Sexism, god help us (5 Viewers)

[Moods For Mallards]

Men's tennis is great specifically because of the incredible power, skill and athleticism of the players at the top end. I got into a nice cosy rut of gambling on tennis last year and it really gave me a great appreciation for the game in between the cold sweats and the hitting myself repeatedly in the forehead for stupid stupid decisions.
The notion that it's all about repetitive ace-battles is outdated. The surfaces have been modified since that problem era (the 90s) to become less different from each other. Grass and hardcourts are slower. The great players of the last 10 years have been baseline players, winning long intriguing points, attritional battles and so on. Totally engrossing imho, and some of the most impressive athletic ability you see in any sport.

The women's game is, I think, less dramatic. This can partly be attributed to the best of 3 sets rules in the grand slams. It's hard to get that head of steam going.

 

[therealjohnny]

Do you watch the international players or do you follow the local tennis guy?



Am I doing this right?

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Local tennis expert @BonsaiSuperstar can fill you in on the local game, in the spirit of the original sexist article.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

I'd like to modify my comments about women's tennis. I think it's great too, with countless outstanding champions, but if I had to choose, I'd go for the lads. Tennis is brill.

But not as brill as football. Or golf.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Instruction: you must choose one gender of tennis player to be utterly exterminated!
It's a toughie but I'd have to say women, please.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Ah no, that's unlikely. I'm not watching a huge amount of tennis anymore anyway so why do I care if Alexandr Dolgopolov or Gilles Simon is spared? Fuck 'em.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Do you watch the international players or do you follow the local tennis guy?



Am I doing this right?

In tennis we're free to like whomever we choose. We have no dog in the hunt.
In team sports you are required to support the team that was geographically closest to where you grew up.

Golf doesn't count as it is not a sport. John Daly plays it.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Moods has lost it

 

[hermie]

Mmm, if that were the case then why is this countries most famous and best loved female sports star a boxer and not a tennis player, track and field or hockey or some such other more dainty sport?

I think it's more a case of how do you change the habit of a lifetime? Women's tennis is so popular not because they have better rallies than men and they look better in white but because it's roots are strong and deep. It's similar to why French rugby fans prefer watching their domestic league to superior European Cup rugby. The Bouclier de Brennus has a tradition dating back to the 19th century.

Women's sports are slowly but surely getting more coverage. In years to come I believe we'll all be watching a whole lot more sport with females involved. Maybe not to the same extent as men but up to a point.

In the meantime it doesn't really help to label women's games inferior. Sport is about entertainment and what's attractive to watch changes all the fucking time. I take the point that certain sports that rely on bursts of physicality for the eye-catching factor (such as, say, American Football) will always probably struggle a bit.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Mmm, if that were the case then why is this countries most famous and best loved female sports star a boxer and not a tennis player, track and field or hockey or some such other more dainty sport?

Gold medals

 

[Lili Marlene]

It's all Michelle Smith's fault.

the cheat.

 

[washingcattle]

the article we're talking about doesn't make any distinctions between types of sport

Well that's a problem right there.

Mmm, if that were the case then why is this countries most famous and best loved female sports star a boxer and not a tennis player, track and field or hockey or some such other more dainty sport?

I think it's more a case of how do you change the habit of a lifetime? Women's tennis is so popular not because they have better rallies than men and they look better in white but because it's roots are strong and deep. It's similar to why French rugby fans prefer watching their domestic league to superior European Cup rugby. The Bouclier de Brennus has a tradition dating back to the 19th century.

Women's sports are slowly but surely getting more coverage. In years to come I believe we'll all be watching a whole lot more sport with females involved. Maybe not to the same extent as men but up to a point.

In the meantime it doesn't really help to label women's games inferior. Sport is about entertainment and what's attractive to watch changes all the fucking time. I take the point that certain sports that rely on bursts of physicality for the eye-catching factor (such as, say, American Football) will always probably struggle a bit.

First of all women's boxing is something genuinely new and Katie Taylor is famous because she's the best at it. That's sport, that's how it works. Be the best reap the rewards. For what it's worth Boxing is a lot like tennis in that while the mens sport can suffer from an over abundance of power it's technique that draws an audience to a sport to begin with and thusly women's boxing is good to watch if you know anything about boxing for exactly that reason.

Secondly

I didn't say women's sport was inferior I said women's sport that tries to emulate the power house aspects of mens sport would always be inferior.

And let's get one things straight I watched plenty of the football in the olympics in 2012 and 2008 and women's football is inferior. I could easily point out poor ball retention, overly physical tackling specifically by the Americans, tactically inept decisions by coaches. But non of that would matter because you're still looking at it as a male/female issue rather than a sport issue and that's half the fucking problem.

 

[hugh]

Yeah it really wouldn't be right to talk about the male/female issue in a thread about sexism. Cop yourself on Hermie.

 

[washingcattle]

Yeah it really wouldn't be right to talk about the male/female issue in a thread about sexism. Cop yourself on Hermie.

Ha ha, You know what I mean. Sport wise like.

There's definitely a coach somewhere shouting "you are inferior" at a women's football team right now probably ad nauseam as they climb a giant hill with a 20kg back pack on in the pissing rain.

 

[rettucs]

And finally this is exactly how and why Venus and Serena Williams ruined tennis as a spectacle for so long.

the pair of them are pumped full of testosterone

 

[nooleen]

you say that about everyone

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Let's get back to internetting

Shouldn't this be sensei? As in, 'paint the fence'.

Eamonn Ryan, manager/guru/sensée of that great Cork team, knows the complexities of this better than anyone.

 

[nooleen]

it sounds like possibly some kind of sensual divorcée

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Were you not all watching Kilcoole's Fionnuala Britton there running in the European Championship 10,000m Final?

Sexist pigs.

(She came 8th. A doped up Brit aged 40 won it)

 

[rettucs]

She came 8th. A doped up Brit aged 40 won it

ha ha, saw that. First thing that came to mind? Jeannie Longo!!