Political Draft: 25 Athletes Who Need To Run For Office

Julie Foudy

Julie Foudy is a retired professional soccer midfielder. She played soccer at Stanford and got a B.S. in Biological Sciences. Foudy was accepted into Stanford Medical school, but decided to pursue her athletic career instead. She played for the Sacramento Storm, Tyresö FF (Sweden), and the San Diego Spirit from 1993 to 2003. Foudy was also president of the Women’s Sports Foundation from 2000 to 2002.

Foudy is currently an analyst and reporter for ESPN/ABC. She also runs the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy. It’s a residential soccer program for young women that also emphasizes fun leadership development exercises and plenty of silliness. Its mission is

"Empowering young female athletes to confidently choose to make a difference in their lives and the lives of those around them."

In 2002, Secretary of Education Rod Paige appointed her to the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics. It reviewed Title IX’s effectiveness since its inception in 1972. Not satisfied with the commission’s report, she refused to sign it and responded publicly. Foudy condemned the panel for taking a biased view. She accused them of using limited data to reach the conclusion that the problem with Title IX was the loss of athletic opportunities for boys. The commission recommended a huge rollback of Title IX. After Foudy and many other women on the panel spoke out, Paige rejected the changes they objected to.

Julie Foudy knows the value of a positive attitude, speaking up for your beliefs, and supporting positive, forward thinking change, and science. She’s a born leader, and we’d be lucky to have her in government.