Lorrie Fair passes up money from World Cup bonanza for a shot at another title with Carolina
A women’s soccer player trading her eligibility for money? That’s a realm usually reserved for college basketball and football players. But that’s what Lorrie Fair pondered in the weeks after the Women’s World Cup ended. The University of North Carolina senior, one of the frontrunners for player-of- the-year honors this season, could have taken the $50,000 in bonus money she earned by winning the Women’s World Cup with the U.S. national team. There’s also the money she could earn by playing in the Toys ‘R’ Us Victory Tour this fall. The payout for each U.S. player on the indoor tour averages between $50,000 and $100,000. “It could ensure my kids’ security,” she said. “You don’t know if you might get hurt. I’ve never had to turn anything down before. I feel like I’m letting go of something. It’s unfair.” Before the World Cup, she missed out on a monthly salary of $2,000 a month she would have probably made as a member of the U.S. residency camp. Then she missed out on the $2,500 each of the other U.S. players earned for making the World Cup roster. Recently, Fair gave up a shot at a free car from General Motors, which is giving cars to selected Sydney 2000 Olympic hopefuls. And there was the possibility of a shoe endorsement contract. Altogether, there was more than $100,000 on the table. But a few days before her 21st birthday, Fair chose to return to UNC. The deciding factors were that she wants to enjoy the camaraderie of playing with her Tar Heel teammates – many of whom encouraged her to take the money – and go out an NCAA champion. She won NCAA titles her first two seasons in Chapel Hill, but Florida upset the Heels, 1-0, in the final last year. “That’s a lot of money, but my heart is with playing,” Fair said. “I think if we had won last year, I might be out the door.” She added, “I don’t regret it at all. I don’t think anything could replace my senior season here. It’s irreplaceable.” North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance was sympathetic. “I said, ‘Lorrie, whatever you decide we’re going to support you,'” he said. “There’s the potential for some of these players to make $200,000. That’s a lot of money for a kid coming out of college. Some people all their lives don’t see that much in one block. “But she decided to join us. She loves it here, basically loves our program, and she couldn’t put a price on that. All of us are excited about her decision. This is a wonderful statement about what’s important to Lorrie Fair, and basically it’s a statement about her character.” Fair’s decision is not without precedence. Former UNC teammates Tiffany Roberts, Staci Wilson and Cindy Parlow passed up bonuses they earned from the national team for winning gold medals at the 1996 Olympics. They each could have earned $15,625, but even that pales in comparison to the USA ’99 bonanza. Fair says she’ll give up the rest of her scholarship – valued at $17,000 for an out-of-state student – when Carolina’s season is over, making her eligible to earn a salary from U.S. Soccer. She could even play in the indoor tour; there will be four games left after the Dec. 5 Women’s College Cup. Now Dorrance has to decide where to play Fair, an All-American defender who is really a frustrated striker. She came to Carolina from Los Altos, Calif., with a good all-around game, allowing Dorrance to play her some in midfield and up front. She played up front for the national team in the World Cup semifinal win over Brazil. But Fair has spent most of her time in the back for both teams. “If we play her up front this season, she’d be doing handsprings,” Dorrance said. “When I recruited her, I told her she’d probably have to move to the back if she wanted to succeed at the national team level. She trusted my judgment, and the rest is history.” Carolina has some depth in the back with the addition of Vanderbilt transfer Kalli Kamholz; it needs help in midfield and up front, where Roberts and Parlow played. “I’d love to get some striker and midfield action,” Fair said. “But I don’t really care as long as I’m on the field. This is my senior season, and I need to go out winning a national championship. I’ll give whatever to this team to get it.”
by Soccer America
associate editor Dean Caparaz
