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- [00:00]
A
Hi, everyone, it's Shelby Baumgartner. And welcome back to Youth Inc. Greg is currently at USA Baseball Nationals, so I had to take over for this one. And let's just say I was pretty excited because it is the one, the only Brandi Chastain. And I have to say, this conversation was truly incredible. We started off with the moment 1999, when she scored on that penalty kick for Team USA. To coaching, to being a youth sports parent and to talking about the World cup and what that is doing for the youth girls and boys soccer space. I mean, soccer is on everyone's mind right now and their feet. So obviously we were going to talk to the one, the only, Brandi Chastain, who probably has the most iconic USA Women's soccer moment in history.
- [00:50]
B
Youth sports in America are at a crossroads and I'm here to help lead the conversation forward. I'm Greg Olson. Each week we're sitting down with top athletes, coaches and more to talk about what's working, what's broken, and what's next. Welcome to you think.
- [01:06]
A
Well, welcome, Brandy to you think. We are so excited that you're here with us today.
- [01:12]
C
It's a pleasure. Thank you so very much.
- [01:15]
A
Where are you right now, may I ask?
- [01:17]
C
I am in the most beautiful place in the states. Northern California, San Jose.
- [01:24]
A
That is amazing. We're actually the youth Inc. Teams headed out to LA tomorrow for the flag football main event of the year. The national team's coming, so we're going to interview a lot of those athletes. Yeah, we love California.
- [01:40]
C
I have to tell you, I am. I'm both envious and thrilled about flag football. I played flag football some. This is terrible, what I'm about to say. 50, almost 50 years ago, and I loved it so much. And the fact that it took this long is crazy. But now I get to watch my granddaughters play and they love it so good.
- [02:09]
A
It is crazy. We met them at the super bowl and how flag football is growing in this country is just phenomenal. It really is on the rise. Before we get into it, I have to ask, what type of grandma sports grandma are you? Are you involved in their development? Like, what role do you play?
- [02:30]
C
No, I'm more so in the make signs and, you know, give them a lot of encouragement. I try to bring healthy snacks like oranges off my tree instead of. I mean, everybody gets a snack these days. You know, I'm trying to bring something good, but just to be there, really, more so than anything. Just showing up.
- [02:52]
A
Absolutely. Showing up is the most important thing. And the orange slices, of course. Right. Yeah. Okay, so let's get started.
- [03:01]
C
Okay.
- [03:02]
A
1999, there are 90,000 fans in the stands. Your penalty kick basically changed soccer in this country forever. What did that moment mean for young fans everywhere in your eyes?
- [03:19]
C
Well, I think about that moment in different ways, and depending on how far out away from that moment, the real moment, I am. It kind of has been a shifting target, to be honest with you, because I think initially when it happened, I didn't think anything about it. Like, it was just a natural reaction to a moment that was so phenomenal and overwhelming and joyous that it was what it was. And then it perpetually, like the little pebble down the hill, all of a sudden becomes right, the big snowball. And it's taken on a life of its own at times. And it's. It's been a call to action for some. It's been a remind of why sports are fun. It's been. It's a. It's a impression about that. Women are powerful and strong. It's also a call to action to maybe get to the gym for the first time. Like, I mean, I have people that come up to me so often with their own stories, so it's not one thing. I think that's a part of the fun and the excitement that that's around that photo and. And that moment. But for me, I think it's been an evolution. It's been an evolution of, like you said, for it. It's changed women's soccer and girls soccer, but I think it's also changed women in sports and then not just soccer and then women in the business of sports and now women in business and women, wherever they show up, like, they. They use that. That moment as a stepping stone to, like, I saw that, and it empowered me. And I mean, for me, I'm just like, awesome. Way to go. Like, you did that. That's. That's wonderful.
- [05:11]
A
You're right. That image is the representation of power and our future as a female. I have to ask, just out of curiosity, when you were walking up to the line, what was going through your mind?
