Martina Navratilova pleasantly surprised me again today. She and Rennae Stubbs were part of the Tennis Channel French Open commentary team for the Safina-Azarenka match, and at one point, Stubbs referred to "the girls on the tour." Replied Navratilova, "We can call them 'girls' but the men have to call them 'women.' We don't call them 'boys'."
I've little doubt that Navratilova understands that--in most contexts--women should not be referring to the women as "girls," either; rather, she was being tactful toward Stubbs.
I don't know how or when Navratilova got her consciousness raised, but it's a great thing, especially among sports media personalities.
I was figuring you might load up on Martina for calling the other female players "guys" during that match just a few minutes before the "girls" conversation with Stubbs, so I'm guessing either you missed that first part or the second made up for it. ;)
ReplyDeleteI missed it. Apparently, Martina's language hasn't quite caught up with her consciousness...or perhaps it's the other way around.
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