Here’s a charming story that makes you want to check your diary to make sure it’s still 2009. Not being a follower of sport, I was only dimly aware that Wimbledon was on at the moment. But the UK papers have broken an ugly ugly story about the disgraceful sexism currently unfolding.
In short: the hot girls are being scheduled to play on centre court even when they are very low in international player rankings. Meanwhile, those high ranking players considered by some sexist morons to be unattractive, are being relegated to outer, less prominent courts. Pix after the jump. You decide….
Above: The unseeded world No 45, Gisela Dulko, during last week’s Battle of the Babes
above: World No 59 Maria Kirilenko of Russia
Above: No 28 seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania
No 5 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia
No 1 seed Dinara Safina of Russia
No 2 seed Serena Williams of the U.S.
The best part is that Wimbledon officials are not even trying to hide it! According to the Daily Mail today:
And last night, the All England Club admitted that physical attractiveness is taken into consideration. Spokesman Johnny Perkins said: ‘Good looks are a factor.’
In the men’s tournament, five-times winner Roger Federer and British hope Andy Murray invariably play on Centre. But on Friday, after Federer left the court, the next match was Victoria Azarenka of Belarus against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. While both 19-year-olds have top form in the glamour department, Miss Cirstea was seeded 28 while Miss Azarenka, who won, is ranked and seeded eighth.
That same day, second seed Serena Williams was relegated to the new No 2 Court for her win over Italian Roberta Vinci. The fact that many seats remained empty for the Cirstea-Azarenka clash implies that the knowledgeable SW19 crowd were underwhelmed by the tennis on offer.
Which would suggest that attractive players are placed on Centre to titillate the BBC television audience, some of whom care more for a pretty face than a powerful forehand. A BBC source said: ‘It’s the Wimbledon play committee, not us who decides on the order of play. But obviously it’s advantageous to us if there are good-looking women players on Centre Court.
[Thanks Katie]
RELATED POSTS….
Comments
39 Comments so far
Lulu – tv ratings.
loading...
Lozabelle, they may have banned grunting, but it’s still happening, as well as the screeching, even BEFORE a point is played……It’s unsporstmanlike, and it’s mostly the Eastern European players , who do it.What does that tell you…..
loading...
So, when are they going to start doing this for the Olympics?
loading...
This is ridiculous…when did tennis become a beauty contest. Who is on the Wimbledon committee anyway…all men?
loading...
Lulu : I can’t explain why Federer has played every match on centre court – I’m just saying that MAYBE it’s not as cut and dried as ‘petty vs ugly’
If you have a read of the Order of Play Rules, you will see that there are many factors that need to be considered when scheduling play at a tournament of this magnitude.
After reading the Order of Play Rules, logistically I can’t see how they could be scheduling matches on centre court totally based on the female players looks.
loading...
If it’s all about “balanced, competitive matches”, then how do you explain the fact that Federer has played every single match on centre court, including in rounds 1 & 2 where his opponents were unseeded?
loading...
I’m sure there are many factors taken into consideration.
http://aeltc2009.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/infosheets/orderofplay_2009.pdf
“On the show courts in particular, every effort is made to provide balanced, competitive matches”
Maybe, just maybe Serena Williams playing the 55th ranked player in the world didn’t seem as balanced and competitive as the number 28 playing the number 8.
Instead of looking at this with some common sense, balance & the respect that it deserves (its Wimbledon for gods sake) let’s sensationalise it by making it about pretty girls vs ugly girls.
loading...
meg, I’m not sure what you mean by “good for business”. The article says “many seats remained empty for the Cirstea-Azarenka clash” – i.e. ticket sales didn’t shoot up because the players were glamorous.
loading...
Sure it is wrong and all that blah blah blah, but like my 11 year old pointed out last night as we started to watch the tennis ‘it is good for business’ he is right. Sport is business today so we shouldn’t be surprised at antics such as this.
I can hear everyone saying, but that doesn’t mean it is right etc truth is, people love to have their say but actually do nothing about it like boycotting the sport for eg, so thing just stay as they are.
loading...
Aly b 72 wrote “I can maybe understand they would judge the unseeded, unknown quantities on looks alone to generate a crowd.”
Did I read this correctly…so, you’re saying it’s OK to be selectively sexist for the less talented girls?
loading...
At least the talented players will get the last laugh when they win.
loading...
I am a huge tennis fan and am having sleepless nights watching Wimbledon. This is appalling. I only notice a great game of tennis and a fabulous player. I do appreciate a bit of male eye candy on centre court but if they’re a crap player it doesnt make it an exciting game, just a distraction from the crap tennis they may be playing.
loading...
Missinterested u are so right! My teenager daughter is looking for work and when she hands her resume in she can see the manager checking her out to see if she has the right look (skinny,trashy clothes, winter tan, brainless femme bot). She is none of these so she gets no response. Take companies for instance who put plastic fantastic at reception and less attractive hard workers behind the scenes.
loading...
@fender4eva – they banned ‘grunting’ at Wimbledon this year.
loading...
Yes, the world, and the world of tennis in particular, is an ugly, sexist and rascist place. At least they’re being upfront about it this time. This is what the William’s family and millions of other people have been complaining about for years.
Not to worry- Serena and her family are laughing all the way to the bank and next year she’ll be back to add yet another trophy to the mantlepiece.
loading...
