It is not surprising that Abby Wambach is turning to television, but it is notable that she is doing so in a role that will go beyond football. Wambach, 2015 Women’s World Cup champion with the United States, two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 2012) and all-time leader in career goals in international soccer (she has 184; the Canadian Christine Sinclair is second with 162, while Iran Ali Daei leads the men’s team with 109) has also long been outspoken and quotable, so she seems like a natural fit for soccer analysis, and she’ll do a lot of that in her new role at ESPN. However, as the network’s statement regarding his hiring states, she will also get involved on several other fronts:
2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach has agreed to a multi-year contract to serve as an analyst and contributor for ESPN on various broadcasts and platforms. Wambach will cover international sporting events for the network later this summer, during the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship in France and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, offering his perspective on events and storylines from his unique perspective as an elite athlete.
Additionally, she will contribute to ESPN Films’ projects and reports, as well as ESPN’s award-winning news programs E:60 and Outside the Lines, where she will expand her profile by reporting on current issues in sports. Later this month, Wambach will launch a bi-weekly ESPN Audio podcast, Fearless Conversation with Abby Wambach. The podcast will be thematic and feature interviews with notable figures.
“My football career has given me many different experiences that provide more than just Xs and Os,” Wambach said. “I’m excited to join ESPN and have the opportunity to tell stories that transcend football.”
“Abby is an original talent who can tackle a variety of topics,” said Andy Tennant, executive producer of E:60 and Outside The Lines. “She will be an engaging voice that will be valuable across multiple ESPN platforms.”
Wambach said Anne Peterson from the Associated Press that the ability to do more than just cover football was a key part of why she signed with ESPN, and that she will not hesitate to address controversial subjects:
“Talking and reporting on things that I’m passionate about was really, really the selling point for me,” Wambach told the Associated Press. “Because I don’t want the rest of my life to be based on me playing football. I want to be able to venture out and learn different things.”
Wambach will also produce a podcast, “Fearless Conversation with Abby Wambach,” which she promises will not shy away from controversy. Among his first subjects will be foreign players on the U.S. national team. Wambach attracted criticism when she blasted US men’s coach Jurgen Klinsmann for bringing in “a group of these foreigners” in December.
Mix Diskeruds, midfielder born in Oslothen posted a message to Wambach on Instagram.
“I know we are not entirely equal. From ‘your group’ the commander in chief of the country must be chosen. However, apart from that, you and I share something that is not unique, but constitutionally vested, an innate right to defend this nation as Americans. Wherever we go. Led by one who has earned, through a democratic process, his right to lead, on or off the field, in peace, in war, in practice, or in any other manner pursuit of your happiness,” he wrote.
Wambach said she was willing to reexamine those comments.
“Why not? I think people tend to shy away from topics that have caused controversy in their lives. For me, what better place to start? To be completely honest, it’s been rare in my career, the reason being that I’ve spoken for 23 other women, so I’ve kind of toed the party line during that time.”
It’s going to be interesting to see how Wambach performs at ESPN, especially when it comes to non-football topics. She is solved many off-field issues beforespeaking with passion on LGBT rights and his marriage to fellow retired player Sarah Huffmanabout the wage gap between male and female international players, and about playing surfacesso she certainly has a lot of opinions (as the Klinsmann-Diskerud case shows). We’ll see how well she’s able to translate that into a role at ESPN. It should also be noted that she faces a charge of driving while intoxicated, where she pleads not guilty. ESPN is obviously well aware of this, and it didn’t stop them from hiring him, but these kinds of accusations have led to analysts being fired in the past. Wambach appears to have a lot of potential as a football analyst and perhaps much more, so it’s understandable why ESPN would take a chance on her. We’ll see how it goes for them.