- [05:27]
C
The only thing was, don't look at the goalkeeper, because earlier in the year, she psyched me out. She. She pulled a. She was a psych. It was like a. She pulled a. A. A mental twist on me. Yeah. And she got me not thinking about what I should have, and I stepped up and hit a penalty well, but it hit the crossbar and went out. We end up losing the game. So for me, in that moment, you know, in moments like that, you have to get the details right. And so I had to remind myself. I didn't. I didn't need to remind myself how to do the kick. I just had to remind myself just to focus on the ball so not to look at the goalkeeper.
- [06:10]
A
I think when people think of you, they think of that moment. But what a lot of people might not know is that you dealt with a lot of injury in your career. And in 1993, if I'm right, you got cut from the team. What did adversity teach you in your career?
- [06:28]
C
Oh, adversity was really the driving force for my, I think, renaissance coming back to soccer. My, you know, recreating myself as a person and as a teammate and as a player. It allowed me to have a better relationship with myself, you know, to really take stock in how was I feeling, you know, and be able to understand, you know, whether I was leaning towards being hurt or was I injured, but I was okay. You know, learning the nuances of those things, I think is really what I learned. I also learned that I'm tougher than maybe I thought I was. And I thought I was pretty darn tough, I'll be honest. But I. But I learned a lot about resiliency. I learned a lot about being a better teammate. I learned what it was like to have to sit on the sideline. And I didn't quite value those who came to practice every day and had to sit on the sideline during the match. And so I was not a great teammate in my early days and my injuries, thankfully, beyond some other things that it taught me, it really taught me humility and perspective, respect of my teammates and the opponent, and to be grateful for the game. It was a massive learning curve for me.
- [07:54]
A
Absolutely. That's so well said. With the Men's World cup happening right now and the Women's World cup happening next year, what role does this play in inspiring young girls and boys to play soccer?
- [08:07]
C
Well, I think, honestly, it's just a real life example of how fun it can be, how intense it is, how magnificent the game is, how it brings people together, how it unites the teams, and how it allows us to take pause to enjoy something as a unit, perhaps. And, you know, maybe we don't have the same political perspective or we have different religions, but we can talk and be in the middle of a football match and be like, yes, we love that. That's amazing. You know, let's do that. So. And I honestly believe that, you know, part of me Being here today to talk to you with that same spirit is. Is to work in partnership with other people. And for me today is, you know, I'm working with Purina and Friskies, and we're. We're talking about being certified Frisky on the field. With our celebrations and celebrating the men's national team at the World cup is like. I've been to their first match, which was unbelievable. It was phenomenal. It was. The stadium was rocking and people were out of their minds. I mean, I was literally jumping up and down the aisle and going crazy, and it was phenomenal. So working with Friskies and to celebrate some cat like, energy out on the field, we're giving away free meals, 100,000 meals to shelters around the country every time the men score a goal, the first goal of a game. And so I think there's been 300,000, maybe 400,000 cans already given away. Also, if people download the Mypurina app, that then cat lovers everywhere, who we are welcoming to the party. If you haven't been a part of this before, join us. This is amazing. When the US men's national team scores a goal in the first 30 minutes, they're going to be giving away free coupons for cat owners and cat. I. I call myself a cat grandma because my son has a. Has a cat.
- [10:15]
A
I was going to say, do you have a cat?
- [10:18]
C
I don't have a cat, but I'm gonna show you a picture of my son's cat. Their family have a cat, and I put on. I put a US Team jersey on him the other day, and that is amazing. Let's just say his attitude was not perfect, but it was still cute nevertheless. I'll have to find him. I'll show him to you in a minute.
- [10:39]
A
Perfect little pun there. Didn't know if you realized you did it.
- [10:42]
C
I got you perfect. Yeah. Oh, there they are. Oh, no, that's my dog. Oh, here he is. Here. Here's Figaro in his. In his team jersey. Team usa.
- [10:52]
A
Oh, my goodness.
- [10:57]
C
He's hilarious.
- [10:58]
A
That is incredible. Yeah. And, like, you know, it just goes to show, soccer's for everyone, even soccer, for sure. Right?
