Remove the cheerleaders from sport
Columnist
Manly cheerleader during the NRL, Round 8, Melbourne Storm v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles match at Brookvale Oval in Sydney, Friday May 1, 2009. Storm won 22-8. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Robb Cox)
For all the talk of sporting codes needing to ‘change their culture’ in the wake of numerous sex scandals, there is one easy change they can make, something blatantly obvious, one of the final remnants of the sexist sporting age. The cheerleaders, grid girls, whatever you want to call them have to go.
It’s just embarrassing and antiquated.
Motorsport is probably the biggest offender in this regard and one of the most odd, if not concerning things I see at the numerous motorsport events I attend throughout Australia is grown men lining up with their kids to get autographs from the grid girls, be they the scantily clad Four X Angels or the like.
It’s a phenomenon I’ve been unable to get my head around.
The Angels perform throughout V8 weekends and they leave little to the imagination.
The 2008 V8 Supercar media guide boasts that the audience of the sport consists of 38% females.
Is that really surprising when the off track entertainment caters for blokey blokes?
It’s driving families and women away from the sport.
Motorsport can hardly claim to be a bastion of enlightened thinking when it comes to equality amongst the sexes.
When IndyCar race winner Danica Patrick was linked with a possible test in Formula 1, the sports commercial ringleader Bernie Ecclestone claimed she should be “dressed in white, like the other domestic appliances.”
Oh dear!
Obviously there is not a direct correlation between having grid girls etc and misdemeanours that have been in the news, but the point is it is a sexist and cheap way of promoting your sport. Sexist in the degrading sense and a cheap and inefficient way to promote your sport, pandering to a specific section of your audience while ignoring others.
Having experienced some of the ‘goings on’ at the Gold Coast Indy and the Clipsal 500, I would have serious reservations about taking children or family to such events.
It’s not just motorsport.
It’s amazing to me that certain news websites, while taking the moral high ground on the misdemeanours of sporting stars and culture of the NRL, are happy to link to the hottest league cheerleaders photo gallery or the like.
At a time when the NRL is facing serious questions about its cultural makeup regarding treatment towards women, is there a place for scantily glad cheerleaders at what should be a family friendly environment?
It’s important to distinguish here too between what image individual athletes present and what the code does.
The aforementioned Danica Patrick has posed for racy shoots with FHM and Sports Illustrated but she, and any other athlete, has the right to pursue whatever career opportunities they wish.
As my Roar colleague Natalie Medhurst states, the sexes should be treated equally and perhaps the different perceptions of male and females doing such shoots points to the inherent sexism still in sport.
There is a difference between the two though. Sporting events should be family friendly environments. The codes should set an example themselves.
For all the criticism that Patrick is a bad role model for such shoots, you have to ask why parents are allowing their kids to read the likes of FHM. Come race time and she is a driver like the rest.
The media has a responsibility here too and as mentioned the hypocrisy of the certain outlets that run trash stories like this and yet act as moral adjudicators in, for example, the Matthew Jones case is pitiful.
It may seem like a bit of harmless fun, but it’s one clear way sports can change their treatment of women.
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Tom said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:03am | Report comment
The link to the cheerleader’s gallery off the foxsports website advertised it with the line ‘pom-poms, pouts and plenty of flesh’.
sheek said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Adrian,
Frankly this is nonsense.
Removing cheerleaders is a knee jerk reaction; a “seen to be doing something” motive; a temporary prevention rather than long-term cure; a band-aid solution to a fracture injury. Etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.
The problem of star players & women seems to be a predominately Australian rugby league problem. And involving a minority of players at that. Sure, other sportsmen from other sports are also tainted, but to a smaller degree again. Clearly, it’s a cultural/attitudinal thing for a minority group of sportsmen.
Blaming cheerleaders is an easy mark on an innocent profession/past-time. I’ve read where cheerleaders aren’t allowed to form relationships with players while both are employed with the same club.
I’ve also read where young women find the experience of cheerleading to be a positive experience. it gives them confidence performing in the public arena, & gives the girls the opportunity to perhaps eventually seek professional dancing &/or modeling careers. That’s got to be a good thing.
Basically, you’re adopting a neanderthal stance – girls aren’t allowed to be women; to show their femininity; to display their figures without you getting bad thoughts, & then not being responsible for your subsequent behaviour.
