What do you ask the first ever woman to win the Ballon d’Or, who has just given a rousing speech aimed at encouraging more women and girls to get involved with the sport? Well, if you’re a d*ck with a dick, you ask her to twerk, of course.
If DJ Martin Solveig had sat down before the Ballon d’Or ceremony and consciously decided what was the most sexist thing he could say to the first ever winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or, he’d have been hard pushed to come up with anything more offensive than his invitation to Ada Hegerberg that she ‘twerk’.
But he didn’t think and, in a way, that makes it worse.
This is sexism so ingrained that he didn’t even realise it wasn’t an appropriate thing to say to the best female player on the planet on the biggest footballing night of the year.
Arsenal players were quick to respond on Social media and they didn’t hold back. That’s one of the best things about the lack of exposure women’s football gets at present. We are able to get much more natural and human responses from the players instead of the media managed bland bull**** the men trot out.
https://twitter.com/DanielleCarter/status/1069874928067985409
https://twitter.com/Katie_McCabe11/status/1069736844538118146
What a twat. https://t.co/KuRmiXqYY1
— emma mitchell (@emsmitch3) December 3, 2018
Sadly, none of the men’s team have come out to express their anger at what happened.
Thankfully, Andy Murray, feminist sportsman extraordinaire, was on hand to express his opinion and explain it to those who still don’t get it. Perhaps they’ll listen to him because he has a penis.
“Another example of the ridiculous sexism that still exists in sport – why do women still have to put up with that s***?” Murray asked on his Instagram page.
“What questions did they ask Mbappe and Modric? I’d imagine something to do with football.
“And to everyone who thinks people are overreacting and it was just a joke… It wasn’t.
“I’ve been involved in sport my whole life and the level of sexism is unreal.”
Murray hits on an important point towards the end of his comments about ‘overreacting’. This is a common refrain from many (usually cis men), ‘it’s not a big deal’. On its own, of course, it’s doesn’t seem to be, but let Jo Brand tell you why it’s still an issue: