Last month, Anna Meares became the greatest female track cyclist in the sport’s history.
Anna’s a freak of nature. She broke her neck seven months before the Beijing Olympics and still won silver. She’s won 11 world titles. She’s got five Olympic medals, two of them gold.
And she can box-jump 110 centimetres.
Winning her 11th world title to become the best ever woman on a bike was an opportunity for cycling to bask in some good PR. Let’s be honest, it can ill afford to let those opportunities go begging.
Then along came the E3 Harelbeke publicity machine. Let’s have a bit of a laugh to promote our event, they said. Let’s reprise that proud moment when Peter Sagan grabbed that podium girl on the arse.
Who cares if it completely lacks context – on a competitive plain, at any rate – let’s put out a poster featuring some pert female butt that asks: “Who squeezes them at Harelbeke?”
As we mark the 40th International Women’s Day, these contrasts – no, let’s call them what they are – these double standards remain rife in sport, as they do in everyday society.
While every sport can point to its inroads, there are just as many roadblocks, if not more.
The Football Association, for instance, wants to stamp out sexism in sport, horrified that the increasing number of women involved in the game are being taunted by crowds to ‘get your tits out for the lads’.
Yet FIFA has decreed that when the women’s World Cup kicks off in Canada in June, it’ll be played on artificial turf. Maybe for its exfoliative properties.
Imagine the furore if Neymar, Leo Messi or pretty boy Cristiano Ronaldo had to play on artificial turf. Let alone Arjen Robben and the Italian diving team.
Over in cricket land, Channel Nine made a big deal about bringing Meg Lanning onto the commentary team. She disappears into the ether and we spend the summer listening to Shane Warne wax lyrical about his favourite pizza.
In the meantime, good luck trying to watch women’s cricket on telly, even when we’re winning the T20 World Cup.
The International Olympic Committee was rightly pleased that in 2012, for the first time ever, every competing country had female athletes, including Saudi Arabia. Considering just 20 years beforehand, 32 countries sent only male athletes to Barcelona, then yes, it’s quite an achievement.
But let’s look at one sport that was introduced at the Barcelona Games – beach volleyball. Can you spot the double standard in the clobber the men and women are asked to play in? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.
Don’t get me wrong. I admire a fit athletic body as much as the next person, but let’s have a bit of gender equity in our eye candy.
Rugby league and NFL clubs talk about the steps they’re taking to address sexism, then send out scantily clad cheerleaders every weekend and wonder why so many players treat women like crap.
Susie Wolff is blazing a trail for women in Formula One, where she’s a test driver for Williams. One day she hopes to line up on the grid, where she’ll have no shortage of female company, though she’ll be the only one behind the wheel.
Tennis can be proud it’s one of the few sports that gives women pretty much equal billing. Then boofhead commentators ask Eugenie Bouchard to “give us a twirl” and who she’d like to date.
All of these examples send messages, oblique and blatant, that for all the achievements of female athletes, for all the strong female role models out there, women in sport are still viewed through an ornamental filter.
My nine-year-old daughter has always enjoyed wearing shorts and a t-shirt more than a dress. A few days ago she decided she wanted a haircut like a boy. She says she’s more comfortable dressing as a boy. She feels freer and stronger. She doesn’t get treated like a princess. The world doesn’t come to a stop if she falls over and hurts herself. She can just ‘be’.
These are her words, not mine. She loves being a girl. But at her tender age, she has already worked out that, even in these enlightened times, there are advantages to being a boy.
karlos
Guest
Females are not as interested in sport as males. Shame so many want to be princesses. I encourage female participation and recently went and saw Glory Girls play soccer grand final. Enjoyed Jillaroos playing Nz as well. Male pain not given the same value as female pain is a problem. Male victims of dv being one issue. We don't want to go down the same road as US universities where males sports are only allowed to be as popular as female sports, so sporting teams have been slashed.
NaBUru38
Guest
Great article, kazblah. Society has progressed a lot, but there's still plenty to do. It's sad to see sports players, executives, hournalists and fans keep doing ugly stuff every week. Please tell your daughter that anyone who judges her by her looks isn't seeing inside her.
Jill
Guest
Never mind the cheerleaders at the NRL etc .... I got talking to a guy at an australian airport recently and when i said i worked in the aust sports media we got on to talking sport (obviously) and Rugby as he was originally a Sydney sider. Asked about teams etc and then asked him if he followed Sevens as it's the world's fastest growing sport, in the next Olympics and we have two great national teams - especially the Women's team - ranked #2 in the world. Firstly - not keen on 7s over XVs; secondly didn't know we had a women's team or that women played 7s ... worst of all he said if he had to watch women playing footy he preferred watching the Women's Lingerie League (or whatever it's called) " ... because... you know... nicer to watch!!" I mean really!!! Do we have any hope!!
