[0:00]Well, you're going to not believe this either. A 12-year-old girl on a mission with a powerful message about equality in sports.
[0:09]Her blog post went viral online. This segment is sponsored by Dick Sporting Goods, which saw that post and was inspired to help her create positive change for all female athletes.
[0:20]They also arranged a surprise that she's never going to forget. Take a look.
[0:24]Basketball's my favorite thing to do.
[0:29]For 12-year-old Adita Plasky, basketball is more than a passion.
[0:34]It's a lifestyle.
[0:37]But when she tried to purchase these sneakers inspired by her idol, WNBA champion Elena Dedon, she was stunned by a comment from her local shoe store salesman.
[0:47]He laughed at us and he mockingly said, I'd rather watch paint dry on a wall than watch women's sports. And I was shocked.
[0:54]Adi's parents told her to blog about her experience as a way to journal her feelings. That blog post shared thousands of times.
[1:03]I wanted to show that women and girls are strong and that they matter, and I wanted to advocate and speak up for what I believe in and what I think is right.
[1:11]Adi's story catching the attention of our sponsor Dick Sporting Goods president and CEO, Lauren Hobart.
[1:17]When we heard about the story that Adi shared on social media, we were obviously very upset.
[1:23]And we actually connected with Elena Dedon and her team and started working on how we might be able to turn this really tough moment into a really positive moment in, in Adi's life.
[1:35]A was invited to a Zoom meeting for a special surprise.
[1:39]Hey everyone. Oh my God. Is that Alina?
[1:44]How are you guys doing? I think you're now all of our favorite basketball players.
[1:49]I was so happy and so proud that, you know, my role models want to cheer for me and just talk about how they could better help support women.
[1:56]A's story inspiring the company. Dick Sporting Goods also forming the Girls Power panel.
[2:02]It's made up of young women just like a D creating positive practical changes.
[2:08]It's going to translate into things like products that they need to help support them better in the game so that the products that they have to buy aren't just versions of men's product that have been shrunk down, um, for girls or maybe turned pink.
[2:20]The role of women making an impact throughout the company, as seen in their new inside moves campaign.
[2:27]Together we're updating the playbook. At Dick Sporting Goods, we, we often joke that you probably wouldn't expect if you come into one of our leadership meetings that there'd be just so many female, uh, leaders around the table.
[2:37]Who are just doing amazing things across our company and really trying to help us shape the future.
[2:42]For a, the panel, which she now sits on, is positive hope for the future.
[2:48]Whatever you believe in and you love to do, you should keep doing it and keep fighting for what you believe in.
[2:57]Yes, A, way to go.
[3:00]Hey there, GMA fans. Robin Roberts here. Thanks for checking out our YouTube channel.
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