Since women began playing organized sports, and through the different iterations of many leagues, women have not only fought for their right to play, but they have also fought to be paid fairly, so that they are not abused and for their identities to be respected.
Women often mobilize and defend themselves from a very young age. Whether a women's team has so little ice time that it has to close their hockey programor if ex athletes from different sports talk about abuse, or ongoing incidents pure lack of respect of the mediaThere are many ways that women organize and mobilize to fight against unjust policies and practices.
Who can forget the absolute calamidad that occurred on the biggest stage in women's football when Spain's Jenni Hermoso was attacked by the now disgraced president of the Spanish federation? Luis Rubiales? The players wore bracelets that said “With you Jenni” in a show of solidarity. It was a moment to unequivocally support Hermoso and the players.
The most recent example of athletes pushing for change is a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino sent by 130 players objecting to Saudi Aramco's sponsorship of women's football. Saudi Aramco is an oil and gas conglomerate that is 98.5 percent owned by Saudi Arabia. The partnership with FIFA is lucrative and includes high-level sponsorship of the 2026 men's and 2027 women's World Cup tournaments.
The letter calls on FIFA to justify this decision, defend its position on human rights abuses and also respond to the letter's suggestion to create a committee (with player representation) to approve future sponsorship deals.
Jessie Fleming and Vivianne Miedema are among more than 100 players calling on FIFA to reconsider its partnership with Saudi Aramco in light of the country's human rights violations.
The letter is titled: “Aramco sponsorship is a middle finger to women's football.” pic.twitter.com/dMW7m3QpeD
Among the signatories are Canadian women's team captain Jessie Fleming and Halifax Tides goalkeeper Erin McLeod. McLeod is openly gay and has been a prominent advocate for the LGBTIQ2S+ community.
The letter is titled “Aramco sponsorship is a middle finger to women's football.” It highlights Saudi Arabia's human rights violations, considerable restrictions on women's rights, and oppression of LGBTIQ2S+ communities. Saudi Arabia criminalizes same-sex sexual activity and does not allow gender expression for trans people. To say this is diametrically opposed to women's football is an understatement.
In addition to questioning FIFA's position on inclusion and equity, the letter also addressed pressing environmental concerns. Saudi Aramco is the world's largest oil producer and is the highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.
“This sponsorship is much worse than an own goal for [soccer]: FIFA could also pour oil on the field and set it on fire,” the letter said.
LOOK: Soccer players criticize the agreement with FIFA:
More than a hundred international footballers are calling on FIFA to reconsider their sponsorship by the majority state-owned Saudi oil company Saudi Aramco over human rights and environmental concerns in an open letter to the FIFA president.
I spoke with McLeod in a exclusive interview and when I asked him about the possibility of co-signing the letter, he told me that he is not afraid to speak up.
“I think it's about holding these organizations like FIFA accountable. Inclusion is not conditional,” he stated. “So in this case, let's let it go because then it gives permission to these other federations to do the same thing? Inclusion has to be the number one priority or else it will never happen.”
It is absolutely necessary, and undoubtedly exhausting, that women continue to be the ethical compass of the world of sport; having to not only focus on your sport, but also educate and galvanize support from fans and the broader sports community.
I couldn't help but notice that among the 130 signatories only two of them were from African or Asian countries: Khalida Popal (Afghanistan) and Ayisat Yusuf (Nigeria). Currently there are no signatories from South American countries. Maybe that will change and the letter will gain momentum globally.
I doubt that players in other leagues around the world don't care about women's rights, the safety of queer communities, and the climate crisis. Maybe it was a matter of time. This doesn't delegitimize anything about the letter, but for me it does raise questions about inclusion globally.
There are also moments when what is defended is questioned.
WATCH: Erin McLeod on signing with Tides and her involvement in the Aramco letter:
New Halifax Tides goalkeeper Erin McLeod explains how having the opportunity to play professional soccer in Canada has reinvigorated her love for the game.
A clear criticism came from the former Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindhalwho argued that he did not sign it because it did not mention the war in Lazada. He posted an entire thread about his experience and the collective silence around the war.
“They asked me to sign this. I said I think we should start by opposing genocide, then I'm happy to join other struggles (which are also important). So far there are no joint initiatives from the world of football against genocide. Because? ?” Lindhal published in X (formerly Twitter).
Lindhal's tweet made me think. I can't help but wonder why women's rights in Lazada don't matter, or why the safety of queer communities there doesn't matter. The complete destruction of all sports facilities and any infrastructure It means that women will have no chance to play for a long time. The Palestinian women's team can only hope to play matches abroad. Doesn't that deserve a word from some group or collective of women in the world of sports?
It cannot be denied that the environmental consequences in that region are catastrophic. But as Lindhal stated, there are no joint initiatives. I can't help but think about why certain issues take priority. Maybe that's a time and education piece.
There is no doubt that the FIFA connection deserves to be questioned and it is no surprise that women are leading the way.
“By accepting sponsorship from Aramco, FIFA is choosing money over the safety of women and the safety of the planet and that is something that we, as players, oppose together,” the letter states.
I am not surprised by the bravery and audacity of the letter to FIFA. I don't see it stopping anytime soon. I hope that female athletes continue to illuminate the world with compassion, otherwise sports could exist in an even more sinister and dark place.