Maram is a football analyst who takes Twitter as her platform, under the name Maram Per Ninety, to provide tactical analysis and football visualizations. Maram’s comprehensive analysis and visuals help her followers understand the game more. However, like many female sport experts, Maram faces a misogynist society that has no boundaries, especially when it comes to social media.
Let’s see what Maram had to say when we asked her about sexism, how she deals with it, and her message to women on International Women’s Day.
Interview
Hello Maram! Glad to have a fellow Manchester United fan here. GGMU! You are an influencer in the football field, with more than 15k followers. However, you lately expressed in one of your tweets that it’s hard to be a woman and a sports analyst on Twitter. What kind of sexism have you faced that led to you saying that?
Putting it simply: in a community largely dominant by males, people do not want to see a woman succeed and often, that spite translates into verbal abuse and harassment. I’ve had random strangers in my direct messages, valuing me by my physical looks and on the other end of the spectrum, sputtering insults at my very presence. People will try to push me down, manipulate me for their own gains, because my mere existence as a Muslim, PoC woman intimidates and bothers them.
How do you usually deal with hate speech and sexism?
I ignore it and rise above it. Surrounding yourself with a healthy support system is important here, people that value your contributions and understand your struggles. I continue my work, because at the end of the day, if it helps or inspires even just one person, it is worth it.
What is your goal or dream that you’d like to achieve as a sports analyst, and do you think it would have been easier to achieve that goal if you were a man?
I’d like to expand my content creation even further once I graduate and provide even further analysis and visualizations in football, not just Manchester United, in different platforms. While I’m an Economics undergrad, I’d love to make a career out of my work and my passion for football by hopefully being employed for a professional club.
Finally, on International Women’s Day, what message would you like to send young girls around the world who have dreams they’d like to achieve in the world of football?
I have always said: for women who do not feel like they have no voice, they will always have mine. My advice is: if you enjoy it, go for it! Your opinion matters and many people would like to listen to it. I have not studied football nor ever undertook it professionally, I’m just a woman who watches *loads* of football. Do not let anyone bring you down for it. It’s a learning curve, I improve and develop everyday, it’s all about starting somewhere and I am always here to offer a helping hand.
