The eye-catching, two-minute online video "Biological Science: Introducing the Female Body" looks like a vintage educational science film. The visuals have a worn look, the audio includes the sound effect of a film projector and the graphics are reminiscent of textbook imagery. But more attention getting than the aesthetic of the McKinney-produced Nike film is the education it presents.
"The female body. Amazing, in its own way. Not as strong or as fast as the male body, but it still works for cooking, cleaning and collecting firewood," a male voiceover begins. He goes on to compare male and female brains, the latter of which are "not equipped with the math skills you need to beat world records or keep score." The claims get more inflammatory as the video progresses, with references to weak minds and bodies built to have babies. And during menstrual cycles, the voiceover explains, women "must be kept inside lest they attract bears."
These "facts" -- all reasons, the video explains, that women should not do sports -- are meant to be outrageous. As the voiceover concludes his argument, the projected film seems to burn and the real message comes through: "Beat the inequality, stereotypes, myths, mistreatment. Beat the BS." The video ends with a call to action: "Change the game for women everywhere."
The video promotes an online competition called GameChangers: Change the Game for Women in Sport. It's being presented by Nike and Ashoka, a nonprofit community of social entrepreneurs, who have teamed up for a second year in a row in a global search for sports programs that help create social change.
Last year, three winners each received a $5,000 cash prize: Grassroot Soccer, a program that leverages soccer's popularity to educate young South Africans about HIV and AIDS; the Brazilian Rede Jovem Project, which uses SMS mobile communication to give underprivileged youth information on where to find sports resources (e.g., free gym hours); and Sports4Kids, a U.S. program that provides structured physical activity and conflict resolution training to low-income children. The contest this year focuses specifically on innovative programs that target women's issues.
The contest, hosted on Ashoka's changemakers.net Web site, concludes its entry phase this week.
As of press time, there were 266 entries from 42 countries. One encourages girls to buy soccer balls hand stitched by widowed Afghan women, another the interaction between Palestinian and Israeli girls through sports. Twelve finalists will be selected by a panel of judges from a variety of fields who will look at factors such as level of innovation and potential impact -- and will be posted online for public voting the first two weeks of April. The three winners will be announced April 15.
