Brandi Denise Chastain was born on the 21st July 1968, in San Jose, California USA, and is a retired soccer player, who won two FIFA Women’s World Cups, two gold medals at the Olympic Games, and has also worked as a sportscaster and coach after her playing retirement. Her playing career was active from the late ‘80s until 2010.
Have you ever wondered how rich Brandi Chastain is, as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources it has been estimated that Chastain’s net worth is as high as $2.5 million, an amount earned largely through her successful career as a soccer player and coach, also from her endorsement deals signed over the course of her career, and from her broadcasting.
Brandi Chastain Net Worth $2.5 Million
Brandi is a San Jose native; she picked up a football when she was eight years old, and since then rose to stardom. Initially she had to play with boys, as Davis Junior High School didn’t have a girl soccer team. Nevertheless, that didn’t stay in Brandi’s way, and she began her dominance on the field. She later studied at Archbishop Mitty High School, where she continued with her soccer aspirations and won three consecutive state championships.
Following her high school matriculation, Brandi enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, also playing forward for the Golden Bears. In her first year, she bagged 15 goals, which earned her Freshman Player of the Year honors, given by Soccer America. However, during the summer break, Brandi had to undergo reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament surgeries, missing the 1987 and 1988 seasons. After recovery, she transferred to Santa Clara University, continuing with her fantastic performance, which won her the ISAA Player of the Year after scoring 22 goals in the regular season in 1990.
Her club career began in 1993 when she joined the Japanese team Shiroki F.C. Serena of the L. League for one season, remembered since she won the MVP award, also becoming the only foreigner to be selected for the league’s top 11 players. Unfortunately, USA didn’t have a professional soccer league for woman until 1999, when Brandi and 23 other players joined in Women’s United Soccer Association to form the first professional women’s soccer league in the states. The league consisted of eight teams, and Brandi was a part of the San Jose Cyber Rays. In her first season, she won the championship title with her team, which only increased her net worth. However, for the next two seasons, San Jose CyberRays didn’t have much success and Brandi left the team.
In 2009 she returned to club football, joining the FC Gold Pride of the WPS, and played in 10 games, before she was waived by the club. Nevertheless, she soon found new engagement, joining the California Storm in the 2010 season of the WPSL. She played in five matches, scoring three goals and also had five assists.
Brandi had more success with the USA Women’s national team. She made her debut in 1988, and subsequently appeared in 192 games, scoring 30 goals and 26 assists, playing mostly as a defender and an occasional midfielder. The USA team won the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, and then in 1999 team repeated their success, winning on penalties against China, with Brandi drawing attention to herself after scoring the winning penalty, taking off her jersey, and continuing her celebration in a sports bra.
Brandi also won two golden medals at the Olympic Games of 1996 and 2004, which also benefited her wealth. Thanks to her successful career, Brandi was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2017.
After retirement, she assumed the job of a sports broadcaster, firstly for NBC covering the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games, and also Major League Soccer matches on ABC/ESPN, and the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, further increasing her net worth.
Brandi has also authored a book, entitled “It’s Not About the Bra: Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back Into Competitive Sports” in 2005, the sales of which also added to her wealth.
To speak further of her accomplishments outside soccer, Brandi has graced the pages of numerous magazines, including Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Gear Magazine and many other publications across the globe, which also added a substantial amount to her wealth. That is not the end, as she has also appeared in several variety talk shows, such as “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, “Good Morning America”, and “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn”, among others.
Regarding her personal life, she has been married to soccer coach Jerry Smith since 1996; the couple has a son, but also, Jerry has a child from his previous relationship, and Brandi accepted him as her own child.
Brandi is also a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical company AbbVie Inc, promoting their campaign to educate people about inflammatory bowel disease. Also, she stated that, after her death, her brain would be donated for concussion research.
