# Where Are We Running To? | Hellen Teles | TEDxOeiras

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e07Fe7k2yas
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/e07Fe7k2yas
Generated: 2026-03-11T17:03:25.29+00:00

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## Quick Overview

The speaker argues that the football industry, driven by metrics and performance, often overlooks the essential human element, creating lacunae in development and fostering a system that prioritizes visibility over genuine human connection and well-being, urging a focus on the human being rather than just the player's output.

**Key Points:**
- The speaker's first mission in life was to be a sister to her brother, a football player from Caxias do Sul, Brazil, who played in a narrow corridor without goals or a Plan B.
- The football industry today is based on metrics, data analysis, and performance indicators (distance covered, goals, injury risk), which leads to an eliminatory system that focuses on numbers over the human being.
- The speaker recalls her brother, who, despite having a solid career with international titles, was solely focused on delivering performance, leading to an isolating experience.
- The emotional energy within a football stadium is collective and overwhelming, yet the player often experiences high pressure and loneliness, as seen in the image of a player sitting alone in a locker room.
- The speaker poses the question: Where are we running to? She asserts that direction is not always advancement, and when direction is lost, identity—the human—is lost before the body.
- The speaker highlights that young players (18-19 years old) often lack defined contracts and are more focused on visibility than performance, creating human lacunae that turn into therapy issues.
- The speaker concludes by asking the audience where they are running, suggesting that we often compare ourselves to others (like her brother) instead of focusing on our own human core.

![Screenshot at 02:38: A video clip on the main screen shows a lone, silhouetted figure sitting dejectedly on a bench in what appears to be a dimly lit locker room, visually representing the loneliness and pressure the speaker describes behind the scenes of professional football.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/e07Fe7k2yas/00-02-38.jpg)

**Context:** The presentation, titled 'Where Are We Running To?' by Hellen Teles at TEDxOeiras, uses the personal story of the speaker's brother, a professional football player from Caxias do Sul, Brazil, to explore the pressures and dehumanizing aspects of the modern, metric-driven football industry. The speaker contrasts the visible glamour of the sport with the hidden emotional and physical toll on the players, arguing that the industry's focus on measurable performance metrics neglects the athlete's humanity.

## Detailed Analysis

The speaker begins by recounting her personal connection to football through her brother, a player from Caxias do Sul, Brazil, who operated without clear boundaries or contingency plans. She contrasts the past environment with the present, where the football industry is dominated by technology, data, and metrics—distance covered, goal probability, injury risk—which all feed into an eliminatory system that values output over the person. She recalls her brother, despite his success and international titles, being solely focused on performance delivery, leading to isolation. The speaker emphasizes the contrast between the collective energy of the stadium and the player's internal solitude, using the image of the player alone in the locker room as a powerful visual aid. She asks the audience where society is running, asserting that chasing metrics can lead to losing one's identity before even addressing physical or mental well-being. She notes that young players today often prioritize visibility over performance, leading to human gaps that manifest as psychological issues. Ultimately, she challenges the audience to consider if they are running towards something meaningful or simply following the pace set by others, advocating for a shift back to valuing the human being at the center of the sport.

### Personal Context

- Speaker's sisterhood with her brother, a Brazilian football player from Caxias do Sul
- Brother played in a narrow corridor without clear structure or a Plan B
- Narrating his actions like a game plan, focusing on the past, present, and future.

### The Metrics-Driven Industry

- Football has evolved into a system where everything is measured (distance, goals, injury risk) and everything goes into a spreadsheet
- This system is eliminatory and ignores the human element (emotions, identity)
- The speaker contrasts the collective stadium energy with the player's solitary pressure.

### The Human Cost

- The speaker shares a recent experience with a young, successful player who admitted his main ambition was to go viral in his first press conference, prioritizing visibility over performance
- This external pressure creates 'human lacunae' that turn into therapy issues.

### The Central Question

- The speaker asks the audience where they are running and whether they realize that direction is not always advancement
- If direction is lost, identity (the human being) is lost before the body.

### Conclusion and Call to Reflection

- The speaker affirms her role as responsible for the industry's human side
- She concludes by asking the audience if they are running toward metrics or towards themselves, urging them to remember that the human element is essential.

![Screenshot at 00:01: Two hands, one appearing human and the other robotic \(metallic\), reach towards each other against a background of falling red binary code, symbolizing the intersection or conflict between humanity and technology.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/e07Fe7k2yas/00-00-01.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:12: The speaker, Hellen Teles, stands center stage in a white pantsuit, holding a soccer ball, set against the illuminated TEDx stage backdrop.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/e07Fe7k2yas/00-00-12.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:33: The large projection screen displays a hand-drawn shield graphic dividing 'Passado' \(Past\), 'Presente' \(Present\), and 'Futuro' \(Future\), illustrating a conceptual framework for decision-making or perspective.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/e07Fe7k2yas/00-00-33.jpg)
![Screenshot at 02:39: The projection screen displays a dark, atmospheric image of a solitary, shadowed figure sitting on a bench in what appears to be a locker room, emphasizing themes of isolation and pressure.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/e07Fe7k2yas/00-02-39.jpg)