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In terms of financial support, the FIFA Women’s World Cup will only receive $15 million in federal funding from Ottawa as existing facilities and stadiums, without any need for renovations, will be used. In comparison, the FIFA men’s tournaments cost billions of dollars to fund, largely because new stadiums and improved transportation infrastructure are required to host the month-long event. The 2014 Men’s World Cup in Brazil racked up a bill of $15 billion USD. Nevertheless, laying down grass in all six stadiums for the Women’s World Cup in Canada is estimated to only cost approximately $1.5 million. Evidently, the men’s World Cup tournament is of a larger scale because it garners a broader international following. But why shouldn’t the women’s World Cup gain the same level of support and attention? The Canadian women’s team is currently ranked ninth in the world. They have qualified for every World Cup since 1995 and did our nation proud by bringing home the Olympic bronze medal in 2012. The men’s team has not been to the World Cup since 1986.

We also need to point out that in Canada, 47% of registered soccer players are female, but of the fourteen members that sit on the CSA’s national board, only three are women. And having played college soccer in the NCAA/now coaching back in Ontario = I can attest to the massive growth in women’s soccer in Canada… young and old. Unfortunately - even the U12 and U16 squads I coach already see the discrimination and sexism in terms of ever having a future in the game. This discrimination has more to do with FIFA (and Blatter…who has proven his sexism/discrimination more than once). Of course the CSA has some blame in this - but at the end of the day we all know it’s FIFA pulling the strings. It’s a shame you can’t really expect FIFA to care since their president is complicit in various types of discrimination and incompetent at his job. BTW - Carrie Serwetnyk at Equal Play is doing a wonderful job. (via fiftythreecrimes)

 Sexism in sports. If you like soccer, the American women's team is amazing. They have one of the greatest goal keepers to ever play the game in Hope Solo. According to FIFA, they're ranked number 2 internationally, second only to Germany. Number 2 in the world, number 1 in my heart!

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Run Like Lolo

Being a huge fan of sports, when the Olympics come around, I celebrate like it’s actually Christmas.

That being said, before the 2012 Olympics I soaked up every article and TV special I could find on the American athletes. Go Team USA! One night I ran across an ESPN documentary called “Lolo” about Lolo Jones and I have loved her ever since. Lolo is pretty special.

If you’ve heard anything about her, it was probably negative. People say extremely critical, rude, and downright mean things about her. But her story is one of the most inspirational athletic stories I’ve ever heard.

Lolo Jones is a track and field athlete, specifically a hurdler. When she was growing up in Iowa, her family was extremely poor. At one point, they lived in the basement of a Salvation Army church in Des Moines. Her first pair of track shoes weren’t track spikes, but a pair of basketball high tops she borrowed from a teammate. When Lolo found out her family was moving, she didn’t want to go somewhere without a track because she was trying to build her future through running. So her family left and she lived with different families in the community. For Lolo, it really did take a village.

Lolo ran at LSU where she was an 11 time All-American.

Lolo was the favorite to win the 100 meter hurdles during the 2008 Olympics. In the final, she was pulling away when she clipped the next to last hurdle and stumbled which led to a 7th place finish. In the offseason she found out she had a spinal injury that kept her brain from knowing where her feet were. Her doctor attributed hitting the hurdle to the injury. The rehab was hard and people started calling her a joke because she lost, but Lolo came back.

In 2012 she set out to finally win her Olympic medal. Unfortunately, she finished in fourth place.

A lot of people criticize her because she’s never won an Olympic medal. So what has she done? Well, she:

1) Holds the American record in the 60 m hurdles. 2) Won the indoor World Championships in the 60 m hurdles in 2008 & 2010 3) Took 2nd in the 100 m hurdles at the World Athletics Final in 2008 4) Won the 100 m hurdles in the NACAC under 23 championships 5) Won two National Championships in the 4x100 m relay at LSU

This doesn’t even begin to cover her story or her accomplishments. Another thing she is usually criticized for is her faith. Lolo Jones isn’t trying to hurt people, yet people constantly trash her and say that the claims she makes about her convictions are lies. All she’s ever wanted to do was run. Even her Olympic teammates have belittled her on TV. Yet, she doesn’t criticize in return, regardless of how awful they are to her.

