Alyssa and Giselle Thompson weren't really interested in following a traditional path.
They became the first high school athletes to sign a NIL contract with Nike. Alyssa was the first high school player to be drafted in the first round of the NWSL Draft by Angel City FC, while Gisele signed with the team as a free agent while in high school.
They have already made a cameo appearance in the film alongside Jennifer Garner, and last week announced they would become stakeholders in TOCA Football, a network of training facilities that rely heavily on technology to develop players. On Wednesday, Body Armor announced that it has teamed up with her sisters to sign a new contract with U.S. Soccer.
All this and the Thompson sisters are still teenagers. Alyssa, who was a forward on the U.S. World Cup team last summer, turned 19 in November. Gisele, a defender who participated in the 2022 U-17 World Cup, celebrated her 18th birthday.th Birthday in a month.
“It was always about more than football. We don't want to see ourselves as just football players,” Gisele said.
Alyssa added that NIL's deal with Nike “was the first thing we decided to do. And we thought, 'Wow, we can really step outside of the soccer realm a little bit.' he added.
The Thompsons aren't the first teenage athletes to become up-and-coming business moguls. Serena Williams signed with Puma when she was 16 years old. 19-year-old Coco Gauff's portfolio of sponsors ranges from sportswear to pasta to a package delivery company.
opinion:A complete blowout loss against Mexico is good for the USWNT in the long run.
But the ability to use sport as a gateway to opportunities beyond sport, in business and other fields, was exclusive to tennis players and Olympians in the early stages of their careers. It used to be that male athletes were the only ones who could build a brand that would stick with someone long after their athletic career ended.
That the Thompson sisters are doing both now reflects not only their talent but also the changing environment surrounding athletes. Especially female athletes.
Abby Wambach shared the ESPY Icon Award with Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant, and even though all three were at the pinnacle of their sports, she literally and figuratively ignored them as they exited the stage. They talked about how they realized how different their destinies were.
Wambach, a World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and at one time held the international scoring record, said, “Financially, there wasn't a lot of success.''
“Their biggest concern was how to invest hundreds of millions of dollars that they had legitimately earned,” Wambach added. “And for me… it was how I was going to find a job, get health insurance, and pay my mortgage that month.”
But thanks to the NIL and growing interest in women's sports, female athletes have more opportunities than ever before. And they don't have to wait until they're a veteran to take advantage of that ability.
Alyssa Thompson said, “We are always grateful and grateful because without the players that came before us and what they did to get us to where we are, we would not be where we are today. I would never have been in this position.” “We can still grow it more and try to reach the status of men. But it's definitely very nice to have an opportunity like this.”
As the Thompsons began building their “brand” outside of soccer, they took advice from their family. The best way is to stay true to yourself and work with companies and brands you already use or admire.
It was easy, they said, because they had been wearing Nike gear since they were little. Apparently they also trained at TOCA when they were elementary school students.
TOCA facilities are similar to tennis or golf clubs, with spaces for training and socializing. But the Thompson family said what they appreciated during their time at TOCA was the technology the club uses to measure player performance.
Even those who are just starting out.
“As soon as you’re done, you get the stats,” Gisele Thompson said.
Alyssa added: It's like, “I'm just running around on the field.” But actually, when you're at TOCA, you have to be aware of so many different things, so that really helped the development. ”
The sisters moved on to Total Futbol and eventually played for the club's U-19 men's team, which is part of the league's feeder system, MLS Next. Both are stars of the U.S. youth system and are expected to be cornerstones of the USWNT for the next decade. that's all.
But the Thompsons want to be more than just soccer stars. They both have interests outside of sports, with Gisele “loving baking” and having friends who aren't even into soccer, let alone play soccer. They want their business interests to reflect who they are as athletes and people because they know their post-football careers will last much longer than their playing days.
And by starting now, at the beginning of their professional careers, they hope to have the post-competition options that male star athletes have long taken for granted.
“It's very important to us to do that,” Alyssa Thompson said. “We are still early in our careers and it's hard to think about what we want to do afterwards. We want to be financially stable. , I hope you are okay with the decisions you made earlier.”
Because those decisions can have a lasting impact on the Thompson family and the female athletes who come after them.
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
