Women’s Ballon d’Or: Repeating Mistakes Year After Year
The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony highlighted once again the #Womensfootball community’s persistent frustrations with the disrespect and inequality baked into the process. While Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí won the award for a second consecutive year, the ceremony remained trapped in a cycle of failing to treat the women athletes with the respect they deserve.
Aitana Bonmatí Wins Her Second Ballon d’Or
This year’s Ballon d’Or winner was Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, who took home the prestigious prize for the second time. However, the victory didn’t come without questions surrounding the overall treatment and accolades directed at women’s football.
The Inaugural Winner: Ada Hegerberg’s Gender Awareness Moment
The 2018 inaugural Ballon d’Or winner, Ada Hegerberg of Lyon, faced the controversial moment of being asked if she could perform a twerk by French DJ Martin Solveig on stage. This incident was widely criticized for underestimating the achievements of female athletes in a sport that has traditionally been dominated by men.
2023: Novak Djokovic’s Anti-Inequality Stance?
The 2023 Ballon d’Or led to another notable controversy with Nashville’s Aitana Bonmatí winning while tennis star Novak Djokovic, known for his opposition to equal pay in sports, presented the award. This further raised eyebrows among the community, who deemed it an unnecessary slap in the face for those supporting women’s sports.
Broadcast Disparities
The disconcerting aspect of the ceremony lies not just in the controversies surrounding it, but also in the underrepresentation of key players and the bias in the scheduling. Both were recently highlighted, but no major improvements have been made despite persistent calls for change.
Since 2018, the women’s Ballon d’Or ceremony has consistently been scheduled during women’s leagues’ international breaks. This scheduling conflict often leads to a lack of key players being present, limiting the authentic celebration of women’s achievements on the global stage.
Low Attendance and Nomination Issues
The ballon d’Or show often overshadows their achievements you would like to address the embarrassment felt by England’s Georgia Stanway when she cited scheduling conflicts preventing nominees from attending. Stanway, who was 23rd last year and nominated this time, has consistently echoed the concerns of her peers regarding the suboptimal event planning.
Moreover, the women’s game was represented sparingly, with key players such as Adri Speeding and Alexia Putellas showcasing a dismal attendance rate. This leading to a lackluster presentation added to the devastating image of disrespect toward women’s athleticism.
Classic Disparities in Award Presentation
The ceremony’s unfair treatment extended beyond mere scheduling. Notable equalities such as non-representation were made visible through the presentation. Each male player ranked from 30th to 10th received an individual post celebration, while their female counterparts were grouped in collective social media posts without personal detail inclusion.
Similar disparities also emerged in the running of the Women’s Club of the Year Award, awarded to Barcelona for their historic quadruple victory. Instead of COVID-19 presentation shining highlights on_quantity’s Women’s team achievements, presenter Didier Drogba’s attention was relinquished to the masculine field focusing leading to media criticism.
The Socio Political Take
Giving an award for humanitarian efforts to Jenni Hermoso further complicated theputy scenario. Hermoso’s stand for women’s equality in sports was paradoxically contrasted with the ceremony’s continuedslide. Organized setbacks thus counter-effectively highlight stark gender inequalities from the dawn of the all-powerful gender olympics.
Organizational Language
Despite recent modifications, systemic inequalities remain tangible within the Ballon d’Or’s equation and societal respect. Recognizable pedestrians continue en force systemic periodicity in the process.
Call to Action
The annual event once again highlights the persistent gender inequality still weighting the balance. It is high-time the ballon D’Or organizers, FIFA and world leaders step into the 21st century to provide respectful, nontokenic celebrations while equalizing opportunities. No(erepeating fundamental, ethical issues can be addressed. For the soccer enthusiasts; let’s challenge the organization to rectify the glitches for the future.
Tags: Women’s ballon d’Or, football inequalities, Barcelona, Aitana Bonmatí, gender bias, sports equality.