Naming Rights partner Momentum are in their 4th year as sponsor of South Africa’s premium women in sport online initiative and home of the gsport awards. That significant milestone was highlighted during an uplifting and informative speech by Chief Marketing Officer at Momentum Metropolitan Group, Nontokozo Madonsela. The kind of talk that would get any organization and any supporter of any sport to take note of the continued injustices that women in sport face. To highlight one of many: the arduous, uphill climb to secure what to men may seem like obvious sponsors.
Madonsela started her speech by asking: “Why is it that despite the brilliant performances of our women sporting teams, they are still lacking when it comes to funding? Proposal after proposal, why is it that they are still getting unfavourable responses?”
With all the compounding and colliding ails in the world right now, Momentum has stood above many of their peers in corporate and decided to “choose a struggle”, a “struggle” that is easiest to ignore, women. We saw it when they put their hand up to pick the Momentum Proteas in 2013, a move that enabled us to see more women cricketers receiving professional contracts. As stated by Madonsela in her address, the issue of poor funding for women athletes “requires fair and conscious leadership, gender aware leadership and socially conscience leaders. We need a world where sponsorship portfolios are viewed through the gender lens.”
One of the most common issues forever raised by media big-wigs are the bums on seats at women’s matches. The so-called and mostly assumed low numbers. That is often justification for the minimal to zero coverage given to women’s games, why on back pages a Queen considers themselves lucky if they are mentioned. “We need a world where media owners do not question if the numbers are there, but instead seek to participate in growing and investing in women sport ahead of the numbers.”
Madonsela also highlighted that if corporate leaders, alongside media practitioners play their parts, it’d inspire the general public to also support the women’s game unconditionally. “We need a world where supporters at home understand their importance, the value in balancing the playing field and start showing support through their attendance and eyeballs. Let’s not wait for the numbers, lets create and grow the numbers together.”
In the past four years Momentum has done its bit in supporting women in the fight to break down all the walls built against them over hundreds of years, the years of patriarchy that were, among other atrocities, designed to stifle the growth of the women’s game. Momentum has found a key in a bunch of many to allow and give women the opportunity to boldly say #SheOwnsHerSuccess while they produce world record breaking performances, like the incredible athletes that win South Africa medals at the Olympics, Paralympics, Commomwealth Games and the likes. The administrators that, against all odds, ensure that they advance the game. “The choice we make now will fundamentally change and address systematic exclusions women in sport have experienced.”
Sponsoring women’s sport is not just about the game, it is a part of the bigger struggle for women to own their spaces and succeed against all odds.”
Madonsela also made a passionate plea that moved that prestigious room packed with around 200 guests at the Wanderers Club “I want to appeal to people raising daughters, because this current reality cannot be good for our daughters, it’s not good for your nieces, for those who are grandparents, it’s not good for your granddaughters. The status quo has to change. And what are we waiting for as corporate South Africa?”
And this point I thought she can drop the mic because wow, what a powerful, timely and poignant speech.
But Madonsela’s conclusion was one for the books, she used a quote once said by the late Desmond Tutu about climate change but based it on sponsorship equality: “25 Years ago people could be excused for not knowing much or doing much, but today we have no excuse.”
Photo 1 Caption: Chief Marketing Officer at Momentum Metropolitan Group, Nontokozo Madonsela pictured at the 2022 Momentum gsport Awards at The Wanderers Club in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 14 September. Photo: gsport
(0 rating, 0 votes, rated)
Loading...