Kaks
Roar Guru
Riordan, there are massive amounts of resources invested in Women's football in Brazil, Spain, Japan, Germany, USA, Sweden, Norway, Canada and many other countries. Are the women players/teams better than the Men? Tennis has 50/50 split between Men and Women, yet female tennis players are clearly inferior to male tennis players. Just need to jump off the political correct train, put down the tinted glasses and look at the real world.
Kaks
Roar Guru
"In the meantime, good luck trying to watch women’s cricket on telly, even when we’re winning the T20 World Cup." The fact is that there is a lack of interest in women's cricket. You can cry foul play as much as you'd like but women's cricket has a very small amount of viewers as the standard compared to the men is inferior. "Susie Wolff is blazing a trail for women in Formula One" Susie Wolff is known for only being where she is today in F1 for being married to Toto Wolff - Board director and shareholder at Williams, the same team Susie is the test driver for. "Then boofhead commentators ask Eugenie Bouchard to “give us a twirl” and who she’d like to date." These were questions asked post match during the Australian Open, the 'boofhead commentators' always ask light hearted questions during those interviews for both men AND women. Just making a mountain out of a mole hill. "Tennis can be proud it’s one of the few sports that gives women pretty much equal billing." Equal billing? Or bias towards the women's game? Its arguable that the women's game generates less interest and less sponsorship than the men's game. It is a known fact that men play longer matches than women do during grand slams, and yet women are guaranteed half the prize money. How is that Equal? Dont get me wrong, im all about equality between men and women. But thats just it, i want equality. If women's sport generates more interest, brings in more money and creates more superstars then by all means televise it and give women their fair share of prize money. They deserve it. But if it is shown that women dont generate as much interest, as much money or as many superstars then why should we make it equal just to appease a bunch of people like you who clearly have a chip on their shoulder and want women to have equal rights "just cause" without earning it? political correctness aside, most women's sport's are not up to the standard of men's sport. You will probably think that was a sexist comment because of this major chip you have on your shoulder however it is the plain truth that can be proven by the lack of sport's where women can arguably say that their product is the better product.
Kaks
Roar Guru
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luzhniki_Stadium Luzhniki stadium in Moscowm Russia hosted the Champions League final in 2008 which had players like Lampard, Drogba, Terry, Ronald, Rooney, Tevez etc. etc. etc. The Stadium has an astroturf surface. There was a bit of talk, but at the end of the day zero commotion about the fact.
pjm
Roar Rookie
So while you agree that it is inferior you still expect people to watch it?
Riordan Lee
Editor
I feel like you didn't read my comment at all...
pjm
Roar Rookie
Keep your volume down when you're watching it, someone might think you're watching porn.
pjm
Roar Rookie
How isn't it inferior?
SM
Guest
Women’s tennis has been given the platform to demonstrate how dreadful it actually is.
Riordan Lee
Editor
Women's tennis is exactly the reason why affirmative action needs to be taken. Women's sport only started to grow and succeed when they had equal prize-money - it boosted participation, it legitimised the sport, it gave women the resources to turn the sport into a high quality product. We've never given women's sport a chance to grow and when we do - it does great.
Riordan Lee
Editor
Ugh these comments are incredibly disheartening. Great article Kaz. The argument that women's sport is inferior and therefore doesn't deserve the same attention as men is the dumbest trope there is. There's a lack of quality sport because the system is stacked against them - because it's never given a chance to blossom. If you never show women's sport, it's never going to get interest, it's never going to get participation, resources etc etc. We need to invest in women's sport and actually give it a chance.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Why would a competition for road bikes for males in Belgium care about an indoor female Australian cyclist?
blob
Guest
half of the population is female the other half male, so why is it sexist if female sports don't get coverage? if half the potential consumer base for professional sport is female but only a fraction of coverage, is it because it is sexiest or because of the quality of sport? womens tennis has no problem attracting fans but most other sports lack
CG2430
Guest
Fair call on some of the double standards, but the reason most aren't interested is because the skill and competition is inferior. Women's cricket? Women's tennis? Please. Don't mind women's netball every now and then, however - because the women are the best at it. The rest is not worth watching.
SM
Guest
"Imagine the furore if Neymar, Leo Messi or pretty boy Cristiano Ronaldo had to play on artificial turf. Let alone Arjen Robben and the Italian diving team" All these players would have played on artificial turf at some point in their careers. While clearly not the majority, these pitches are more commonplace than what you're suggesting. As for Susie Wolff, no doubt she's a great driver, but where would she be without her husband? She's no Michele Mouton that's for sure.