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SAN FRANCISCO — Luckily, Brandi Chastain already left fans with an indelible image.
Because fans thought her new bronze plaque looked more like the black plague.
The renowned soccer star went into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame on Monday night during a lavish ceremony at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
Chastain, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion arrived shortly before the ceremony, giving her just enough time to pose next to her new plaque.
The problem? The likeness was wildly off. On Twitter, fans suggested the image looked more like Jimmy Carter … or Gary Busey … or Bill Belichick … or (for the old school crowd) Mickey Rooney.
“It’s not the most flattering,” Chastain said, diplomatically, while standing on the stage. “But it’s nice.”
One onlooker wondered if they based the plaque on John Elway instead of Chastain. Ann Killion, the San Francisco Chronicle columnist, took it a step further.
Killion, whose prose accompanied the plaque, got her first look at the likeness Monday night and was not pleased.
“Brandi Chastain is one of the most beautiful athletes I’ve ever covered,” she tweeted. “How this became her plaque is a freaking embarrassment for BASHOF.”
Brandi Chastain is one of the most beautiful athletes I’ve ever covered. How this became her plaque is a freaking embarrassment for BASHOF. Makes Cristiano’s look perfect. pic.twitter.com/hta6c0cmSo
— Ann Killion (@annkillion) May 22, 2018
Anthony Savicke, the Vice President of Finance and Administration for BASHOF, took the reviews in stride. He said that the images on the plaques are “representations” and never intended to be photographic likenesses. Savicke said there were no plans to re-do the plaque, and he said he had heard no complaints from anyone associated with the inductees.
Chastain, of course, left a far more glorious picture during her playing days. She drilled the game-winning penalty kick in the 1999 World Cup, then celebrated by falling to her knees, ripping off her jersey and showing off her muscles in a sports bra.
