Marketing Mia Mania

"I love Mia!" a young fan exclaims.

"MiaÂ's the best," another declares.

Mia worship, the adulation of U.S. womenÂ's soccer star, Mia Hamm, has created a frenzy among pre-teen females and a captive audience for advertisers with products to sell them. CBS News Correspondent Maggie Cooper reports.

"They show up at these games and theyÂ're dressed in their team uniforms and theyÂ're really down on the field level and calling out to players," sports marketer Dick Pinkham says of the adolescent fans. "Marketing folks recognize that these are opportunities to reach out to these kids."

ItÂ's a phenomenon advertisers, desperate to reach fickle adolescents, are hoping will help them score. And no one scores better than Mia. Considered the worldÂ's best female soccer player, she is now a super star in marketing.

Over 7.5 million girls play soccer in the U.S. and as the game has gained popularity, so have it s stars. Like 15-year old Tina Cortese, thousands of these youngsters are Mia fans. They dress like her, imitate her hairstyle and, have money to spend.

Cortese says, "IÂ' ve got all her posters, her team jersey etc."

Twenty-seven year old Mia takes her responsibility to them seriously when she says, "ItÂ's not about how many shoes you sell, what sports drink you drink, it s all about how you make these kids feel about themselves."

But kids arenÂ't the only ones advertisers are hoping to recruit. They want parents on their team as well.

The kids who enjoy soccer so involve their families it becomes a ripple effect so again the quintessential fan is the family.

While advertisers arenÂ't betting Mia Hamm will ever be the household name Michael Jordan has become, they have discovered something soccer moms have always known: that young fans bring tremendous passion and loyalty to the game. TheyÂ're hoping some of that will rub off on their products.