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IT WAS FANTASTIC to see female footballers finally being recognised at the Ballon d’Or awards – the most prestigious awards in football, this week.
It was a momentous occasion for women footballers and fans – as well as for equality in sports.
Of course, its a shame that such an occasion was marred by a sexist question when the presenter asked the winner, Norway star forward Ada Hegerberg, if she could twerk.
That incident was very disappointing. I think women’s football has made great progress in recent years as has women’s sport in general, but it is clear that sexism is still a problem.
It’s pretty obvious when it comes to the questions that some interviewers ask female players – would they have ever have asked any of the lads that question?
I was impressed that Hegerberg handled the incident with great dignity and professionalism, with the way she shunned the question and showed her disappointment, her body language said it all.
She was still able to go on and give a very good acceptance speech and she is an outstanding role model for young women around the world.
Her handling of the whole debacle just goes to show how resilient we are as women – but it shouldn’t be something that we should have to get used to.
Personally I have been quite lucky, but certainly my teammates have experienced being asked awkward, inappropriate questions. Some say they have been asked personal questions about their relationships that wouldn’t be asked of a male sports person.
I’ve certainly heard a few horror stories, and really it couldn’t get much weirder than – “do you want to twerk?”
The presenter said it was a joke – but there is a time and place for personal jokes.
It took away from Hegerberg’s big moment and in some ways, it tarnished her achievement but the incident has also drawn attention to sexism in sport.
For women to be recognised on the world stage in football’s most important awards is real progress and hopefully, we can keep building on that and make football an equal playing field.
In recent years several other major football awards have started to include women.
The Professional Footballers Association in England started to nominate a female player of the year in 2012/2013. That same year UEFA also launched a female player of the year award.
Its only right that women are getting these awards and it is definitely a step in the right direction. We are training just as hard as the male athletes, and putting in the same hours.
As well as awards though we need recognition of our hard work from football fans and the media as well.
I’d like to see more women playing and getting involved in coaching and refereeing. The FAI ran an all-female coaching course recently and things like that are just as important as awards.
As women, we have to look at ourselves and take responsibility for growing the sport as well.
Perhaps this incident should serve as an inspiration to all of us to fight harder to ensure that young girls who take up football today, don’t have to face objectification and inappropriate questions.
In our efforts to do that, players like Ada Hegerberg are an inspiration to us all.
Even though she got this knockback of being asked a ridiculous question she wasn’t going to let it ruin her big moment. It is leadership and vision from people like her that will help us to stamp out sexism in sport.
Louise Quinn is a defender for Ireland and Arsenal.
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Getting good mileage out of some dummies bad joke
@Michael Eric Devine: Absolutely, however Ada Hegerberg made it clear on the night that she was neither offended or insulted by the remark, so are the rest of us expected to be offended by the authors offence.
Being offended doesn’t mean you’re right, and the author pointed out she herself had never been asked awkward or inappropriate questions.You’d be forgiven for thinking she was looking for something to complain about.
@Arch Angel: This type of rubbish is a symptom of the rise of 24/7 access to ‘news’, and the decline of proper journalism. Sites like “The Journal” won’t employee enough proper journalists to write meaningful news stories and analysis, so they just rehash these type of ‘outrage’ stories over and over.
@CrabaRev: yet here you are..
@Michael Eric Devine: Its not a question of whether you should be outraged or not. The question is whether you think its ok that sports women should be treated with less respect than men. And if you think its not ok, like I do, then its good to highlight cases like this of casual sexism. Otherwise nothing changes. And I would like things to change.
@iBob101: Of course you’re totally right. Like this you mean…
@Boyne Sharky: yeah, whoverer owns the cr7 brand should be hauled over the coals for that one….. Oh wait, it’s him.
@Dave O’Keeffe: It’s just one of many similar adverts involving sportsmen, we’ll all see them this Christmas advertising everything from yogurts and chocolates to aftershaves.
@iBob101: Well said and that is the way to deal with.
A token-airy ballon d’or is actually what she got. Football is a mans game and you will never ever get women playing in the premier league.
@Alan foggorty: play yourself Alan?
@Alan foggorty: I think you are confusing football with willy-waving which is a mans game.
@Alan foggorty: Poor attempt, 1/10
@Alan foggorty: that’s because women have their own Super league, of which Arsenal ladies have been quite dominant in recent years
It wasn’t marred ,it was one comment .if the lady wasn’t offended by it then neither should you. The author and those offended are the ones who are distracting from this award that this lady received .
Down with feminist’s
@Crpytoalchol: Down with feminist’s what?
C’mon, don’t keep us hanging…
@James Brady: “down with feminist’s” a solid statement
@Crpytoalchol: back to primary school for you.
@Crpytoalchol: The misplaced apostrophe suggests possesion, rather than plural.
@DJ François: haha Yee got the just which is the most important thing xx
@Crpytoalchol: careful now ;)
Very well expressed, well done to the author.
Headline is misleading she wasn’t asked to twerk just could she
@paddy: Yeah he didn’t ask the Athlete to shake her arse, he asked her can she shake her arse, on the podium as she was given her award. I see how that distinction is important.
@Damo Tubbs: bet the women love you Damo.A real feminist hero with no sense of humour
Yet another article written about this non-story.
Why is the presenter not named in the article? Is it another case of the media protecting the media and blaming it on someone else. ? Attacking sport because of the bad presenter.
@Thomas Molloy: it’s Louise’s own article, who is not a journalist, so….don’t know where you are going with this one
@Daniel O’Connor: Thanks but found it on google “the 23-year-old’s moment of glory was marred by event host, DJ Martin Solveig, who asked Hegerberg if she wanted to twerk to celebrate the win. Hegerberg answered flatly, “no”, and attempted to walk off stage before finally agreeing to dance, albeit reluctantly. For Hegerberg’s achievement to be undermined by the tone-deaf request is not only baffling, it’s infuriating”.
What does an idiot dj have to do with sexism in sport?
Its amazing that a female, miley cyrus, a woman that speaks out for women’s rights, started this twerk thing,that has becoming insulting.
The perpetually offended
Calm down. Far more important issues to be worried about, some things dont deserve to make the news.
No.
Women’s football is one of the least aesthetically pleasing female sports. The standard is awful.
the person who asked her that was just DJ M. S., the event host/presenter was David Ginola
It was a stupid Question to ask, end of Subject
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