The world would probably be a better place if we could all run like Lolo.

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Motivation Monday: The Marathon Woman

Before Title IX was passed, women were not accepted in the sports world. Today we’ve come a LONG way, yet women are still discredited in and discouraged from sports. Title IX wasn’t passed until 1972, so imagine what it was like trying to be a female athlete in the 60s.

Can you imagine not being able to run a marathon? Not because you aren’t capable or don’t want to, but solely because you’re a woman? Well, it was a reality for Kathrine Switzer.

As a 19 year old student at Syracuse in 1966, Switzer wanted to run. Since there wasn’t a women’s running team of any sort, she began working out with the men’s cross country team. With the university mailman taking her under his wing like a coach, she worked up to running 10 miles a day. He always told her stories of the Boston Marathons gone by, until one night in the snow she snapped, “Oh, let’s quit talking about the Boston Marathon and run the damn thing!”

But her coach insisted she couldn’t. No woman could, because they were too fragile. He said she’d have to prove she could run all 26 miles beforehand, and three weeks before the race, she did. By running 31.

On April 19, 1967, Kathrine Switzer and the three guys in her crew set out on the Boston Marathon in their gray sweats, bib 261 pinned to her sweatshirt.

All the men running the race were excited to see a woman, with one of them even asking her to let his wife take their picture together before the race began.

Around mile four, a man working the marathon tried to pull her from the race and take her bib numbers. The man was Jock Semple, race manager.

Kathrine Switzer finished the 1967 Boston Marathon with a time of 4 hours and 20 minutes. Her picture was on every page of the newspaper. She became a legend. She became an inspiration. Bloody socks and all, she became a hero.

Today women everywhere choose to wear bib 261 as a tribute and thank you the the woman dubbed “The Marathon Woman.” 261 is a reminder that limitations only exist if you set them yourself. 261 is a reminder that women are capable and strong. 261 is the past, the present, and the future for women in sports.

If you would like to read the story in Switzer’s words (which you should, it’s empowering), it’s on her website: kathrineswitzer.com

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Fearless Fact Friday

Happy Friday! What makes a better Friday post than some fun facts? Hope you enjoy these facts about women who helped shape their perspective sports!

The first woman to ever have a pair of Nikes named after her was Sheryl Swoopes. The Air Swoopes came out in 1996.

In the 2012 Olympics, American athletes brought home 46 gold medals. Female athletes won 29 of them.

The first woman to dunk in a collegiate game was Georgeann Wells (12/21/84). The 6'7" forward played for West Virginia.

Candace Parker is the first woman to dunk twice in a game, the first to dunk in the NCAA tournament, and was the only girl to win the McDonald’s high school all-American dunk contest. She’s a 6'4", two-time National Champion, Tennessee grad (2008).

Lisa Leslie was the first woman to dunk in a professional basketball game on July 30, 2002. She’s 6'5".

Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga ‘11) was the first NCAA division 1 player of either gender to score 2,000 points and dish out 1,000 assists.

Venus Williams was the first woman to win Wimbledon after they agreed to pay equal prize money. It was in 2007.

In the 2008 NCAA tournament, Candice Wiggins (Stanford) became the first player in women’s tournament history to score 40 or more points in multiple games.

Mo'Ne Davis was the first girl to earn a win and pitch a shut-out in the Little League World Series. She was also the first Little League player to make the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Sue Enquist holds the record for highest winning percentage as a college softball coach (.835). Her record at UCLA was 887-175-1 in 18 years. In perspective, the highest winning percentage in D1 college baseball belongs to Gene Stephenson of Wichita State (.750).

