Think fast: Which member of the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) is the youngest of seven children? Which player turns 40 years old during the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP(TM) 2015?
FOX Sports answers these questions and many more about the players comprising the 24 international teams competing in this month's FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP(TM) 2015 with more than 60 features airing throughout the tournament on FOX,
Fox Sports 1 and
Fox Sports 2. Every feature - including extended "director's cut" versions for many - is available on demand on www.FOXSports.com and distributed across
Fox Sports Digital social media accounts. During its nearly 200 hours of FIFA Women's World Cup(TM) programming,
Fox Sports offers more comprehensive human interest coverage of players and teams than any other network in the event's history, beginning with FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP SPECIAL, a live one-hour preview show airing on the eve of match play, Friday, June 5 (7:30 PM ET) on
Fox Sports 1.
Spearheading the production of the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP(TM) 2015 features is Jennifer Pransky, Coordinating Producer for the Features Division. Pransky, a multiple Emmy Award-winner, plays a central role in creating features and vignettes for
FOX Sports' expansive coverage of the tournament and is charged with telling the athletes' stories in unique and compelling ways. In her daily role outside of women's soccer, Pransky produces specialty features, projects and shows across all sports for every
Fox Sports outlet, including broadcast and cable television and digital.
"The level of athleticism and training these women put into the FIFA Women's World Cup is astounding, but their stories don't end with the endless hours on the field," said David Neal, FIFA Women's World Cup(TM) on
FOX Executive Producer. "FOX Sports is delving deep into each team to unearth the most interesting aspects of who these superstars are. Jen Pransky and her group have done an outstanding job of painting these players not only as world-class athletes but as human beings. Their personal triumphs are as compelling as their professional ones, and fans will be able to identify with the athletes as they cheer them on."
One prime example of the work Pransky's unit has produced is the feature focused on USWNT midfielder Megan Rapinoe. The piece shows that she is as much an artist off-field as she is an athlete on-field. We learn that she is an avid guitar player, a style aficionado and loves the diverse community that is her home in Seattle. Openly gay, Rapinoe shares her personal story, including her use of art and music to express her individuality while growing up as a teenager who struggled to reveal her true self. Watch a preview of the feature here.
"I love soccer, I always have and I always will, but there is more to me than just soccer, more that I love, more that I am proud of, more that I am passionate about and more that I want to be," said Rapinoe. "I have and will always live my life by a simple rule: always be yourself."
"We've spent over a year coming to know many of the women playing in this tournament, and we can't wait for America to learn more about them through the work of the talented people in our unit," said Pransky. "Our piece on Megan Rapinoe is a great example of what viewers can expect. She's honest, unique, and has tons of moxie! Megan reminds us that being different is cool, which is one of the many positive messages that will come from getting to know her and the remarkable women playing in the FIFA Women's World Cup."
Highlights of the 60-plus features include:
Japan - Four years ago, Japan shocked the world by beating the United States in an unforgettable World Cup final. Players from the 2011 championship team recount that fateful match and how it changed their lives.
Carli Lloyd - By virtue of her regimented training and meticulous eating plan, Lloyd is considered one of the hardest working players in the game today. However, she wasn't always as dedicated. Lloyd reveals the challenges she faced when graduating to the national level and the realization she no longer was the best on the field, which prompted her to make drastic changes in her mindset and daily training.
Dzsenifer Marozsan - The German midfielder describes herself as quiet on the field but cheeky off of it. Soccer is in her DNA. Born in Hungary, her family moved to Germany when her father had the chance to play for FC Saarbr?ken. Meet the rising star of the No.1-ranked team in the world.
Maren Mjelde - Mjelde has lived and played abroad for many years but is always honored to play for her home country of Norway. She takes
Fox Sports to her picturesque home to meet her family. Mjelde's mother is battling cancer, but through supporting her, the family has become stronger than ever.
Alex Morgan - Morgan, one of the most high-profile players on the USWNT, takes viewers behind-the-scenes of what it means to be an ambassador for the sport and role model for younger, aspiring players. Cameras follow Morgan through commercial and promotional shoots to learn more about the responsibilities of being a team member both on and off the field, as well as the woman who was virtually unknown in the last FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP(TM) but whose face now is everywhere.
Christie Rampone - Rampone, a longtime captain of the USWNT, is participating in her fifth and final FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP(TM), and turns 40 years old during the tournament (June 24). Rampone, also a soccer mom to two children, takes viewers through a day in her life as a mother, wife and world-class athlete.
Pia Sundhage - One of the great players in women's soccer history, Sundhage was born in Sweden, but coached the USWNT from 2008-12. Now coaching for her home country, she looks to deliver
GLORY to her native Sweden after leading the USWNT to two Olympic gold medals and a second-place World Cup finish.
Fox Sports soccer insider Grant Wahl goes one-on-one with the head coach.
Abby Wambach - One of the biggest names in the history of the USWNT, Wambach's mother checked out a library book on soccer because one of her seven children wanted to play. Wambach, lucky number seven of her siblings, heads home to Rochester, N.Y., with
Fox Sports to introduce viewers to her dozens of family members, including many boisterous nieces and nephews, at her parents' home. The group reminisces and shares interesting stories about life growing up as a Wambach.
Women's Soccer - Equality
BETWEEN men's and women's sports has always been a topic of discussion in the United States, and the conversation is reaching global levels. Many of the top players in the world grew up playing on boys' teams because there were no girls' teams.
Fox Sports talks to players around the world about how women's soccer has changed in their lifetimes, and what steps the sport still needs to take to become the global force it has the potential to be.
FOX Sports plans the most expansive and comprehensive multi-platform coverage ever of the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP(TM), including an unprecedented 16 matches airing live on
FOX broadcast network, when the tournament commences on Saturday, June 6.
Fox Sports televises all 52 games in the expanded tournament from six cities across Canada
BETWEEN June 6 and July 5, live on FOX,
Fox Sports 1, America's fastest growing sports network, and
Fox Sports 2. All games are available on tablets and mobile devices via the
Fox Sports GO app and online at www.FOXSportsGO.com.
