Maristela Felix Joyner interview on soccer media and Brazil

The Maristela Felix Joyner interview reveals how a YouTube channel recruited the Brazilian soccer commentator from its live chat, why meeting followers at a match changed her view of her work, and why she wants Brazil to support more sports beyond soccer. Speaking with Joyner, Maristela also discussed women in soccer media and her plans to build an international community on Millions.

How did Maristela become a soccer commentator after playing Super Nintendo?

Maristela became a soccer commentator after years of following the sport led her to a YouTube channel that offered live match commentary. The channel noticed her knowledge and communication in its chat, invited her to take a test and added her to its team. Her interest in soccer had begun much earlier with video games.

Afternoons watching Sport TV

As a child in Brazil, Maristela came home from school and watched cartoons and sports. Sport TV introduced her to tennis, volleyball and basketball, but soccer was not initially the sport she watched most closely. She was interested in sports broadly before she began following soccer in particular.

That changed through her older sister and a cousin who grew up with them like a brother. In the 1990s, they played sports games on the Super Nintendo, especially soccer games. Once Maristela was allowed to play rather than only watch, the games helped her get to know players. She then began following real matches as well.

A place in a YouTube match commentary team

Years later, Maristela followed a YouTube channel that provided live soccer commentary without match footage. She became active in its chat, drawing on her interest in European soccer and leagues outside Brazil as well as the game at home. She said the channel’s team noticed both what she knew and how well she communicated it.

The team needed someone with time and soccer knowledge. Maristela was finishing her college degree and had the availability they sought, so she accepted an invitation to take a test. She said she stayed with that channel for about seven years and that the work led to other opportunities involving soccer and other sports. Before the invitation, she had seen herself as a fan rather than a future commentator.

What did Maristela say about building a sports community and women in soccer media?

Maristela said a meeting with followers at a soccer match made her realize her commentary had created a community, not just an audience. She also said messages from women who appreciate seeing a female soccer creator motivate her to continue. Both experiences shape what she wants to build beyond match commentary.

Meeting followers at a soccer match

Maristela received access to areas behind the scenes at a match because of her work. When she arrived, people who knew her content approached her, asked to meet her and wanted photos. She said the attention surprised her: until then, she had not fully understood that people followed her work closely enough to recognize her in person.

Maristela described that encounter as a turning point. She told Joyner:

I wasn't just commentating Soccer, I was actually creating a community around myself with my content

That realization helped bring her to Millions. She wants her presence in sports to extend beyond calling soccer matches and give people who share her interests a place to connect.

Women who follow her soccer coverage

Maristela said women tell her they are glad to see another woman creating content about soccer and sports because they do not often see it. She believes the number of women in that work is growing but remains small. Their responses encourage her, even though she is reluctant to describe herself as a role model.

Support has continued as she has begun doing interviews in English. Maristela previously spoke mainly in Portuguese to her followers. She has studied English since childhood and spent time in Canada improving it, but said some Brazilian followers did not know she spoke the language. Some continue to follow her interviews and clips despite not speaking English themselves.

What did Maristela say about soccer in Brazil and the United States?

Maristela said soccer occupies a far more dominant place in Brazil than it does in the United States. She sees American soccer growing, but believes Brazil should take a lesson from the wider range of sports supported in the United States. Her concern is that Brazilian athletes in other sports deserve more attention.

Soccer’s place in Brazil

In Brazil, Maristela said, soccer is the most-followed sport by a considerable margin. She argued that the country also has strong athletes in other fields, including combat sports, and should give those sports greater value. She pointed to Brazil hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics as one reason other sports have received more attention in recent decades, while saying the balance is still not where she wants it.

The wider sports landscape in the United States

Maristela described the United States as the other end of the comparison: soccer has grown there, but it does not receive the attention given to several other sports. What she admires is the ability to support many sports through facilities and a broader sports culture. For her, Brazil’s enthusiasm for soccer need not come at the expense of athletes competing elsewhere.

What are Maristela’s sports media goals on Millions?

Maristela wants to grow her work internationally on Millions while giving more attention to her social media presence. Her main goal is to bring people from different countries and backgrounds into one sports community, including people who speak different languages. She said the connections she is making across cultures are a major reason she is focused on the platform.

She has been reconsidering her approach to social media after spending some time less active there. Alongside that change, she enjoys speaking with people around the world, even when the conversation happens through a screen. She wants the reach of her work to extend beyond the audience she first built in Brazil.

The language differences within that audience are already familiar to her. Brazilian followers have kept supporting her English-language interviews, and she hopes to keep bringing different people together despite such barriers. Rather than treat an international audience only as a larger following, she described a community whose members can find ways to communicate with one another.

Why would Maristela choose volleyball as her next sport?

Maristela would choose volleyball if she had the chance to work in one sport besides soccer. She enjoys many sports, particularly team games, but singled out volleyball’s pace and the fact that each completed play produces a point. She also follows regional matches and would welcome an opportunity to work in the sport.

Basketball appeals to her for its scoring and pace, too, but volleyball was her answer when Joyner asked her to choose just one. Maristela said she follows regional competition in São Paulo, where she is from. Her interest in volleyball fits the wider range of sports she watched growing up and the broader coverage she hopes to pursue.

Who is Maristela?

Maristela is a Brazilian sports enthusiast and soccer commentator who has spent years sharing her interest in the game with fans. She now brings that experience and her interest in other sports to Millions.