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This is why it's so easy for people to discredit women in sports and it makes me hulk-like angry.

With one tweet, ESPN completely wrote women out of NCAA history 

We need Sportscenter to be better than this.

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Lil Mama Math: Final Four Action

Watching the women’s NCAA basketball tournament this year definitely gave me flashbacks to 8th grade. Mostly because it reminded me of a Lil Mama song lyric. “Greatness plus greatness equals great greatness.” Lil Mama might not have been a math genius, but she dropped some pretty sick beats, regardless. At least I thought so in 8th grade.

But without a doubt, this years tourney was pretty special. The dynamic was completely different than the men’s tournament. Though there were upsets, all four number one seeds (UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Maryland) made it to the Final Four. This was only the third time that had happened in tournament history.

In general, their is an overhanging theme of excellence in the women’s game. Compared to the near impossible feat of going undefeated that Kentucky was perusing, there have been eight perfect season in the women’s game. Four since 2009 - UConn went 40-0 in 2014, and 39-0 in 2010 and 2009 and Baylor also went 40-0 in 2012.

So who played Cinderella at the Big Dance? The 7 seed Dayton Flyers put on a pretty special show. The beat 2 seed Kentucky in the 2nd round, 3 seed Louisville (by 16) in the Sweet Sixteen, and ultimately lost to UConn in the Elite Eight, a game they lost by 21. To put in perspective what kind of performance that took, 5 seed Texas lost to UConn 105-54 in the Sweet Sixteen. Dayton had an amazing run.

In their first Final Four appearance, #3 overall seed South Carolina played #2 overall Notre Dame down to a last second shot and ultimately lost 66-65. The #4 overall seed Maryland fell to #1 UConn 81-58.

The National Championship matchup wasn’t a first for either team. It was actually a rematch from last years championship game. Notre Dame fell to UConn 63-53 in a hard fought battle. Here are some interesting info graphics about the Final Four, the UConn-Notre Dame matchup, and the Huskies program. This first one shows who won each of the last rivalry matchups between UConn and Notre Dame.

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Is This Real Life? Weirdest Walk-off Win

Tennessee (#15) swept Georgia (#7) in a three game series this weekend. On Saturday they won on back-to-back homeruns in the 7th inning. Could there be anything sweeter than a 4-3 walk-off via the long ball?

A 6-2 W on Friday probably sweetened the deal. I mean, after all, it's a lot less nerve-wracking to get a solid win.

Georgia wasn't going away without a fight, but Tennessee was going for a sweep at home. Since they got their first two wins on some solid performances at the plate, it looked like they decided to switch things up a bit. How about an extra-inning pitchers' duel for a change?

With two outs and two runners in scoring position, the Lady Vols snagged a win on the weirdest walk-off I've ever seen. It might just be the strangest walk-off win in the history of college softball. You've got to watch this (these are highlights from the whole game - the walk-off happens at 2:24)!

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DRAFT DAY!

I can’t be the only who is missing spring break already. If your break was half as great as mine, then I know it was great! I watched a lot of basketball, but I also had an awesome birthday! I saw Little Big Town in concert AND I actually got to go on stage and meet/sing with the band! Best birthday ever!! Kimberly is my favorite!

Anyways, the National Pro Fastpitch draft is tomorrow. Did you know Karen from Little Big Town played fastpitch? She did! She was a pitcher. But I digress.

Tomorrow the nation’s best college softball players will know they have an opportunity to keep playing. Roughly 25 of them. Yes, only 25. There are only 5 NPF teams. But the league is growing! The Dallas Charge will play their first season this year.

Only college seniors can be drafted, unlike in baseball. So who will be the top picks in the draft? Here are my top 10 predictions.

