Only one in 10 teenagers could name a female professional athlete competing on the global stage this summer. Forty-five percent of teenagers can't name a single woman professional athlete. These numbers, from a study on women in sports conducted by Cracker Jack, show the lack of visibility of women athletes.
We are in a time when female athletes are reaching their peak. But just elite performance is not enough to get the full attention they deserve.
It's the sad truth, so that is why Cracker Jack is unveiling the Cracker Jill Spotlight Squad — "a purpose-driven campaign from Cracker Jack® that aims to elevate and support women athletes." Leading that squad is seven-time gold medalist and the most decorated track and field athlete in history, Allyson Felix.
“The accomplishments of game-changing athletes have created a pivotal moment for women’s sports, and we are at an inflection point where people are finally recognizing how amazing and exciting women’s sports are,” Felix told FanSided. “By teaming up with Cracker Jack to shine a spotlight on our amazing Cracker Jill Spotlight Squad, I am hoping we can take that momentum and excitement to inspire the next generation of athletes to stay in the game.”
Felix ranks among the greats of the sport and among the greatest female athletes of all time. However, she is more than an athlete — she is a mother, a wife, an activist, and a proud woman.
But before all that, she was a young girl with a dream. Growing up in California, Felix was a passionate Los Angeles Lakers fan and aspired to be like Serena Williams in terms of her greatness. Williams broke barriers and had no fear, which Felix wanted for herself.
In high school, Felix was nicknamed "chicken legs" by her teammates. She was called this because she had a sprinter's body with skinny legs. Felix didn't really love it, but she used it to her advantage and put it towards her motivation.
"I used it as motivation. Even though my legs are long and skinny, they can be powerful, and they can take me places. I really tried to flip it around and use it to motivate me," Felix said. "I would encourage young athletes to do the same. You might think it's a weakness on you, or you might be self-conscious about that, but it could be your superpower."
The Cracker Jill Spotlight is about encouraging young female athletes to pursue their dreams. Twenty-eight percent of girls who have played sports would be motivated to continue playing if there was more visibility of women's sports. So, the spotlight squad is filled with female athletes in numerous sports who inspire young girls to feel empowered to continue playing the game they love.
What is unique about this squad are the featured athletes and their respective sports — Ashleigh Johnson (water polo), Jennifer Lozano (boxing), Kennedy Blades (wrestling), Lindsey Zurbrugg (wheelchair basketball), and Noelle Lambert (para track & field).
"There's sports that you dont always hear about and may not have access to. I'm a fan of Ashley Johnson, and I was not exposed to water polo as a kid, but I think it's so cool that my daughter will get to watch her," Felix said. "And maybe she'll want to play or maybe see a similarity between them. I think a lot of people are going to learn about sports they didn't know about, and that's really cool."
Another part of being a female athlete that gets little attention is being both an athlete and a mother, which is the case for Felix. She is a mother to two children and an athlete who returned to her sport after becoming a mom for the first time.
Felix takes pride in the family she has built with her husband. She also takes pride in everything it took for her to come back to compete after giving birth.
"It was very hard and humbling. I wasn't fully supported through that, which made it more challenging. I had to give myself grace and come back and be patient. As an athlete, that is the hardest thing to do, especially when you know what your body was capable of before," Felix said.
Many female athletes may feel that they have to wait for their career to be over to start a family, but that is simply not the case. Felix wants these athletes to know they can return to the game and feel supported.
"It's about representation and bringing visibility to some athletes who aren't in the mainstream spotlight and who deserve eyes on them as well," Felix said.
Fans can help bring visibility to female athletes through the spotlight sweepstakes by sharing their stories on Instagram and spreading the word. While Felix won't be participating in the Olympics this summer in Paris, as she recently retired, she will be there with her family, supporting and cheering on all of the athletes.
To help bring more visibility to women athletes, Cracker Jack will encourage fans to use their own social media spotlight to share the stories of the Cracker Jill Spotlight Squad through its “Cracker Jill Share Your Spotlight Sweepstakes*” starting June 12. Five participating fans will be selected to have a $10,000 donation made in their name to an organization that supports the next generation of boundary-breaking women athletes, as well as $500 to fuel their own sports endeavors. To enter, fans can share Spotlight Squad content from the @crackerjacko*fficial_ Instagram account or CrackerJill.com via an Instagram Story using both #CrackerJill and #ENTRY and tagging @crackerjacko*fficial_ using the proper hashtags.
