When I started playing, there were no teams and no structure, so I had to play with the boys. I get very emotional when I think about the humiliation that I've suffered playing football.
Interpretation
Marta reflects on her challenging experiences in football and the emotional impact of playing in a male-dominated environment.
Marta's quote highlights the difficulties she faced as a female football player in a time when women's sports lacked the structure and support that male counterparts enjoyed. She expresses a deep emotional connection to her experiences, acknowledging both the challenges and humiliation she endured in pursuing her passion in a male-dominated sport, which sheds light on the broader issues of gender inequality in athletics.
In practice
During a sports seminar, I shared the quote to inspire young female athletes.
Some boys accepted me, some didn't. And my family had comments made to them. Brazil is still a very macho society, and sports are mainly for boys, so people would say to them: 'What is this girl doing? Why is she always out there in the soccer games with the boys?'
I didn't know there was such a thing as professional soccer, but I knew that Brazil had a women's team that competed against other countries, and I wanted to be on that team.
Without football, my life is worth nothing.
On the field, everyone is equal.
Cricket is a pressure game, and when it comes to an India-Pakistan match the pressure is doubled.
One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it.
Sports is a moral undertaking because it requires of participants, and it schools spectators in the appreciation of, noble things - courage, grace under pressure, sportsmanship.
Especially in football, it is not a QB's game... even though the media likes to make it into that - it takes the whole team.
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