1) Lauren Chamberlain - Oklahoma, IF 2) Bianka Bell - LSU, SS 3) Ally Carda - UCLA, RHP/1B 4) Lauren Haeger - Florida, RHP 5) Lacey Waldrop - FSU, RHP 6) Hallie Wilson - Arizona, UTL 7) Stephany LaRosa - UCLA, UTL 8) Christina Hamilton - ULL, RHP 9) Kylee Lahners - Washington, UTL 10) Cheyenne Cordes - Cal, SS

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Say My Name: Lauren Lappin is Cool

I have several favorite athletes, so let me introduce you to one of them. I met Lauren Lappin for the first time in June 2008 (she’s on the right - please ignore my horrible teeth and sunburned skin).

Team USA made a brief appearance at the Women’s College World Series to take some batting practice on their “Bound for Bejing” tour. So, yes, Lauren Lappin is an Olympian. To be specific, an Olympic silver medalist.

I convinced my mother that I DESPERATELY NEEDED her to drive me the 10 hours to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Monica Abbot (my favorite pitcher, at the time) All-Star softball camp in October that year. Abbott’s surprise guest? Yep, Lauren Lappin.

That was the first time I actually talked to her. She was the infield portion of the camp, so when my group got to that, this is how it went down: “Do any of you guys even know who I am?” - Lap I waited. No one was going to answer, so I said, “Lauren Lappin.” “YES!!! Know anything else?”

Alright, I was really into USA softball, especially before the Olympics that year. I memorized pretty much every team member’s profile on the USA softball website. So I swear this was not creepy. Maybe.

"Uhh, you’re #37. You’re a utility player. You taught yourself to bat left-handed. You caught at Stanford and wore #27, but you had to change numbers because of Jennie Finch." “Oh my gosh! That’s great! You’re great!” - Lap

And I swear, she has remembered me ever since. I was at a mall in Orlando once and she waved at me like we were old friends. Every time I’ve watched her play, she makes a point to talk to me like we’re buddies.

She played professionally with the USSSA Florida Pride and the Pennsylvania Rebellion. But what I love about Lap is how much she loves the game and interacting with fans. She’s the only player I’ve ever seen seem disappointed when they took the Sharpie away from her after an autograph session. She would do anything for a fan. She seems extremely grateful for the opportunities she has had.

On March 9th Lauren Lappin announced she was hanging up her cleats. She’s an assistant coach at Roosevelt University in Chicago, so she’ll still be a part of the game. But there is no doubt that one of the most adored players in the NPF will be missed.

Thanks for helping me realize what makes the game so special. Stay classy, Lap.

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A New Era in the SEC: South Carolina Women's Basketball

Southern people love our sports. That’s probably why the SEC is such a big deal in so many different sports. Women’s basketball is no exception. Since the SEC women’s basketball tournament was this weekend and I was able to watch the semi-finals in person, let’s talk about something cool that happened.

South Carolina won their first SEC Tournament in program history. It’s really exciting – it hints that there might be a shift coming to a conference that’s been dominated by the same few teams (usually Tennessee, though) every year. It’s also cool because South Carolina is just a cool program.

They rose to the top at practically light speed when Dawn Staley took over as head coach. The attendance at their games increased 97 percent from last year, averaging 6,371 at their home games in 2013-14 and leading the nation in attendance this season with an average of 12,540. When they played Kentucky at home on January 11, there were 17,156 attendees – in an arena that only seats 18,000. That’s almost unheard of in women’s basketball.

There are two big reasons why South Carolina is so cool. The number one reason is Dawn Staley. Dawn Staley is one of the best (in my opinion, THE BEST) point guards to ever play women’s basketball. Everywhere that she’s ever played or coached, she has a huge fan club. Actually, after playing for the Charlotte Sting (WNBA), the mayor of Charlotte declared a “Dawn Staley Day.” She is third in the WNBA record books with 1,055 career assists and eighth in assist per turnover ratio at 2.06. This is probably because she used to wear a rubber band around her wrist while she played and popped herself every time she committed a turnover.

