Tobin Heath --> Doris Burke: "For me personally, it was hard to try to pick someone. My role models growing up had always been male footballers or just men – most of the greatest have always been men. So, that’s why this whole thing is so cool, because we’re trying to change that and show that some of the greatest are women as well, even though there still aren’t enough of them. Doris… she’s just the bomb. It’s been a long process for her and she’s obviously been the first in many things she’s done in terms of broadcasting. I love the NBA and basketball is my second favorite sport to watch, and I just feel the respect that she’s been able to earn through the process, not only from the people in her field but also from the guys on the court who know the game in and out. So, to have them respect her so much is just the greatest honor. It’s like them saying ‘you’re one of us,’ and she’s totally earned that."

Rose Lavelle --> J.K. Rowling: "Oh, I picked her because she is a genius, is very generous and has a cool story to tell. I had been on this vicious cycle of reading books 1-3 of Harry Potter every summer and then re-starting because I wanted to remember everything that I had read the previous summer, but now that I’m out of school I have finally been able to read it all the way through. Now I’m on the seventh book. So, thank you for sharing your talent with the world. The world is a better place because of you."

Carli Lloyd--> Malala Yousafzai : "Malala is someone who stood up for what she believed in even though she knew she could be killed for it. Even after being shot and almost dying she has continued to fight for and inspire women around the world."





Jessica McDonald --> Maya Angelou: "Where do you even start? She’s an amazing human being. I love her poetry, but I think it’s more so her words and how she uses them that captured my attention. Reading her quotes and her poetry has inspired me in a lot of ways, especially on a bad day. I can always go back to her poems."

Samantha Mewis --> Mia Hamm: "My sister and I loved watching her when we were growing up and she was our favorite player. On my youth teams, we always used to fight to be able to wear the No. 9 jersey. I remember watching all her goals over and over and watched the National Team games on VHS tape and I would rewind every time she scored. I had her poster too. When I had to think about someone that inspired me, I felt that she was my most authentic answer because I’ve always been inspired by this team and the women that have been a part of it."

Alex Morgan --> Abby Wambach : "I kept trying to think of who I wanted on the back of my jersey and who has been the biggest inspiration to me both in my career and in my life. It’s difficult to pick someone that I haven’t met, but you obviously think of people like Michelle Obama or Billie Jean King. These are people I definitely look up to, but when I think about who has had the greatest effect on my career and my life, I think of my family and my teammates.



Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach

"And when I think of my teammates, there’s no one who has helped guide me or give me advice and confidence more than Abby. I’ve never had that sort of partnership with someone like I had with Abby. She made me believe in myself at times when I didn’t. She instilled this confidence in me. She was always there for me, and as teammates sometimes fighting for the same position, you can sometimes be selfish, but she was completely opposite of that. She wanted to have success, but she also outwardly told me that she wanted me to have more success than she ever had. She wanted me to break whatever records she set. Having someone that really fought and believed in me and told me about her belief in me was pretty incredible. I’ve never come across someone like that."