Macarena Rosset, born 23 February 1991, is an Argentine basketball player for Vigarano and the Argentina women’s national basketball team.
She defended Argentina at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
What does your sport mean to you?
This sport for me has been everything since I was a little girl. Of course at the beginning it was just passion and fun but then I studied and when I finished and got my degree I understood that I could play professionally.
It was more than a thing, it became a job for me. The passion is what makes me everyday wake up and say “I want to continue doing this”.
How do you see the sport sector in terms of equality?
Nowadays I think we aren’t at the same level as men. I think that we can get better and continue improving. I started playing professional when I was 18 and I think we were not considered the way we are considered now.
But I think clubs and sponsors should understand that on the court we can give as much as men give. It would be useful if they can see what we can transmit, it would continue improving.
I remember when my club had both women and men teams, sometimes we were always the last ones to be seen or we received what they were not using. At the end of the day we were doing the same stuff and on the court we just give the same.
But you just can’t care about that and you have to continue focusing on what you have to do. Anyway, I think this fact is getting better with the years.
What do you think are the next steps to move forward?
I think it is not something easy, society is not aware that the role of the woman in sports is getting stronger and that we have to take advantage of that.
In real life we are getting more important and we are receiving the role we must have as women and then in sport. For example in advertising or in the social activities of clubs when you have both teams. This way, the society would realize that we can play and we can do it well and maybe they can start following us.
What would you say to girls who are starting to play sports?
There are a lot of things that I can say to a little girl that wants to start playing a sport. It is very hard to lose things of normal life, like friends and say “I have to go to practice” or “I have a game so I can’t go to your birthday”.
But, at the end of the day, if you choose that, if you choose effort, if you choose work you will be rewarded.
So if you really wish, every possible effort must be made, even if you are talented, you have to work.
The most important thing, never lose your passion, you can be like a machine and practise but if you don’t enjoy it, it is not worth making the effort.
To conclude: EFFORT, PASSION AND HARD WORK. That combo will bring you some satisfaction.