You can also add in the fact that she: won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA, was a five-time WNBA All-Star, was the national collegiate player of the year in 1991 and 1992 at Virginia, was the two-time coach of the year at Temple, and she ran the Olympic torch up the “Rocky” steps in 1996 (she’s from Philly). Every year the Dawn Staley Award is given to the most outstanding guard in the country. She has a non-profit organization called Innersole that gives new shoes to kids. And my favorite thing about Dawn Staley? As soon as every game is over she slips off her coaching heels and into her Jordans. Yeah, she’s cool.

The number two reason why South Carolina is cool? T-Roy’s rapping skills (she was also 5-for-5 from 3 in the second half of the semi-finals Saturday, but the rapping is cooler).

Gamecocks rule the roost – and the SEC.

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I couldn't upload this video with my last post, but here's a clip of the crowd loving some Rocky Top!

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Rocky Top Tennessee: A Legacy Remains

I’ve written about the impact that Pat Summitt had on women’s basketball once already, but I feel like it needs to be reiterated after what I watched this weekend.

The SEC women’s basketball tournament started on Wednesday and played out on Sunday. The greatest part was that it was held at Verizon Arena in Little Rock.

Saturday my mom and I made the trip to take in the semi-finals. The first contest was between 1 seed South Carolina and 4 seed LSU. But game two was between 6 seed Kentucky and 2 seed Tennessee. That game was where the magic was.

I’ve seen Tennessee play in person several times before, but it really is one of the coolest things to witness. The Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team has a loyal following like no other team in college or professional sports, men’s or women’s. Regardless of where they are, there is always a sea of UT orange in the crowd. I’ve been to Bud Walton Arena at U of A and watched a crowd go wild with every Tennessee point scored. A crowd that was made up of predominantly Arkansas residents, yet roughly 75 percent was wearing orange.

Pat Summitt is the reason behind this. She created a dynasty that was the most exciting team in women’s basketball for a really long time. The Tennessee crowds aren’t as large as they were when she was at the helm of the Lady Vols, but they’re just as loyal.

There were just under 6000 people in attendance of the SEC tournament Saturday. I doubt that the majority made the 8 hour drive from Knoxville, yet the orange was everywhere. Actually, towards the end of the game, someone crazy started calling the Hogs (even though South Carolina had fried the Razorbacks’ bacon by 22 points the day before). About two thirds of the Tennessee crowd joined in. So they were probably from Arkansas, because, let’s be honest. Calling the Hogs (completely natural and cherished by Arkansans) is weird.

Watching fans from various parts of the country sing the Tennessee fight song gives me chills every time. Saturday there were people wearing Razorback red, LSU purple, and South Carolina garnet among the adoring Tennessee fans. No matter where you’re from, if you’re a women’s basketball fan, you like Pat Summitt - even if you hate her. I may not actually be from Tennessee, but Rocky Top will always be home to (a piece of) me. Good ol’ Rocky Top…

Thanks, Coach Summitt.

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A Living Legend Leaving

I played softball for a solid 15 years. There is no doubt that it shaped who I am. It is the reason I developed my work ethic. It’s the reason I love to write - that’s a fun story, by the way. But of all the things I took from the game, I’m the most grateful for all the people it brought into my life. One of those people is Caitlin Lowe.

Caitlin Lowe is the most well-known, and in my opinion, the greatest center fielder to ever play the game.

The first time I watched her play in person was in 2006 at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. I watched her run through the fence to make a wicked catch. Not into the fence; not to it; THROUGH the fence. I was 12, but I could tell she had the kind of mental toughness it took to be successful. That year, she won the National Championship with Arizona. Oh, they won it the next year, too.

