Please--fire Dick Enberg. Now.
It enraged me that he got away with making a sexual remark to Kim Clijsters right after she won the 2005 U.S. Open (I wouldn't have lost any sleep if Clijsters had slapped him). Since then, he has repeatedly made remarks about female players' bodies, and not in a tennis-oriented way. Today, his expression of interest in Serena Williams' backside was the end-all.
The repeated public expression of lust is not only inappropriate, but also demeaning to the tour's women (well, maybe not Nicole Vaidisova or Ashley Harkleroad), who already have so much trouble getting people to watch them for their athletic ability.
Diane, I (fortunately) missed Enberg's comment about Serena's posterior, but I was highly offended by his discussion of Ashley Harkleroad's Playboy spread.
ReplyDeleteHarkleroad has the right to make her own decisions, but Enberg's comments about how he reads Playboy for improvement (I believe he compared it to Popular Mechanic) were inappropriate, demeaning, and had no place in ESPN's coverage, especially on a Sunday afternoon when countless children were watching sports with their families.
I heard that, too, Aaress. I just shook my head (I shook it even more over Harkleroad herself, though). Enberg is just beyond the pale.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you today, Diane, when I heard Martina Navratilova on Tennis Channel call one of the players a "girl" during a match... then immediately correct herself and say "woman."
ReplyDeleteI wondered, "Hmmm, does she get half-credit for that?" :)
Martina, I've noticed over the years, is quick to blend in with whatever group she's pinned to. She is probably like a lot of older women I know who say "Well, to me, she's a girl." And I think Martina does a kind of "guys and girls" thing, in general.
ReplyDeleteDid you see that interview she did with Chris Evert in Charleston? When she talked about maybe doing "Dancing With the Stars"? Pretty funny.
I didn't see the interview, but I've heard that possibility mentioned before, and it would be quite interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteAlthough, after Monica Seles showed just how difficult it must be to acquire that particular skill, I can imagine many would think twice. That being said, Seles, even for how great a player she was, was never really described as a "graceful" when she played. Certainly not in the way a Mauresmo might be, or even Navratilova in some ways, considering her volleying and court movement.
I wish she would do the show, if for nothing else than just to be a bit fearless.
Evert said that every year, the two of them get asked to do the show, and the answer every year is "no, no and no." She said she is a terrible dancer. Martina's take on it was that she would be expected to wear a dress, and can you imagine that?. Chris reminded her that Martina had told her she might do it in a tuxedo, and Martina said maybe, as long as it wasn't too butch. The whole thing was quite amusing.
ReplyDeleteMonica, as you say, could never be called a graceful player, and she certainly didn't take to ballroom dancing (all hail the Guchi!). But it was still nice to see her.