Tantengco also shares how a women’s softball team she knows struggles to get sponsorships. “When they would approach brands and media for coverage, they were often told, ‘You don’t look like a volleyball player. Your legs are big; why?’ That’s a real struggle because they need those legs,” she says, explaining how companies stereotype female athletes and their physical appearance. 

“We need to expand our imagination. It starts with us,” Tantengco proclaims. “And if we do that inner work with ourselves, we can take that to our workplace, we can have conversations with the people that you work with or interact with, and we can start that ripple effect that spreads outwards to make change.”

Erica Samonte, a former national athlete and now a digital marketer at Evident, has also been subject to gender stereotypes in sports. “Filipina athletes deserve to be seen, but they are not.” 

Samonte won two bronze medals in the women’s team kumite and women’s -50kg kumite at the SEA Games 2011. “When I was covered by the media, it wasn’t amazing because I won a bronze. It was amazing because I won a bronze medal, and because I’m working and a woman,” she says. “Do I have to be so many things? Can’t I just win a bronze? Women are expected to do many things and play many roles before people say they’re really good.” She also cites a previous Milo advertisement from Nestlé that featured athletes: “If it’s taekwondo, then a Japoy Lizardo is featured. If it’s ballet, then a girl, and that’s what we all see.”

Related: 19 Asian women in sport to know

Now, the former Filipina athlete is doing her best to break norms by starting with her family. “I have a three-year-old daughter, and I enrolled her in jiu-jitsu. Her nanny would come with her and tell me, ‘She made all the boys cry again.’ [My daughter] doesn’t mind if she’s paired with a boy or a girl—she’s just going to give her all,” shares Samonte. “So, I think it starts at home. [We need to] encourage them.”

Apart from our homes, we can also influence our circles and communities. Lopa tries to make changes for women in sports through her work. “This year, when I was UAAP’s deputy commissioner for women’s basketball, I was fighting with the board and encouraging them to transfer to a larger venue. We can’t continue playing women’s basketball in small venues,” she says. 

The board members criticised and rejected Lopa’s suggestions for a long time. But due to her persistence, she succeeded. “To be worth it, when booking a venue like Araneta Coliseum or Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, you must have at least 2,000 people in the crowd. But for the women’s finals, when I came out of the dugout, the MOA Arena was almost full. When you see things like that, it gives you hope.”

The rise of women in sports is evident, and things are slowly changing for the better. People are now uniting with a shared purpose, recognising the importance of every individual’s contribution: Lopa’s perseverance in leadership circles, Samonte’s encouragement inside the home, and Tantengco’s willingness to spread positive change through words are just a few examples. It is up to rights holders, media, and brands associated with sports to decide whether they capitalise on the momentum—if not to help current Filipina athletes, then at least the next generation. 

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