The ‘Heroes de Hoy’ platform, made up of LaLiga, Iberia, Repsol, Orange, and DAZN, has launched an inspiring Mother’s Day campaign to raise awareness about the barriers that pregnant athletes face and the incompatibility of motherhood and elite sport. Titled ‘Mother’, the three-minute commercial aims to demonstrate that it is possible to combine both and encourage work-life balance for women in sports.
A Message of Reconciliation for Elite Athletes and Mothers
The “Mother” commercial, created by the DDB agency and produced by Landia and Birth, is a positive message that tells the story of an athlete who faces rejection and discrimination when she announces her pregnancy. The ad highlights the difficulties and anguish that pregnant athletes face, but ultimately shows the athlete returning to sports and achieving success despite all the barriers she had to overcome. The commercial aims to demonstrate that it is possible to combine both motherhood and sports.
The Importance of Raising Awareness for Barriers Faced by Pregnant Athletes
According to the platform “Heroes de Hoy”, one in three pregnant athletes suffer from discrimination and abandonment. Additionally, four out of ten women claim to have experienced some type of discrimination in the workplace when they became mothers. This includes 22% losing their jobs and 11% leaving their jobs because they couldn’t reconcile their work with caring for their children. These statistics are alarming, and campaigns like “Mother” help raise awareness about the importance of supporting work-life balance for women in sports.
The campaign intends to denounce the discriminatory behavior that still exists in society and that conditions the future of many women. According to Alejandro Lavezzolo, Director of Customer Services at DDB, “Mother” addresses the combination of maternity and elite sport, to denounce behaviors that are still widespread in our society and that condition the future of many women.”
Daniel Rodriguez, Executive Creative Director of DDB, points out that
“Many women still decide to postpone or abandon their desire to become mothers in order to not lose opportunities in professional sports. Pregnant athletes face cuts in their sponsorships, termination of their contracts, or abandonment by their coaches, which ultimately leads to a loss of professional aspirations. Campaigns like “Mother” are essential in demonstrating that it is possible to balance both motherhood and sports and encourage companies to support work-life balance for women in sports.”
In a nutshell, campaigns like “Mother” highlight the need to support work-life balance for women in sports. The “Heroes de Hoy” platform and DDB agency’s effort to raise awareness about the barriers faced by pregnant athletes is commendable and aims to encourage reconciliation between motherhood and elite sports.
