing you watch with your family, and it's the one thing you dream about. Seeing your country's flag go up as you get a gold medal is the best thing you can achieve.
I would trade all the individual awards I've won for a World Cup.
My teammates have put me in all different kinds of positions to score goals, and I can't say it enough, and I really through and through believe it in my heart that I'm only as good as my teammates allow me to be.
As soon as I started to realize that I could make a living playing professional soccer, I went to that place where I could torture myself because I knew it would make me better for the championship game.
It really does frustrate me when I watch MLS, and I see our best U-17 players - who, again, are so talented and so capable - being rostered... but then not being put on the field much to actually play. I watch that, and I just think about how I was given a chance... a real chance... and it changed my life.
Everybody in middle-distance running knows each other, and we all know what we are capable of.
But in the end it's still a game of golf, and if at the end of the day you can't shake hands with your opponents and still be friends, then you've missed the point.
The day of parochialism in sports is over. The world is too small for what people like to call 'the good old days.' Fans want the best, wherever they come from.
In sports, I refused to do any interviews that were just going to become human-interest stories. Don't turn me into a tragic heroine.
Football is a vocation and an opportunity for ministry. But it's not a life.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.