“How much do you know about sports?” espnW Brasil asks in a powerful video feature titled “Invisible Players.” The overwhelming answer? Clearly not enough.
Invited to test their sports knowledge, a select group of fans face off against silhouettes of famous sports figures. “Who scored this goal?” the video asks. How about this shot? Who’s this badass surfer?
“Neymar! Romário! Messi! Neymar! Ronaldo! Messi! Neymar,” the fans exclaim.
“Kobe Bryant! LeBron James! Michael Jordan,” they go on.
“Mineirinho! Medina! That was Medina!” It had to be Medina. Right…?
Wrong. The three athletes featured in the video are women. And not a single woman was mentioned.
The goal was scored by five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta, the shot by three-time WNBA champion Maya Moore, and the wave by five-time Big Waves champion Maya Gabeira. Let that sink in.
Much has been made of women’s sports and their potential if given the media attention they deserve. If you’ve ever needed a more in-your-face reminder, this is it. When stripped of context, these women are doing things that bring Neymar, Messi, and Kobe Bryant to mind.
“When you think about athletes, you normally think about men first,” says one stunned sports junkie.
“If you didn’t get the answers right,” the video concludes, “you need to learn more about women’s power.” BOOM. Yes.