C-Lowe isn’t just a defensive phenom. She’s also one of the fastest players alive. How many people over the age of 12 can hit inside the park homeruns? She’s the queen of them. Part of that comes from being an amazing slapper. Slapping is hitting on the run from the left-handed batters’ box. It’s puts a ton of pressure on the defense. Here’s a video of her slapping during the Canada Cup in 2009:

She was a two-time National Champion, a four-time First Team All-American, and the Lowe’s Senior Class Award winner in 2007 at Arizona. She won an Olympic silver medal, a Pan American Games gold medal, four World Cup championships, and a World Championship (among other titles) with Team USA. She has played professionally with the USSSA Pride for six years where she was named the 2012 Mizuno Player of the Year and won the NPF Championship in 2010, 2013, and 2014.

Caitlin Lowe made me wish I was an outfielder and a slapper. Unfortunately, I was an infielder and a power-hitter. If I had been a slapper, I would've worn number 26.She announced on Tuesday that she is retiring from softball.

I had the opportunity to meet her more than once, but I also got to learn from her at softball camp one year. For that, I am truly grateful. We’re even Facebook friends.

I'm sure she will find success in whatever her next journey is, but softball will definitely miss her. Cait played the game at the highest level with more class than you could ask for. She may be finished playing, but I will always be Team C-Lowe.

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Softball Superstars and Presidents

Maybe Presidents Day brought up my patriotic side. Or maybe I saw some old pictures and thought they were blog worthy. We’ll never know (nah, it was the second one). But yesterday I started thinking about the Diamond Dynasty and thought this would be appropriate for today.

The “Diamond Dynasty” is what someone nicknamed the USA softball team some time before the 2008 Olympics. I really don’t know when, exactly, but the nickname wasn’t far from the truth. Softball was played in four Olympics: 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. The Americans were pretty much dominant, winning 3 gold medals and one silver (2008). The gold medal game in 2008 was the only game they lost in international play the entire year. They fell by a score of 3-1 to Japan.

When you’re that good, you get to do cool things. Like, meet the president, for instance.

What’s the first thing you would do if you met the president? Probably not what Laura Berg did. Laura Berg was an amazing outfielder. She’s also the only woman to play in all four Olympics that softball was a part of. So she already had 3 gold medals to her name. The day Team USA met President George W. Bush, she earned the gold for best prank.

That’s right, Laura Berg pranked the president. She was known as the team prankster - sneakily leaving chalk handprints on backs was just one of her go-to favorites. So she welcomed President Bush with a prank. Fortunately, he also found it funny.

"Bergie" wins. Softball wins. America wins. U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!

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Softball Sunday: Week 1 of the Road to Oklahoma City

If you ask me what my favorite season is, I’m one of those obnoxious people who doesn’t give the kind of answer that you’re looking for. My answer is: college softball season. Okay, that’s not completely true. My answer is: postseason. But then it’s college softball, for sure. Or summer, whatever.

College softball is hands down the coolest thing I’ve ever watched live (except for Miranda Lambert in concert – that was wicked). Nothing beats the Women’s College World Series. It’s held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, and my mom and I go every year. It’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever been – and I’ve been to Disney World AND Harry Potter World. Getting to play in OKC is every softball player’s dream. The atmosphere is amazing and everyone there LOVES softball. I wait all year long to hear the same announcer yell, “IT’S SOFTBALL TIME IN OOOOOOKLAHOMA!!” and then the crowd erupts with excitement. So cool. Last year we had the best seats in the house.

Anyways, if you’re one of the people who think baseball is boring, and you think softball is just a bunch of girls playing weird baseball, you’re off a little. Actually, a lot, but that’s cool. Softball is a lot faster than baseball. The bases are 60 feet apart instead of the 90 feet in baseball, and the pitching rubber is 43 feet away from home, but the average release point of the ball is 37 feet. The game is fast and the people who play it are talented. If you get a chance to watch some on TV, turn to it for just a few minutes – softball could definitely use the ratings. Check out this Sports Science video comparison of the two. Go softball!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEtG5KvuWs4

The first weekend of play is officially here! So exciting! Here’s a look at how some of the top 10 played so far on opening weekend (some of them are still playing today):

#1 Florida

The reigning national champions opened their season with a 17-0 win against Hampton. 17 runs. Seventeen – in five innings (mercy rule). That’s ridiculous. And a very Florida thing to do. As of right now, the gators are 4-0, but they’re currently playing USF and have a game later tonight.

