Rep. Sherrill Announces Soccer Champion Kelley O’Hara as State of the Union Guest

Washington, DC– Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) announced that her guest for the 2023 State of the Union address will be Kelley O’Hara, a defender for Gotham FC– which practices in NJ-11. She is a two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold and bronze medalist.

“I am honored to have Kelley O’Hara join me at the State of the Union. Not only is she a role model for her successes on the soccer field but also for her ability to take a historic moment and turn it into a movement for women’s equality,” said Rep. Sherrill. “Together, we are telling Congress, and the nation, that the age of women sitting silently on the bench is over. We are fighting for equal opportunities and fairness in all levels of sports.”

“I am honored and excited to attend this year’s State of the Union address as Congresswoman Sherrill’s guest to showcase that it’s our time in women’s sports and women in general. I look forward to working with her this year on women’s equality in sports,” said Ms. O’Hara. 

In the 117th Congress, Rep. Sherrill introduced legislation to conduct an in-depth study of gender equality across all NCAA-sanctioned sports in all three divisions. Last Congress, the Congresswoman also introduced a Resolution emphasizing that the NCAA is subject to Title IX and must work to eliminate any inequities that exist between men’s and women’s programming. She plans to introduce both in the 118th Congress.

O’Hara is a leader in the fight for future generations and for women’s equality on and off the field. Recently, she was a key member of her USWNT Players’ Association bargaining committee, which successfully negotiated the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) guaranteeing equal pay for the USWNT and USMNT. The CBA not only guarantees both the women’s and men’s teams identical bonuses for performance-related issues but will also see the two teams pool their FIFA prize money from the 2022 and 2023 World Cups. O’Hara is also the host of her own podcast on Just Women’s Sports, The Players’ Pod, a series of conversations with some of the best athletes, coaches, and business people in the women’s sports industry.