Bigger Than a Game: The Birth of Angel City
When Julie Uhrman and her twin sister were nine years old, they brought a flyer home to join the basketball league at their local YMCA. To which their mom responded: You know, the ‘M’ stands for Men’s, right? “We weren’t concerned by that at all," Julie reflects. "We showed up at The Y. There were 80 boys and the two of us. The first thing that went through my mind was: Give me the ball. Let me show you what I can do. Then, let’s win the game.” She’s been a fierce competitor and change maker since. Julie went on to be captain of her collegiate basketball team. Yet, she still didn’t see a viable career path in sports due to the lack of visible pathways for women. Three decades later, she’s not only founded and runs Los Angeles’ new national women’s soccer team, Angel City. Alongside a passionate group of athletes, actresses, and investors, she’s creating a first of its kind platform to impact lasting change on and off the field. Julie’s courage to be the first, both in fourth grade and today leading the first ever majority women-owned sports team, was inspired by her extraordinary mom. Her mantra - “She didn’t know it couldn’t be done. So, she went ahead and did it.” - and the ‘I can’t’ funeral she held for her students, illuminate exactly why her daughters continue to be game-changers.