Among the many amazing stories this year's Olympic Games have brought to the American audience, the unlikely gold medal push by the U.S. women's soccer team is one of the best. Expectations were not quite through the roof for the USWNT considering they hadn't appeared in a gold medal match since 2012 and are fresh off an incredibly disappointing World Cup showing. But a gritty 1-0 win over Germany on Tuesday will give the team a shot at gold for the first time in over a decade.
One person who will absolutely be locked into Saturday's gold medal bout will be Dansby Swanson, the Chicago Cubs shortstop whose wife, Mallory, is a forward on the USWNT. She's played a pivotal role in helping the U.S. get this far and her husband was (unsurprisingly) very quick to sing her praises while wearing her kit following yesterday's Cubs-Minnesota Twins game.
"The amount of times she's pretty much made me cry over the last two weeks watching her is pretty ridiculous," Swanson told reporters. "Just so proud of her journey that's she's been on ever since we got here together, it's pretty hard to put into words... I'm so thankful to be a part of it and do all that I can to help her from afar. Whatever it is, I'll do.
"Man, I could go on for hours about it. It's just so amazing watching the person you love the most do something that they love and chasing a dream and do it with the beauty and grace she does it with. It's pretty special."
"The amount of times she's pretty much made me cry over the last two weeks watching her is pretty ridiculous. Just so proud of her."
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 7, 2024
Dansby Swanson is proud of his wife Mallory 💙 pic.twitter.com/MdDBiLtm8i
A very nice sentiment and one that surely resonates with plenty of couples whose passions do not unfold on an international stage.
It's been a great summer for the Swansons. Mallory scored three goals for the American side in group stage play. Dansby, unfortunately, hasn't found the same kind of success in his line of work; his .230. batting average this year would be his worst mark as a pro and he missed the All-Star game in 2024 after earning a nomination in the two prior seasons. And the Cubs are under .500, six games out of the wild card spot.
But he does get to watch his wife ball out in front of the world in Paris. Clearly that means more to him than almost anything happening on the diamond.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cubs' Dansby Swanson Praises USWNT Wife Mallory's Performance in Paris.
