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So the Ladyball advertisement that generated furor over social media turned out to be a hoax . On January 13, advertisements hit social media channels promoting the Ladyball, a new bright pink ball (because, of course, all women love pink) that has a "soft touch, eazi play and fashion driven" and is designed "especially for a women's unique grip." The advertisements continued to say that the ball is: "Painstakingly designed to go with every woman’s wardrobe. So no matter what you wear on the pitch the Ladyball will help you shine! So come on girls, play like the lady you are with the all new Ladyball!" Not surprisingly, response on social media was not kind to the LadyBall. Eventually, the Ladyball proved to be a public relations campaign by supermarket chain Lidl Ireland working with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) to raise awareness of women's sports and the challenges women face in "getting the same recognition as their male counterparts.” Really?
Well, Lidl and the LGFA certainly figured out two ways of getting attention are to insult a large segment of the population and harp on stereotypes. (By the way, "all people stink". Please re-tweet.) For instance, they did get me to mention their advertising campaign here:
A risk is that such a campaign, even in jest, may in fact further stereotypes. How many people noticed the campaign, thought, "hmmm, a big pink ball for women...that makes sense," and then never saw any follow-up that dissuaded such thoughts? And there are some real equipment issues that are preventing girls and women from playing sports and fully experiencing the accompanying physical, emotional, and psychological health benefits :
1. Girls and women may not receive sports equipment as gifts:"Here Biff, here's a basketball for your birthday...and Jenny, enjoy your Malibu Barbie." Many little kids have no idea what they want for gifts. Give a little boy a Holiday Barbie and an Easy Bake Oven, and he may play with them until told otherwise. At an early age, gifts condition a child's preferences for the future. So why not give a girl a soccer ball as a gift...just not a Ladyball. (You can contact the Women's Sports Foundation, which is holding a National Girls and Women's in Sports Day on February 3, 2016, for suggested gifts for girls.)
2. Proper sports equipment is not always equally available: Not all schools, sports leagues, or recreation centers have the right equipment for everyone to play sports. When equipment is in short supply, do available equipment go to boys or men first?
3. Sports equipment can be expensive: Want to play ice hockey? Expect to pay over $100 for a helmet, around $200 for pads, at least $20 for a hockey stick, and potentially several hundred dollars for skates. Add on the expense of clothes to wear over the pads, and the basic equipment costs may be beyond your budget. These costs could quickly escalate if you get more expensive versions of each, especially if you don't want to be that person with the cheapest stick, skates, or clothes and stick out like ...well, a big pink ball. Also, will a family be as willing to invest in sports equipment for a girl as they would for a boy, especially if their resources are limited? And even though the purchasing power of women have increased over the past couple decades, discrepancies still exist.
4. Sports equipment designed for females may not be available: OK, while differences between males and females are probably overblown regarding things such as the ability to coach, there are some differences between male and female bodies that require different sports equipment. For example, women typically do not wear the same swimsuits as men, wear sports bras, and may need equipment that match their frames.
5. Women may not be taught how to select and purchase the right sports equipment.
You: "I would like a tennis racket."
Store: "Do you want a standard-sized, mid-sized, mid-plus-sized or over-sized racket?"
You: "I just would like a tennis racket."
Store: "What grip size do you want?"
You: "I would like a tennis racket."
Store: "What types of strings would you like and what tension?"
You: "I would like strings that are straight."
Selecting and purchasing sports equipment is not necessarily intuitive and may require someone to show you how to navigate the increasingly complicated sets of decisions to make. Otherwise, you may end up buying the tennis racket with the portable radio installed.
So while the Ladyball was a joke, in an indirect way, it did highlight the fact that women are facing sports equipment challenges. It's just that these challenges can't be solved by a ball with "high gloss pink exterior."
