Sport to the right of us, sport to the left of us and I’m caught in the middle again! Golf has just been hit with Covid and no doubt there will be other disciplines to be weakened with this news. Just been listening to Steve Bunce commentate on the Taekwondo and I got so excited I turned to the television coverage to watch the last few minutes but it wasn’t half as dramatic but by the time I brought Steve together with the TV – it was over. I’m sticking to my wireless. Radio commentators are second to none, they paint pictures and give great information and you don’t miss anything if you move away to make a cup of tea, just bring them with you.
I thought the opening ceremony was dull and slow but then I got into the rhythm and meaning of what was being performed and I was mesmerised. The bicycle road racing was amazing, what stamina – over six hours riding in sweltering heat and humidity, the mind boggles. I am quite excited about the coming couple of weeks provided this weather hangs about, I can’t take it and I stay indoors when possible, all the doors and windows open just the necessary watering of the tomatoes. I have one which has ripened and I will be enjoying it a little later. Alisa Craig as usual.
I just love listening to Steve Bunce who at the moment has moved onto the judo competition. He really enthuses and draws you into the actions. He gets very excited, all very different to Wimbledon and the commentators.
Marton Fucsovic with fiancée Anett Böszörményi
Boris Becker thrives on being controversial but I think recent criticism has been unjustified, he dared to call a tennis player’s fiancee ‘pretty’ when commentating on the Wimbledon match between Hungarian Marton Fucsovic and Novak Djokovic. Focsovic’s girl friend was watching the match which Djokovic won in straight sets, and when a shot of Anett Böszörményi was flashed on the screen John Inverdale quipped that: “If you’re a tennis player it’s always good to have a partner called Anett”. Boom boom. Lame joke but it’s typical of him to make lame jokes. Quick as a flash Becker came back: “They do say they have the most beautiful women in Hungary. I wouldn’t know that but she’s certainly very pretty”. Now he’s been accused of ‘crossing the line’.
Chief executive of Women in Sport, Stephanie Hillborne, said: “The charity Women in Sport has worked for decades to change sporting culture, including to end the objectification of women. When two men are comfortable talking about women in this way, never mind on live TV, it shows there is still more to do.” I wonder did she mind in one newspaper Matteo Berrettii was descried as ‘eye candy’!
Tennis Shoe On The Other Foot
Just to give a shout out for women, here’s a blond men joke.
A blond man spots a letter on his doormat. It says on the envelope DO NOT BEND. He spend the next two hours tryng to figure out how to pick it up.
After the Boris debacle, social media comments came in hot and heavy calling BBC disgraceful and Becker a sexist. I happened to be watching that match, I saw Anett and heard the comments. It didn’t register with me that these were objectionable but then I lived through the burning of the bra days of women’s liberation, if a man even dared look at you sideways in those days there’d be a protest march! But the majority of women didn’t go along with the extremists, there was usually some woman older and wiser to turn to for support, especially in business, and the matter was addressed. However, women’s libbers did do us a favour, it publicised how men treated women as goods and chattels. We began to stand up for ourselves, refusing to be ‘owned’ by our men and for some it worked but for many others it didn’t and they suffered dreadfully, to this day men dominate women, just look at the cases of sexual and domestic abuse, the trolling of women on Twitter, the threats from unknown individuals. These are serious concerns yet to be dealt with.
But in my opinion reacting to Becker in this way is petty and not worth boycotting the BBC because of his remark which I am sure he meant as a compliment. It demeans all the more serious cases.
BUT. And it’s a big but. When I talked to a young psychologist he had a much more pragmatic view and I learned a lot. He said that in his opinion and with his experience we tread a very fine line, comments like Becker’s are disrespectful and what right did he have to open a discussion on her looks however complimentary he thought he was being. Problem is he didn’t think and there’s the rub. Both men and women, and I include myself, say things that offend and we don’t even realise it. We have to begin to consider our opinions and, as is said, put our brains in gear before we open our mouths. It comes down to self discipline, being in charge of our thinking and saying. Of course there are so many who just don’t care about what they say, they yell ‘free speech’ when they’re accused of being crass and offensive, just consider on-going sectarianism and the current hate speech against black players on the England team and how this has revealed a cauldron of racism against anyone these people consider to be ‘non-white’.
BBC Reaction
The BBC have since released a statement defending the 53-year-old blond pundit.
“Boris Becker made a light-hearted comment that was not intended to cause offence.”
Pass remarkable Becker was also in hot water when he criticised Naomi Osaka for refusing to submit herself to being grilled by the media when coming straight off court. He’s reported as saying: “Is that really pressure? Isn’t it pressure when you don’t have food on the table? When you’ve got to feed your family and you don’t have a job? When you have a life-changing injury? Isn’t that more pressure?
“You’re 23, you’re healthy, you’re wealthy, your family is good. Where’s the f*****g pressure?” Charming.
This Is For You Boris B.
A blond man shouts frantically into the phone, ‘My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart’. ‘Is this her first child?’ asks the doctor. ‘No,’ he shouts, ‘this is her husband’.
One other comment comes to me from a woman who nursed spinal patients. “The coverage of wheelchair tennis was appalling. These men and women who have been to hell and back have to play their finals on an outdoor court, no ‘stars’ to steal the limelight, no big celebration on court, no royalty to present the prizes, although Duchess of Cambridge did put in an appearance at the men’s wheelchair singles final . Thankfully the sparse audience was made up of people who care and who appreciate what these players have overcome and the life they lead, often in pain.” I agree whole heartedly.
With more tennis coming up, why can’t decent courts be built for wheelchair users and some glory given to them? Centre court at Wimbledon is there for the abled bodied finalists, they have all the kudos so it’s unfair and the whole thing reeks of inequality.
And for wheelchair finalists, runner-up Gordon Reid and winner Joachim Gerard, to have their tiny trophies presented by two members of tournament management was such an insult.
I suggest we write to Clare Balding.
