Soccer legend Brandi Chastain's Hall of Fame plaque is making people talk for all the wrong reasons
U.S. soccer legend Brandi Chastain tried to be diplomatic after her Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame plaque was unveiled on Monday, revealing what was supposed to be her likeness but looked more like a Biff Tannen and Babe Ruth hybrid dressed up like Mrs. Doubtfire.
"I didn't feel it was a perfect representation," she told KTVU on Tuesday. "But I'm not an artist. I don't know how hard it is to make one of these things." Her husband, Jerry Smith, was more blunt, saying, "It's really not flattering," while the San Francisco Chronicle's Ann Killion described it as a "freaking embarrassment." Born and raised in San Jose, Chastain is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion, remembered for the iconic image of her ripping off her jersey after scoring in the 1999 World Cup final against China.
Chastain told Killion on Tuesday that the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame — which never shared the name of the artist behind the bronze plaque, likely to help them avoid a public shaming — asked her to send in a photo of her own choosing so the plaque could be remade. "Bottom line, the good that BASHOF does for the kids in the community is important and necessary," she said. "I'm proud to be in the class of such talented individuals who have elevated our sports teams to the highest heights." Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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