In a perfect world, Mia Hamm would be the face of the American National Soccer Hall of Fame.

She looks like the girl next-door, she has tons of charisma and she is widely regarded as the best female soccer player in history.

She is not linked to the steroid scandals, contract disputes, in-game brawls or after-hours shenanigans that sometimes define the careers of professional athletes.

She has no dirty laundry, only a laundry list of championships, awards and honors that led to her 2007 induction into the Soccer Hall.

She’s an international celebrity worth millions, the wife of Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra and the mother of twin daughters who have been around for about a year-and-a-half.

In other words, she’s the perfect poster child for the Soccer Hall.

But this isn’t a perfect world.

Hamm is a busy person who is raising a family in Los Angeles, so promoting a museum three time zones away has logistical nightmare written all over it. Therefore, it seems unlikely Hamm could be the kind of ambassador that Ozzie Smith has become for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown since his induction in 2002.

In short, it’s up to the Soccer Hall to promote the Soccer Hall.

But the Soccer Hall fell short this year. Even four years into retirement, Hamm is easily the most recognizable female soccer player in the United States, if not the world. In 2001, 3,257 fans watched her play in the Hall of Fame Game on the Wright National Soccer Campus just outside of the museum. A record crowd estimated at 5,000 witnessed her induction in 2007.

But a year later, 400 spectators show up for an Induction Ceremony that features Hamm as a key speaker? The Oneonta Tigers put more fannies in the stands on paid-admission nights.

So, what gives?

The sad answer is that nobody sold it. And if you can’t sell a bona fide star such as Hamm, you’re in serious trouble.

The Soccer Hall is in serious trouble, then, because it didn’t seem like many people knew that the Induction Ceremony was even happening this past Sunday _ let alone that Hamm was scheduled to present 2008 inductee Anson Dorrance.

The Associated Press didn’t write a story on the 2008 Induction Ceremony, and ESPN showed no video clips of the event (Did I mention Mia Hamm was there?). Oddly enough, AP had several stories and photos from Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions, as well as the July 27 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductions. ESPN even had a stage set up at the Clark Sports Center for its coverage of the baseball ceremony, which drew 14,000 and a record 54 returning Hall of Famers.

The Soccer Hall boasted 14 returning Hall of Famers _ four from ceremonies that took place this century _ for the inductions of Dorrance and Hugo Perez on Sunday.

"There’s no doubt that we want to have as many Hall of Famers return as possible," Soccer Hall President Steve Baumann said. "One of the things that’s challenging for us is we don’t have the resources to actually pay for them to come back.

"One of the other things we have to be careful about is in our sport, we want to focus on the inductees," he continued. "It can be difficult if there are other Hall of Famers who overshadow them. That is a concern we have and that’s something you are up against."

But if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

The Soccer Hall should have built off the success of last year’s Induction Ceremony by trumpeting the return of Hamm. It should have hired a town crier to announce that Dorrance, one of the greatest women’s soccer coaches in the world, was on his way. It should have purchased billboard space, radio spots and television commercials to bombard the locals with the news Perez is a big enough reason to spend a Sunday afternoon in Oneonta.

After all, isn’t promoting soccer what the Soccer Hall is all about?

And it’s not like Hamm, whose only competition as the biggest name in the Soccer Hall is Pele, doesn’t want to help.

"I’d love to try and get here as often as I could," she said. "You get to hear all the old guys talking about how it was in the 40s and 50s and pioneers of the game. It’s so important to preserve the history and tradition of our sport for the young players coming up. And for them to realize what a great opportunity and what amazing memories they can create from this game and the lessons they can learn.

"It’s beautiful here," Hamm continued. "It’s not the easiest to get to, but other than that, when you’re here, you’re relaxed. The people are so warm and friendly. It is just a special place.

"To say I’m going to be here every year, I don’t know. I don’t even know what I’m doing next week," she said. "But it’s definitely important and it’s a priority to make the time. Not just for the sport, but to continue to honor the people who help make this game so great in this country."

Should Hamm opt to return next year _ former U.S. National Team teammate Joy Fawcett will be on the ballot for the third time in 2009 _ the Hall better realize that getting her name out there as often as possible can only help.

If not, ceremonies that draw 400 or fewer fans will become its annual pitfall.