This was the perfect way to play!
Tennis champion Venus Williams and pro Footballer Steve Young were on hand in Las Vegas this weekend for a wonderful celebration and game to promote awareness.
At Durango High School in Nevada during Super Bowl weekend, the two came together to coach teams of high school girls play flag football. The wonderful day came together to raise awareness of the fact that 45% of girls drop out of sports by age 14 due to low body confidence. Also there to support keeping girls in the game in a custom Dove #KeepHerConfident jersey was Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Ciara, who delivered an empowering speech to the players before they hit the field.
“This is very poignant. It’s very personal. And I’m very passionate about this,” said Williams. “It’s so important because girls who feel good about themselves do good things in life. They achieve more, they make better decisions. They’re able to stand up for themselves at work. They ask for raises they are in better relationships. They have better relationships with people. It’s just a trickle down effect.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 09: Ciara attends the Dove 45-Yard Line Flag Football Game for Girls on February 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Dove)
As a result of this staggering statistic, Dove, together with Nike, co-created the Body Confident Sport Program. This first-of-its-kind, scientifically-proven free digital tool for coaches helps girls thrive and feel like they belong in sports.
The ’45 Yard Line’ flag football game was held within Clark County School District at Durango High School and hosted middle and high school female athletes, their families and community members.
The ’45 Yard Line’ event kicked off the sports filled weekend where Dove aired a new Game Day ad, the first since 2006, with an important message promoting body confidence to keep girls playing the sports they love. The 30-second ad played during Super Bowl with a new twist on the Broadway classic, ‘It’s the Hard Knock Life,’ illuminating the pervasive issue of low body confidence among young girls in sports.
“We’re grateful to have like-minded partners like GENYOUth, Venus Williams and Steve Young join us in our mission to keep girls playing through the Body Confident Sport program,” said Greg Ross, Chief Operating Officer, Unilever Personal Care North America.
The Body Confident Sport program aims to reach one million young people annually, and is one of many resources from the Dove Self-Esteem Project. The Dove Self-Esteem Project is the largest self-esteem education provider in the world, offering no-cost, academically validated tools to parents, teachers, mentors and kids for two decades. To date, Dove has reached more than 100 million young people globally across 150 countries, with a goal of reaching 250M young lives by 2030.
Learn how to help #KeepHerConfident in sports at Dove.com/confidentsports or on social @Dove.