Female athletes are often underrepresented and underpaid in sports, partly because of good old misogyny. So when I saw the now-famous soccer ad end in a surprising way that broke down these deeply ingrained misconceptions, I was all for it.
Produced by telecommunications company Orange’s French division and marketing agency Marcel, the two-minute ad, set for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, uses the power of video editing to challenge this notion. there is It begins with a highlight reel that looks like what is believed to be the French men’s soccer team pull off a stunning feat of eye-popping footwork, amazing aerial finishes, and lightning-quick runs down the pitch. Dramatic music played in the background, commentators excitedly narrated scenes, and crowds of fans cheered. Halfway through, the screen goes black and displays the text “Les Bleus only”. [the men’s national team in France] You can give us these feelings. ”
Then the plot twist.On-screen text reveals the player it wasn’t Men’s Team — The video rewinds to show that all footage is actually from the women’s game. Advanced editing techniques replaced the faces and names of the women’s jerseys with the men’s jerseys. A side-by-side comparison shows the real footage and the fake clip. Have you seen all the great plays you just saw? They were performed by female athletes.
The ad ends with the text “Orange supports Les Bleus.” Then the editing tools enter the frame and make small but important changes. e Until the last word that spells bluees – represents the French women’s national team. (English video available on YouTube here. )
Across social media, viewers expressed their awe at the ad. “They have done a great job exposing the biases that exist around male and female athletes,” Twitter user @ said.brailwerke I have written. “My eyes got a little cloudy while watching it,” said Reddit user @.Koreout.
The ad highlights the fact that women’s football can be just as exciting as men’s, and that the players are just as talented, athletic, and capable of eliciting an emotional response from fans. The emphasis shakes up the notion that women’s sports aren’t, or aren’t, that interesting.it’s fun to watch often used as a justification Why are female athletes often underpaid as male athletes?
Recently, however, there has been progress in the right direction, especially in professional football. After a six-year battle, the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) won a $24 million settlement from the United States Soccer Federation in 2022, and the association will pay men’s and women’s national teams equally at the tournament. I won my promise. It is also encouraging that more people than ever before are showing interest in women’s sport. For example, the 2019 Women’s World Cup attracted a record 1.12 billion viewers. According to FIFA. And the upcoming 2023 Women’s World Cup is set to have the largest attendance ever for a single women’s sporting event, with more than one million tickets sold as of last month. According to FIFA.
Still, more work needs to be done to eliminate gender bias in sport.recent researchers study was announced in sports management reviews People have found that videos of elite male soccer players are rated higher than those of female soccer players. time report. However, when player gender was ambiguous, the two groups were rated similarly.
“Men’s sports outperform women’s sports in terms of revenue, investment, and press coverage. wrote in their study. “However, the existence of stereotypes should alert us to another possibility: that gender information can affect perceived quality.”
The release of this ad could not have been better timed. With the Women’s World Cups kicking off in Australia and New Zealand this week, there will be plenty of opportunities to find out just how wrong these gender biases are and how exciting women’s sport can really be. can.
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