A child of a broken home, McDonald finds her calling — and her refuge — on the playing field. She grows up competing against her brother, cousins and other boys in the neighborhood, and no matter what the sport — basketball, volleyball, football, track — as the child of two talented athletes, McDonald can do it all. But she now shares for the first time how deceiving appearances could be: McDonald’s early athletic prowess hides from the public a childhood of shattered dreams, the ravages of drug abuse, and the abandonment of her father’s imprisonment.

New episodes coming each Tuesday, through May 17.

To continue supporting journalism like this, visit charlotteobserver.com/payback or newsobserver.com/payback . 

The host of Payback is Alex Andrejev. It's produced by Kata Stevens, Casey Toth, Julia Wall, and executive producer Davin Coburn. The executive producer for iHeartRadio is Sean Titone.

A child of a broken home, McDonald finds her calling &mdash; and her refuge &mdash; on the playing field. She grows up competing against her brother, cousins and other boys in the neighborhood, and no matter what the sport &mdash; basketball, volleyball, football, track &mdash; as the child of two talented athletes, McDonald can do it all. But she now shares for the first time how deceiving appearances could be: McDonald&rsquo;s early athletic prowess hides from the public a childhood of shattered dreams, the ravages of drug abuse, and the abandonment of her father&rsquo;s imprisonment.
New episodes coming each Tuesday, through May 17.
To continue supporting journalism like this, visit <a href="http://charlotteobserver.com/payback">charlotteobserver.com/payback</a> or <a href="http://newsobserver.com/payback">newsobserver.com/payback</a> .&nbsp;
The host of Payback is Alex Andrejev. It's produced by Kata Stevens, Casey Toth, Julia Wall, and executive producer Davin Coburn. The executive producer for iHeartRadio is Sean Titone.

In 2019, U.S. women’s national soccer team striker Jessica McDonald capped a World Cup journey few could have imagined. A teen runaway who became a single mom, McDonald tells The Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News & Observer for the first time how she rose from a broken home in Phoenix to the pinnacle of sports in Lyon, France — and how today, she’s using her voice to battle systemic inequalities in soccer, including as part of the U.S. women’s national team’s recent settlement in their landmark fight for equal pay. Hosted by Alex Andrejev. 

In 2019, U.S. women&rsquo;s national soccer team striker Jessica McDonald capped a World Cup journey few could have imagined. A teen runaway who became a single mom, McDonald tells The Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News &amp; Observer for the first time how she rose from a broken home in Phoenix to the pinnacle of sports in Lyon, France &mdash; and how today, she&rsquo;s using her voice to battle systemic inequalities in soccer, including as part of the U.S. women&rsquo;s national team&rsquo;s recent settlement in their landmark fight for equal pay. Hosted by Alex Andrejev.&nbsp;

Longshot: Payback

In 2019, U.S. women’s national soccer team striker Jessica McDonald capped a World Cup journey few could have imagined. A teen runaway who became a single mom, McDonald tells The Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News & Observer for the first time how she rose from a broken home in Phoenix to the pinnacle of sports in Lyon, France — and how today, she’s using her voice to battle systemic inequalities in soccer, including as part of the U.S. women’s national team’s recent settlement in their landmark fight for equal pay. Coming March 15. Hosted by Alex Andrejev. 

In 2019, U.S. women&rsquo;s national soccer team striker Jessica McDonald capped a World Cup journey few could have imagined. A teen runaway who became a single mom, McDonald tells The Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News &amp; Observer for the first time how she rose from a broken home in Phoenix to the pinnacle of sports in Lyon, France &mdash; and how today, she&rsquo;s using her voice to battle systemic inequalities in soccer, including as part of the U.S. women&rsquo;s national team&rsquo;s recent settlement in their landmark fight for equal pay. Coming March 15. Hosted by Alex Andrejev.&nbsp;

Part 2: A Coping Mechanism

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0133d892-6ebc-46e7-822f-ae5f00f9bc64/transcript