It had to come to this, didn’t it? I mean year after year we watch men’s tennis, volleying at the speed of light, the ferocity, the velocity, the sheer force of it all. And we’d watch women’s tennis, less velocity, less ferocity, some angst but lots of panties (sorry) and beautiful female bods. At what point did the actual tennis become a moot point? Bit like the beach volleyball really.
I don’t say it’s good. I don’t say it’s ideal, in fact I like to watch a game with one of the Williams sisters pitted against some other strong footed woman. However the powers that be have recognised this, dickheads that they are, and have realised there’s a buck to be made from pretty women playing tennis.
It is of course the end of civilisation as we know it. Wimbledon will never be the same. While we’re at it, perhaps we could get rid of the hair replacement guys in cricket and include a couple of Picture magazine models. That’d get me watching the damn cricket.
loading...
johnny depp?
what sport, where, when etc
loading...
No one in their right mind watches women’s tennis these days AT ALL anyway! Not while gorillas roam the courts!
loading...
Are these officials insane? I can maybe understand they would judge the unseeded, unknown quantities on looks alone to generate a crowd. But seeded players, champions, relegated to the outside courts? Serena Williams of all players? Do they not recall when Serena and her sister Venus revolutionised Women’s tennis?
I would walk for days for the privilege to watch Serena, Venus, Dinara, Steffi or Lindsay play. Hmmm makes me wonder when the NRL assumed control of the marketing of Wimbledon…
loading...
Meh. This happens in every other field, why not sport? It’s a spectators’ affair and aesthetics play a big part in this – particularly when you bring brand sponsorship into the equation. But come on, pretty girls get an advantage over less attractive ones all the time. My office is full of thick hotties, with a handful of brainy plain chicks picking up their slack. Talentless beauties are all over our magazines and TVs and movie screens, everywhere, utterly adored while amazing talent is all but ignored.
loading...
Honestly can’t imagine anyone with a genuine interest in tennis would choose the lesser seeded pretty girls over the top seeded less attractive women.
And as for men’s sport, not even Simon Baker would get me to sit through a cricket match. Okay, so maybe a one-dayer….
loading...
Well, Johnny Depp, maybe. It’s not the fault of the average bloke who goes to the tennis, he’s only human. The fault lies with the organisers.
Call me a cynical old feminazi but I do think its a slap in the face for these girls and the blood, sweat and tears they put into becoming the best at the the game.
loading...
Johnny Depp and George Clooney would definitely get me watching cricket!
loading...
I agree. It’s shit.
But I ask you this…if Johnny Depp and George Clooney suddenly joined the Aussie cricket team (okay I know they’re not Aussies – grant me a creative licence here) wouldn’t cricket become at least bearable?
loading...
This just makes me sick to the stomach. I think I’ll boycott the game from now on. What sort of integrity can Wimbledon claim now. This is a humiliation to women everywhere.
loading...
Gina re beach volleyball v women’s cricket it’s infuriating to say the least. I bet if women’s cricketers wore next to nothing they would get more screen time. Yet you’d think they way some of our male sports role (ahem) models have been acting, promoters would be clambering over each other the get behind some sport where the actual sport is the topic, not the looks, attire or off field antics.
and Davo – I thought people went to the tennis to see great tennis players not ‘hot chicks” tsk, silly me!
loading...
what on earth is going on? if you work hard and look good you get rewarded but if you work hard and aren’t considered good looking you get relegated….. age old misery of a world managed by men with dicks for brains.
also – ever noticed how the women’s beach volleyball gets more coverage than our amazing women’s cricket team? and if the footy is on, no women’s sport gets any coverage of any sort.
silence for sharipova (I’m with you fender4eva) – I want to knit that girl a muffle!
loading...
Grrrr. This is a really sad state of affairs, when will we move forwards, and not backwards?!?
loading...
davo – Didn’t the article say that there were a lot of empty seats at the “hot chicks” match? Or did I read that wrong?
loading...
wow.
too right we have to check it is 2009!
i guess they are getting desperate to promote the sport and get us to watch eh.
loading...
I’m with fender4eva – banish screechers like Sharapova to the outside courts… although we’d probably still be able to hear them.
loading...
Pathetic. Like Missamoo I’d like to be surprised, but sadly, am not. Heaven forbid we celebrate a woman’s sporting abilities above her youth and looks.
loading...
This is disgraceful…yet not surprising – funny how the male tennis players are not treated in this way…could you just imagine if they were?!
loading...
OK, but I don’t think you can blame the organisers. If I had 20,000 people who wanted to watch one match, and 5,000 people who wanted to watch another match I know which one I would put on the biggest court. Its a sad fact that hot chicks pull in the punters, and the good ones don’t.
loading...
Good looks are not a prerequisite for me.I want to see good tennis, regardless. What I WOULD like to see banned to the farthest away courts possible, are the screechers, male or female.I’m sick of watching with the volume on zero !
loading...
This is crazy! I cant believe this happens!
loading...
I’d like to be surprised and offended, i’d even enjoy a bit of hot mad action but it’s not even a surprise anymore.
Sad but true, it’s just plain boring.
Young and pretty is good therefore if you are not scrap heap for you believe me i know (35 still single!! not really that ugly but still not 25 anymore)
loading...
we where big fans of Lindsay Davenport and she had to put up with this kind of crap her whole career while everyone pretended it didn’t happen…what a shame considering she is one of the greats and a wonderful role model to young girls (and boys)
loading...
How ridiculous. I’m not a fan of tennis and like you, only just found out Wimbledon was on at the moment. But if I WAS a fan, I know I would be more interested in watching good tennis than good looks.
Do the males get the same treatment?
loading...