DON’T BOXX HER IN Former Soccer Standout Continues to Think Outside Herself By Jake Ten Pas Photos by Brandon Davis
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cross the country, February is Black History Month. Here at MAC, it’s also time for the Celebration of Champions. Shannon Boxx is both. She’s an African American woman with her own perspective on race and a proven champion who won an NCAA Division 1 Women’s Soccer Championship with Notre Dame in 1995. She went on to become an Olympian who claimed gold medals with the United States national women’s soccer team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, and 2012 London Olympics. Boxx even won the World Cup in 2015.
She also is a mother, wife, philanthropist, and advocate, most recently stepping up on behalf of those diagnosed with lupus, a disease that disproportionately affects women and those of African American, Hispanic, and Asian descent. As a professional athlete, Boxx faced an additional challenge in worrying that news of her diagnosis in 2007 might negatively impact her career or the perception of her abilities. Ultimately, she went public with her condition in 2012, shortly before her victory at the London Olympics.
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FEBRUARY 2023
In honor of her many achievements, and also in recognition of the living history of which she is still very much a part, The Winged M interviewed Boxx about life beyond soccer, challenges she’s faced and overcome, and what she’s still doing to try to level the playing field for younger generations of athletes. Jake Ten Pas: What’s new in your world?
Shannon Boxx: A lot. I have a tendency of saying yes to a lot of things, so I dabble in a lot of different areas. I have two kids, an 8-yearold girl and a 6-year-old boy. I just co-founded my own company that helps athletes transition out of sports. It’s called Ethos Mentality Group, and the program is called Athletes Redefined. We just launched in July, and we really are in that mode of trying to connect with athletes to let them know we’re doing this. We’re looking for businesses that are willing to support the athletes and pay for them to go through the workshop. So, we’re still very much at the startup, working-a-lot phase.