Jasmine Keys, an Italian basketball player who wears the Familia Basket Schio jersey, spoke live to the microphones of TvPlay.
“I DON’T HAVE SCARAMANT RITES, I’M LUCKY TO FIND CONCENTRATION QUICKLY” – “Game 3 will certainly be tougher because it is difficult to play in Prague, but we are very motivated and we know that it is an opportunity that we cannot miss. We Italians are very superstitious in preparing these matches. I personally don’t have any particular routines or rituals, other than listening to music, but I can concentrate very quickly. In fact, if I have a game plan, I manage to follow it perfectly, I quickly lose concentration. At team level it is important to take advantage of the rest period, when granted, and refine the final things during training.”
“FOOTBALL MAIN SPORT FOR AN ECONOMIC QUESTION” – “In Italy the main sport is men’s football, but perhaps when I talk to other people they always say that it is an economic question, that is, that football brings more economic income and is a more attractive spectacle. I believe that there is a somewhat stereotyped mentality, and I believe that the right importance is not given to other minor sports which instead deserve to be given more consideration.”
“TOO MUCH SEXISM IN SOCIETY AND NO ONE TRYING TO EXPOSE THEMSELVES” – “There are many injustices in society in terms of sexism and misogyny, and it is never talked about enough. It is obvious that these are aspects that are not good, but the problem is that there are no reference people who want to expose themselves in this regard”.
“I LIKE THE WORLD OF MEDIA, I HAD A YOUTUBE CHANNEL” – “I really like the world of media, as well as editing videos. If I had a little more time I would like to carry out something like this, also related to video games, as I also did in the past when I had a YouTube channel. Maybe if I had continued down that path I wouldn’t be here talking about basketball or claiming my rights. Social media is increasingly used and is useful as an interaction platform. Right now, however, as soon as I leave the gym I want to focus on something other than basketball so maybe it would be difficult for me to bring any content related to my work.”
“I LIKE STUDYING, I DON’T WANT TO CHANNEL MY ENERGY ONLY ON BASKETBALL” – “I like studying and I have always been curious about doing so. I have a degree in psychology, when I finished my three-year degree I lasted three months focusing only on work, but at a certain point I realized that if I channel all my energy into basketball I go crazy, so I try to keep myself busy with many other small hobbies too.” .
“WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOULD BE MORE ORGANIZED” – “There is a lot of crisis in women’s basketball and the gap between A1 and A2 is very noticeable. Now there is a bit of a mess with the contracts and some companies are in a bit of difficulty from an economic point of view. There are only a few of us, and I believe that we could have a decidedly more organized championship than the one we have now.”
“IN THE EVENT WITH THE MEN’S TEAMS WE FINISHED SECOND PLACE, IT WAS SAD FOR ME” – “We just had the Italian Cup in Turin, organized by the men’s Basket League, and on the one hand it went well because we were in the most beautiful arena in Italy in an event with more visibility. On the other hand, however, we took a bit of a backseat and I experienced this aspect badly. Even though I won, on a psychological level I felt overshadowed by men’s basketball, so much so that on the return journey I was silent the entire journey. They treated us as if we were in Serie B. Even the accreditations we had were given to us very far from the playing field, for example my mother couldn’t even see where she was sitting. Or we couldn’t enter the field before 1pm because they were doing the awards ceremony for the men’s final. Among other things, the men’s MVP won a watch, while we only won a cup. The problem is that we always accept these conditions and never rebel, perhaps on some occasions it would be better to refuse.”
“I’M NOT PASSIONATE ABOUT THE NBA, TOO MUCH SHOWS” – “I’m not a big NBA fan, to me it’s all show. I would perhaps like to hold an important event that could involve many people. The friendship between women and men basketball players is definitely there, then I don’t know if they also come to watch our matches. At a management level, however, the men’s team always has priority even in gym times, while we often have to adapt.”
“I ADVICE YOUNG GIRLS TO CONTINUE SACRIFICING THEMSELVES FOR THEIR GOALS” – “As advice to a young basketball player I would say that sacrifices are rewarded sooner or later. At first it seems tough and every training seems useless, but in the long run I think it’s good to fight for something. Personally, I would like to have an experience abroad, but in Europe. Then it depends on what you are looking for and what relationship you have with basketball, even if I don’t make many plans and if something makes me feel good I live with it.”
“GROWING WOMEN’S MOVEMENT, WE WORK FOR THIS” – “The women’s movement is growing, we hope to be able to bring home some important results. The play-offs against Bologna with the Paladozza full of people made me smile: I had shivers.”
“I DON’T GIVE TOO MUCH IMPORTANCE TO THE ATMOSPHERE THE AUDIENCE PROVIDES” – “Having played in empty arenas during Covid, I’m now used to it. Schio holds 2,500 people and seeing it full has a completely different effect, even if they are few they are very active and give energy. Even in the Italian Cup, for example, there were a lot of people. I honestly don’t give it much importance, even if the atmosphere is undoubtedly engaging.”
“DIFFICULTY IN THIS SEASON, WE MUST FIND CONTINUITY” – “This season we had a little more difficulty than in other years. I think our task is to find a little more continuity and the Italian Cup can help us with this. Furthermore, the play-offs change the balance a lot because they play more often.”
“MEN’S TEAMS HAVE MORE CUTTING-EDGE STRUCTURES” – “I have a great friend who plays in Bologna and she tells me that they have cutting-edge machinery, so from a medical and structural point of view they are more organised, also because they also have to treat males. In general, those women’s teams that share arenas with the men have newer structures.”
“I HAVE ONLY EXPERIENCED RACISM ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND NOT IN BASKETBALL” – “I have never experienced racism in basketball firsthand, fortunately. Maybe I experienced it more on social media, but for me these things have no weight because I know that my skin is not an element of discrimination for which I feel guilty. However, I understand that not everyone can react like this. Physical aspect? We are not models.”
2024-03-01 01:25:48
#WOMENS #BASKETBALL #CHAMPIONSHIP #ORGANIZED #PASSIONATE #NBA #MENS #TEAMS #STRUCTURE #VISIBILITY
