Nike is known for featuring the world’s most popular sports stars in their ads, but in their recent video, they depict largely unknown female athletes from India. And it’s been viewed over three million times on YouTube.
Indian women and girls, especially those in lower classes, face great obstacles when it comes to playing sports.
India has 37 Summer Olympic medals, and only three have been won by women. They are still awaiting an Indian woman to claim a gold medal.
Without money to pay for childcare, domestic help, and sport participation expenses, these women simply don’t have many opportunities to play sports. Nor do they have time to spare, or a car to get them to where sports are played, or access to gyms and playing fields in their neighborhoods, or the sense of physical safety they need to leave home and travel to where they can play sports. (CNN)
So, Nike decided to recognize this under celebrated group. The powerful ad shows women training and competing in boxing, badminton, cricket, and field hockey all over India.
While a three-minute clip won’t change things overnight for Indian women, it’s still a great tribute to their strength and perseverance.
