Maya Brady attends The Annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit Day3 at The Lodge at Torrey Pines on October 20, 2021 in La Jolla, California.Photo:Leon Bennett/Getty
Leon Bennett/Getty
Competition runs inMaya Brady’s blood.
The UCLA softball star’s mom, Maureen Brady, was a pitcher at Fresno State, and her uncle is NFL legendTom Brady. Still, the 20-year-old athlete says her biggest motivation is to inspire a future generation of female athletes.
“It’s funny, I try not to be so competitive, but I am,” Brady tells PEOPLE. “My family is uber-competitive. For example, if my mom is playing against one of my little cousins or something, she’s still going to be super competitive, and I’m like, ‘Mom, relax! He’s literally five and it’s mini-golf.'”
And yet, Brady says her competitive spirit takes over once she gets in the game — even in mini-golf. “I’ll start playing with them and I realize I’m just as competitive as my mom. I try to not keep some things competitive, just because in softball I do get super competitive.”
The UCLA softball star had a chance to show off her competitive spirit duringNERFBALL’s Battle in the Bubbletournament in Florida. The toy company announced the launch of its official sport, Nerfball, and invited a team of athletes, including Brady, to compete in the inaugural tournament.
Brady says it “was so chaotic but so much fun” to participate in the competition.Kiyan Anthony, whose parents areLaLaandCarmelo Anthony, was among Brady’s competitors during the first-ever NERF exhibition game.
“It was almost like giving the blasters to all of us made us go back to our childhoods,” Brady tells PEOPLE.
Maya Brady #7 of the UCLA Bruins looks on during a game against the Stanford Cardinal at Easton Stadium on April 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.Katharine Lotze/Getty
Katharine Lotze/Getty
Next, Brady will turn her focus to sports academia. After graduating from UCLA’s undergraduate program this spring, Brady says she’s getting ready to begin earning her master’s degree.
“It’s called Transformative Leadership and Coaching, and it just kind of looks at the in-depth experience of athletic departments or looking at the philosophies of some of the greatest coaches in sports,” she tells PEOPLE.
“I’m super excited. We’ve had a ton of girls go through the program on my team, and everybody has such great things to say about it and the experience that you get from it,” Brady adds.
Maya Brady #7 of the UCLA Bruins looks on ahead of an at-bat during a game against the Stanford Cardinal at Easton Stadium on April 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.Katharine Lotze/Getty
Beyond her academic and athletic goals, the softball star says she hopes to continue “making an impact on young girls” as a role model.
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source: people.com
