A recent text that stood out to me was an article published by The Guardian of an interview they conducted with professional female soccer player Vivianne Miedema. Suzanne Wrack, the writer looks to attract new audiences to female soccer by spotlighting one of the best in the world. The unfortunate reality in female professional sports is an astronomical gap between male and female athletes due to a lack of coverage and accessibility. In recent times there have been significant improvements in women’s soccer where notable players like Miedema have used their platform to promote the initiative towards gender equality in sports. Similarly, media personnel and journalists such as Wrack are a crucial part of furthering this cause thanks to their readers. In this case, she aims to attract readers by highlighting the potential for success as a female athlete through the story of Miedema. One of the goals of this equality movement is to inspire young female athletes to follow their dreams and pursue professional athletic careers.

            This article was created for entertainment purposes and Wrack uses a series of techniques to ensure readers will stay till the end. Firstly, to garner interest Wrack utilizes a compelling headline by including a popular term: goat. Given that the term was created by the younger generation, this is a deliberate choice on the writer’s part to appeal to her target audience. Throughout the article, small quotes from the interview are included to feel as if the reader were in the same room as Miedema, creating a laidback environment. A balanced ratio between commentary and direct quotes helps bring life to the text mimicking the actual interview. This article mustn’t become a biography by including short quotes and humorous moments to create a sense of familiarity. For those unaware of Miedema the writer’s commentary provides background to help readers make sense of the situation. Countless photographs of Miedema are provided to paint a picture of the interview that took place and allow readers to establish a stronger connection to the player. Each photo captures a different side of her including her award, club team, and national team.

            Besides her achievements on the field, Wrack includes parts of Miedema’s personal life to provide an overview of the person rather than just the player. Due to the COVID pandemic, the women’s soccer league in England was put on hold forcing players into a prolonged break. The latter part of the article focuses on the pandemic and how Miedema has coped with quarantine, circumstances that everyone can relate to. Especially given the magnitude of the pandemic the presence of the topic makes this more relevant and easier to relate to. In other words, Miedema’s experience with lockdown humanizes her and is a reminder that people as successful as she are human too. Often athletes are portrayed like superior beings in the media for audiences to worshipped rather than relate to. Media such as this interview allow the public to relate to these figures and increasing support for them.