#2 Oregon

Courtney Ceo, possibly the best drag-bunter ever, graduated last year. She was a pretty big loss for the Ducks, but pretty much everyone else is back. After finishing 3rd overall in 2014, I’d say they have a pretty big year in store for them. Oregon opened with 5 Ws and is underway with Nevada right now. Three of those wins were five inning beat-downs.

#7 UCLA

Last season UCLA was good, really, really good. Ranked #1 for a large part of the season, they dominated a lot of teams, but came up short against a Kentucky squad who got hot at the right time. As of right now, the Bruins have opened their season with a 3-2 record. A 6-4 loss came at the hands of Texas A&M, who they had beaten 13-0 in five innings the day before. I’m super curious about what’s in store for UCLA.

#9 University of Louisiana-Lafayette (last one, I promise!)

The Ragin' Cajuns had what can only be considered a Cinderella run to the WCWS last year, beating a powerhouse team like Arizona to get to OKC. ULL is a small D1 school, FCS like UCA is. For them to compete with major programs is a feat in itself, but to be successful is pretty special. ULL hosted a tournament at home, and they were able to finish 4-0 on the weekend. If you’re interested, they played UCA and won 8-0.

Every journey starts somewhere, and the road to Oklahoma City started this weekend. I’m excited to see who gets there! Can’t wait to give you an update on my #11 ranked Washington Huskies!

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With the Name Wilson, You've Got to be Good

Happy Seahawks… err, I mean Super Bowl Sunday! My Seahawk loving heart is pretty happy, tied up at 14 at halftime. Since Katy Perry obviously can’t be better than Beyoncé reuniting Destiny’s Child in 2013, I thought I would write during halftime. 

When people think about the Seahawks, they think about the franchise (or, ya know, star) players. For Seattle, the big play makers are the secondary, AKA the Legion of Boom. Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas III, Jeremy Lane, and (adored by Seahawks fans, hated by literally everyone else) Richard Sherman. And then there’s Russell Wilson. 

Russell Wilson is kind of like the train from “The Little Engine that Could.” He definitely has the “I think I can, I think I can!” mentality. When you’re 5’11” you have to believe in yourself. When quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Colin Kaepernick, and Cam Newton are 6’5” with Tom Brady and Andrew Luck just an inch behind, Wilson is facing a pretty big setback. He wasn’t drafted until the 3rd round, the 75th overall pick, in 2012. The Seahawks were criticized for their entire draft class that year. Two years later, they won the Super Bowl, they’re playing in it again this year, and Russell Wilson is the 3rd youngest quarterback to ever win it.

But that’s not the coolest thing about Russell Wilson.

The coolest thing about Russell Wilson is his sister, Anna.

Anna Wilson is a junior in high school in Virginia. More importantly, she is one wicked good basketball player. In 2014, she was one of 12 athletes named to the USA under 17 national team. Team USA defeated Spain 77-75 to bring home the gold medal. 

Anna is a 5’7” point guard who has already committed to play her college ball at Stanford, one of the top women’s programs in the nation. The shadows of her brother’s success definitely won’t plague her. Anna has the same “why not me?” mentality as Russell does.

She learned the game playing one-on-one with their dad, Harrison. Eventually, she was better than the boys, and now she’s looking to win a state championship at Collegiate School just like Russell did when he was there. The future is bright for the Wilson crew.

Go Anna, go Cardinal, and go Hawks

Side note: Russell Wilson isn't the only NFL quarterback with a ballin' sister. Ben Roethlisberger's sister, Carlee, had a pretty great career playing basketball and volleyball at Oklahoma, too. I witnessed the basketball in person.

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Don't favorite that! It's a typo!