Only 4% of athletes that are shown in the media are women. I’m sorry…what?? There is no way that that is an accurate representation of female athletes in sports. There is no way that 96% of individuals that play sports are males. So why do they get 96% of the media representation?

Thankfully, many sports companies are trying to show the world that women are underrepresented in the sports media, and Adidas is one of them. Their social media campaign #CreatorsUnite used one of our favorites, Billie Jean King, to promote women in sports. As discussed in the last post, King is an advocate for girls and women in sports. A true pioneer of the game. She pushed Title IX into action and has encouraged girls to stay in sports. As Adidas said in a Twitter post, she is “the one who changed it all.”

Back at it again with the style, Billie Jean King!

Here are five posts from Adidas’ #CreatorsUnite campagin:

1.

This commercial shows female boxers, swimmers, runners, tennis, volleyball, basketball, and soccer players. They are strong women who are dedicated to their sports. The commercial ends with the phrase “When they’re not shown, they’re not seen.” Female athletes are not shown in the media. And, if they are not shown then it is as though they do not even exist. It is discouraging for young girls to not see themselves represented as athletes in the media. This contributes to the high dropout rate from sports that girls experience during their teenage years.

2.

WOMEN ARE HERE TO CREATE.

3.

Adidas NYC is asking its followers to use the hashtag #CreatorsUnite to tell them how to keep NYC girls in sports. It’s a fact that girls drop out of sports more than twice as often as boys during adolescence.  

4.

Naomi Osaka won her first Grand Slam. It was not only the first Grand Slam for herself, but for Japan. No male or female tennis player from Japan has ever won a Grand Slam title before. She is an inspiration for tennis players and the Japanese people. Osaka is also changing what it means to identify as Japanese because she is half Japanese and half Haitian, but born in the United States.

5.

Garbine Muguruza, a top female tennis player, is another one of Adidas’ athletes that promoted the campaign.

The under-representation of female athletes in sports and sports media will be a common theme in future posts as well. It is reassuring to know that companies and brands are making an effort to change the status quo. They are working to inspire the youth and keep girls in sports.