Check out David Weismann interview with soccer star Brandi Chastain

Q: Who did you look up to when you were a child?
A: It was interesting because I would say that most of my sports idols were males because there were no females playing team sports. So, beyond Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King… I thought I was going to be a NFL football player. My godfather played for the Rams, the Steelers, the Packers, so I just thought that I would do the same thing. He went back to the leather helmet days. His name was Steve Johnston. Beyond those folks, I think my grandfather, my mother's dad, was the person I looked up to. He lived near us while I was growing up and he came to every game. He was so supportive. He taught me a lot of good lessons and one sticks with me today. He would award me a dollar if I scored a goal, but he’d give me a dollar fifty if I had an assist. So, the idea that giving is really more important stuck in my head, and maybe that's why I like passing the ball so much in soccer.

Q: Did you always want to play for the United States in the World Cup or did you ever dream about doing something else?
A: As a young kid I dreamed about something else because soccer didn’t exist for me. I dreamed about playing football, but once I realized when I was eight or nine that it wasn’t realistic, that I wasn’t going to be six foot five and three hundred pounds….But, we went to men's soccer games. San Jose had a team. My family bought season tickets and we went to the games. I had dreams of playing on that field which ended up coming true. When I was a kid there was no [women’s soccer in the] Olympic games, no World Championship, and soccer was just something that I loved doing. I don’t know why, but it just felt right to me. I think that I just dreamed of playing the game.

Q: What was it like to come off the bench during your first game representing the United States and score five goals?
A: Awesome. Any time you get to put on the jersey it's special because you know the dedication that your teammates put in every day; you know the responsibility you have to do your best and to keep the respect of your teammates. But scoring five goals, at the time I never really thought about it; but looking back, it’s pretty amazing that a kid from San Jose gets on the national team and ends up having the career she did and holds the record for US soccer with Michelle Akers who is one of the greatest women soccer players ever. So, it is very special.

Q: During the 1999 World Cup, what was going through your mind after your teammate Briana Scurry made the save that would give you the chance to win the World Cup?
A:  One simple thing: we’ve won. Because goalkeepers don’t make saves and players don’t miss very often, so as soon as she did that I knew that we had won the game. That was spectacular. I honestly knew at that moment that it was going to be over.

Q: What was your first reaction when you saw your penalty kick go past the goalie?
A: My first reaction was-- I think you are looking at it [the photo of her on her knees with her jersey off]. You can’t imagine how many tens of thousands of emotions are going through your brain in a millisecond. And, I think that moment was just relief; joy, obviously; celebrating. I tell young girls and boys all the time that if you can’t feel good about the good things you do, then nobody else can feel good about the good things you do. So, it’s okay to celebrate, and I think that’s given people a lot of courage to feel good about the things they do.

Q: In the days after your famous “incident”, did the offers for endorsement deals increase dramatically?
A: There was definitely a handful of them. I had already been working with Nike so that was something that already existed; Power Bar and Volvo were others. I am still working with Nike today. People ask me whether I did that [take off her jersey] because I wanted to get something, and the answer is absolutely not.

Q: What was your motivation for writing your book It’s not about the Bra
A: One, it’s a dedication to my parents. They had passed away a couple of years earlier. It was too late for them, unfortunately, but so many great things happened to me because my parents went out of their way to support the things that I love. They didn’t hesitate in making my dreams reality. Two, I love soccer. I wanted to share my stories about where I played, and how I got to where I was. I wanted to give parents a guide on how they can help their kids and to coaches on how to coach players who have aspirations and those who just want to have fun. And, just as a tribute to the game in general.

Q: Have you picked up any hobbies since you stopped playing soccer?
A: Well, I’m still playing soccer so maybe I’ve repicked up soccer. During the 2004 Olympics, I started sewing because you have to find ways to rest during training where you are stationary, sitting down. I am not really good at that so sewing for me was something I could keep busy doing with my mind and my hands but could rest my legs. Golf is my newfound love. My grandfather and I, the grandfather I just talked about, used to go to the driving range when I was a kid. He’d take me out to Pebble Beach and we would watch the Pro Ams out there. It just has a good memory for me. So, my husband and I joined a club and now we play as often as we can. I love it. It makes me happy.

Q: Do you like to keep any memorabilia-- like cleats or jerseys from teammates?
A: Yes, I have jerseys of Mia Hamm, Briana Scurry and Kristine Lilly. I have these shoes [from the infamous game] in my closet. The bra is in New York at the museum on loan. I love it. I usually carry my gold medal around with me because I like to share it with people. When I meet a young girl I want her to know that this medal represents her just as much as it does me.

Q: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
A: Vanilla with nuts, not walnuts but almonds. I love to scoop it into a cup, put milk in it and blend it. That’s my favorite.