- [11:10]
C
He's got a lot of attitude and a lot of energy, that guy.
- [11:14]
A
That's great. Would you say, when you look back at your playing career, was that kind of your role on the pitch to bring the energy, to bring the fun, to bring the excitement?
- [11:26]
C
You know what? Our. Our team was quite unique in that we shared the load, so everybody had to carry their own weight. But you also had to carry the weight of the folks around you. And, you know, it was do your job in half of someone else's kind of situation at any point. And I think. I think I may have adopted the, you know, bring the energy, bring the fun. Like, I just love the game so much. I love the small little passes, the little dinks, or the, you know, the fun flicks and tricks, but also I love the solid pass and a good, you know, eye connection with my teammate from a distance. Like, yeah, we just did that. And then the feeling that you get when you have that connection. Connection is super amazing. It's so incredible. And so nothing like it. No, there's nothing like that camaraderie that you have on the field. So I'd love to bring that. I love a good high five. I mean, I'm not gonna lie. When I see someone in the stadium, I don't even have to know them. Like, something good happens. I'm high fiving them for sure right away.
- [12:31]
A
That's great. You've spent years advocating for youth soccer. If you could change one thing about the youth soccer space right now, what would it be?
- [12:41]
C
And one thing, you say one thing. Give it.
- [12:46]
A
Give it all to me. Give it all.
- [12:48]
C
Yeah. No, you know, honestly, There's so much I love about it, to be honest with you. There's so much I love about it. I love kids being outside. I love kids being together. I love, you know, the soccer balls out there flying around. I love the exploration and the expression that we allow kids to do. You know, I think part of it is access. I think I would try to somehow manipulate, which is, you know, under resourced communities, under resourced families having access to play. You know, if you have access, great things can happen. So I think we. We think we talk about, you know, pay to play model and. And how difficult that is for some families. And I'd love to eliminate that if. If possible. I would say that if we could find the magic solution to the boundary that keeps some people out and allows others in, I would do away with the boundary.
- [13:55]
A
With the World cup happening right now, I'm just curious, does this provide opportunities to heighten access for areas that don't really have opportunity in soccer, or would you say the kind of model is still it stays at the top and doesn't get to those neighborhoods that just really want access or opportunity to play?
- [14:17]
C
Yeah, I think it's both. I think, you know, you have ticket prices that are a little too high for most people, but you also have community Activities that are going on that don't cost anything. So. And I do believe that there is initiative in all the communities that are hosted hosting us here in Northern California, the Bay Area Host Committee, I know our mayor in San Jose, we have worked as a community to make and give access to the community in spaces that are non traditional spaces for soccer. But we're making them soccer friendly and soccer savvy, and hopefully people can come and access that and have a great time and feel a part of the energy that the World cup brings. So it's a little bit of both, but I think just one taste will satiate you for the rest of your life because it is that exciting.
- [15:14]
A
Last one. Brandy, since you stopped playing, how has the game changed or evolved?
- [15:20]
C
Well, I think there's a lot that stay the same. Evolution is like we don't go from here to here without this kind of. You see it happening. But I would say, you know, again, the numbers of people playing is really the biggest difference. When in 1999, you have a small community in South Dakota that had 15 player girls playing, and then all of a sudden it went up to 2,000 girls playing, 10,000 girls playing. So I think, you know, the exposure of women playing sports in general have given access to a venue that young girls can now pick from. It doesn't have to be soccer. It could be volleyball, it could be flag football, it could be basketball, it could be lacrosse, it could be wrestling, whatever it is. But I think the game is now open. I mean, so many girls are playing in so many different layers and so many different levels. I think technology has influenced the game a lot. So technology is a part of this equation as well. And ultimately, the number of teams that are now participating in the World cup have changed the game entirely, which we are seeing during the Men's World cup because there have been some upsets already.
- [16:36]
A
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for your time. Brandy. You're incredible, and I'm excited to watch you cheer on the men's World cup this year and the women's next year.