ESPNW Video Reminds Women They're 'More Than A Body To Be Rated'

“To Whom It May Concern:

What I am doing here is not for you.

Not for your judgment or your appraisal.

Not for your assessment or your arousal.”

That’s how a powerful new video from espnW begins. The two and a half minute spot, titled “When I Play,” went live on Wednesday to kick off Women’s History Month. The short film was created, directed and produced by all woman to give “voice to every woman and girl who sees their movement as a movement.”

The video features real athletes, not actors, from Atlanta, Ga., of all shapes, sizes and colors kicking ass in their respective sports: boxing, roller derby, skateboarding, weightlifting, swimming, dancing and more. Over the beautiful shots of women playing, a voiceover reads a poem written by the film’s creative director and executive producer, Allison Glock.

“I am not worried about getting too big or too strong or too fast or too full of myself,” the voiceover says. “...What I am doing here is not for you.”

Senior Vice President of espnW and Women’s Initiatives, Laura Gentile, said in a press release that esnpW’s mission is to illustrate why their platform ― one that empowers and showcases women athletes ― matters.

“It’s the appropriate kick off to Women’s History Month, which we’re calling ‘Women Making History Month,’ to highlight the contributions of women yesterday, today and, most importantly, to come,” Gentile said.

The voiceover sums up the power of “playing” towards the end of the clip when she states: “For every woman, every girl who dares to see herself as something more than a body to be rated, a score to be kept. When I play, I keep my own score. When I play, I know who I am.”