I was watching ESPN the other day and caught a VERY fleeting glimpse of Marta in PUMA’s “Forever Faster/Calling All Troublemakers” commercial. This campaign’s narrative is centered on Usain Bolt, but framed by a series of other athletes, including Mario Balotelli and Marta. Depending on which national/linguistic edition of the ad you watch, you might catch a glimpse of Marta in a hot tub. All of the athletes appear in hot tubs. The only women athletes in these ads are Lexi Thompson (golfer) and Marta. Thompson appears in the tub with men, of course. Marta, kindof wonderfully, appears in a hot tub with a man and a woman. Nobody is near her. One must assume PUMA couldn’t handle putting her in the hot tub with only women.

I am picturing Marta arriving on set.

She throws on a bikini, as required. She’s body proud, doesn’t mind really. She leaves the dressing room, and heads to the set.

There she sees two men in the hot tub, and refuses to get in it.

Puma might use the word “troublemaker” to brand itself as badass, but Puma isn’t actually badass. It’s a corporate brand looking to sell out even the feeling of disenfranchisement. If it was really bad ass, it’d have had Marta in the hot tub with a gaggle of blond women draped over her just as they are draped over the men.

Marta demands women for the hot tub. This is what the male athletes get, after all. She declares: It’s sexism! Don’t they know she’s filed a law suit about this sort of thing? Negotiations ensue, and someone proposes that she climb into the hot tub with what looks like a straight couple. She says fuck it, OK. Collects a check that is, of course, much smaller than Balotelli’s and Bolt’s. Whatever.

Below the version of this ad with the most seconds of Marta that I could find.

Point 81, in the law suit filed by women players against the Canadian association and FIFA.

One of the mysteries of the decision to play Women’s World Cup matches on turf is why one would need to, when there are existing alternatives, like BMO Field in Toronto. Not one Women’s World Cup match is currently scheduled in Toronto, even though it has a great option in BMO—located right in the heart of the city. It’s downright bizarre.

Click on the link below to access the actual complaint filed by women players against Canada’s FA and FIFA. Seems like a pretty clear case to me—but then again, the Laws of the Game define women as a debilitated group for whom all aspects of the game might be adjusted to address their limits. It’s actually written into the FIFA bible: Women are like children and old men. The World Cup could be played in 15 minute segments and that would be totally legit.

Players v CSA and FIFA