Democratizing access to Sport is one of BOOMFIT's great missions. It's in our DNA to make Sport universally accessible.
How do we do it?
Through awareness campaigns, promoting healthy habits and lifestyles, and offering a portfolio of equipment at fair and affordable prices. This is how we establish ourselves and position our brand!
Don't Turn a Blind Eye. Respect Sport!
Today, April 6th, marks the World Day for Physical Activity and International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. For all enthusiasts, professionals, and athletes, this is a day that reinforces the need to reflect on sports practice and how it is a useful tool for a more peaceful society.
However, Sport can also trigger reactions that are the opposite of the values it aims to promote: companionship, solidarity, respect, cooperation, responsibility, or the much-desired "fair play." Team sports are especially prone to unsportsmanlike behavior, turning them into highly pressured moments that players do not always find easy to manage.
With this reality in mind, we chose to mark this day with an appeal for respect for all players, regardless of the sport they are simply performing their duties in, just as we all perform our own roles. We dressed five players from different sports (rugby, football, volleyball, futsal, and hockey) in clothes and uniforms from other professions completely unrelated to sport. In a video, these five athletes appear expressing the hurt and frustration they face whenever doing their job:
- If I were a Nurse, would you insult me too?
- If I were a Waiter, would you call me names so everyone could hear?
- If I were a Construction Worker, would you humiliate me in front of my team?
- If I were a Mechanic, would you make insulting gestures at me?
- If I were a Chef, would you threaten me?
This is the motto of our video: “Don't turn a blind eye. Respect Sport!”
By choosing these professions, we did not intend to accuse or stereotype: we wanted to show that the intense experience of Sport transcends all social classes and that negative impacts can come from anywhere, even if that is not the intention.
The video ends with statistics, as the most intense behaviors quickly become the most reprehensible: there were over 6,000 episodes of violence associated with Sport just in the 2022-2023 season, according to the Report on Violence Associated with Sport, and among these episodes, 50 fans were convicted for inciting violence, racism, xenophobia, or intolerance.
Athletes are people!
Sweat, tears, and sometimes blood! Many say this is the triad of a good athlete. For us, it's just an analogy meaning that nothing is achieved without effort and dedication.
Ultimately, the soul of Sport is those who practice it: rules, federations, and the best equipment may exist, but all of that becomes meaningless when the athlete stops being valued, when they no longer feel their passion for football, rugby, volleyball, or hockey.
And a large portion of this devaluation may begin with those who should value them most: fans, supporters, and even professionals who accompany the athlete. In short: all of us!
Until, inadvertently, because the passions around Sport are so many and so strong, this devaluation even divides people and marks the life of a player!
Those engaged in the game or practicing any Sport may receive incredibly negative input: remarks about physical build or gender, pointless comparisons, insults towards them or their family, threats… the list could go on! All this has a harmful impact: many athletes quit Sport because of this type of behavior from others. Some may think athletes should have the mental structure to withstand the pressure demanded at all levels, on the field or in training. But that's not quite the case: athletes are people and have their breaking points, quickly going from heroes to defeated. What was good becomes no longer so; they go from being the greatest ever to feeling vulnerable, attacked by those who should embrace them.
So, on this day dedicated to Sport and physical activity, we invite you to reflect on your role as a worker and a fan. Above all, we want you to consider the impact of your words and actions in a sports world whose ultimate goal is to uplift athletes and instill empathy and mutual respect.
Final Considerations
This year, we wanted to show the other side of Sport, that of those on the field who make us thrill with every move, every stroke, every shot or pass. We are all agents of change: we can change attitudes by respecting the athlete and Sport.
Only in this way can Sport be seen as a true tool for social development and peace, for unity and respect. This is what BOOMFIT believes in, contributing in its own way to making sport accessible to all, fostering a more equal society, but also building people who are part of that society, with maximum respect for others.
After all, we don't intend to "Turn a Blind Eye": we want to Respect Sport and the athletes.
They are the ones who make Sport memorable and special moments!
Happy training!