Instead of the ‘bogeyman’ being responsible for all of society’s ills, we now have the ‘bogey-cheerleader’! Until someone can show me a direct link between cheerleaders performing their dance routines & poor player attitudes towards women, your post is rubbish.
amanda curran said | August 29th 2009 @ 3:29pm | Report comment
Yes the sport and their revolting dancers are rubbish I must give you that…….perhpas an all men event would be the place for them to display their bodys…no in front of my kids…….my grandparents……they look like tramps and act accordinly. Isn’t it about football not a bloody display of tramps running around prading their wares……revolting….never again..
Redb said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:15am | Report comment
I’m split on this, on one hand it is a tangible move by the NRL to ban cheeleaders (or at least cover them up), on the other it would be a shame to reduce the overall spectacle for us males, as our wives or girlfriends often tell us, you can look, but don’t touch.
If we ban voyerism then it would have to work both ways, how far does society want to go? I think it’s reasonable to draw a line in the sand around group sex especially in the 1 girl and 12 men scenario and general degradation of women by the NRL players, but let’s keep things in perspective.
Cheerleaders are more a celebration of the lovely female form.
Redb
br mike said | October 16th 2009 @ 8:43am | Report comment
Treat the problem and not the symptom. Clearly the problem with many League players is that they actually can’t live balanced lives because deep down inside they actually fear the game itself. If you look at their indicators of psychological and emotional health then you wouldn’t have to be Sigmund himself to work it our. Poor interpersonal relationships, drug and alcohol dependency, high rates of post career depression, an incapacity to function within the basic rules of the game. I could go on. Cheer leaders are not the problem so don’t try to scapegoat. The game itself is wrong and many can only play at the highest level if they are externalised puppets who have had their value system corrupted.
Dave1 said | November 3rd 2009 @ 5:35pm | Report comment
You see bad behaviour in other sports. I dont think the game of League is wrong.
Pippinu said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:23am | Report comment
I have to admit that I have always found cheerleaders far too American for my liking (not that there’s anything wrong with Americans, the absolute salt of the Earth).
Also, in the Melbourne context, it was Carlton that first experimented with cheerleaders in the then VFL when they were flying high and were much hated. They were called the Bluebirds.
It was just another reason to hate Carlton more.
Cpaaa said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:34am | Report comment
If anyone did not admire for a moment the pretty girl accompanied to this article then strike me dead for you are not human.
“Remove the cheer leaders from Sport” because it looks so tacky not because it promotes tag team events.
Ljubo Milicevic commented that from his experience, this culture dosnt exist in Europe. Yet in Europe they are more exposed to naked flesh/porn and alcohol from an early age. Its everywhere, you cant avoid it.
so becomes the norm.
Dave said | August 29th 2009 @ 3:47pm | Report comment
and that’s why Italy has such a problem with alcoholism.
Italy: La dolce vita dampened by excess alcohol
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=3.0.3632744345
Slacky said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:41am | Report comment
Much prefer girls to Tah Man. How about drumming cheerleaders?
Mark Young said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:44am | Report comment
Yup we should get rid of the cheerleader since people can ogle their hot bodies.
We should also get the players to play in baggy jumpers and track pants instead of tight clothing which allows people to ogle them as well.
Incidentally, I just watched 750 young ladies do a great half time display at the SCG and they were tops. The girls were buzzing when they came off the field, you could see it in their eyes how stoked they were to perform in front of a huge crowd to appreciative cheering and applause. They shouldn’t be banned.
Tifosi said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:46am | Report comment
I agree with Cpaaa
Cheerleaders are tacky. If you need them to attract males to your sport, then there is something wrong with the sport your following.
Nam Turk said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:51am | Report comment
“I have to admit that I have always found cheerleaders far too American for my liking (not that there’s anything wrong with Americans, the absolute salt of the Earth).”
Of course this comes back to America polluting your traditions. It always is. Nevermind Australian traditions like selling home games and fitting eight sponsors onto one jersey, cheerleaders will be the real downfall of sport!
Choppy said | May 18th 2009 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Adrian must be a Rabbitohs supporter, he can watch the drummers. I’ll take an attractive lady than a big boofy drummer bloke anyday.