A callous remark made by BBC Radio commentator John Inverdale at the Wimbledon women's tennis final last week raises the question: How much sexism can one sport take?
A callous remark made by BBC Radio commentator John Inverdale at the Wimbledon women's tennis final last week raises the question: How much sexism can one sport take?
Both the sport and British media came under fire after Inverdale said new women's champion Marion Bartoli would have to be "the most dogged, determined fighter that anyone has ever seen on the tennis court if [she was]going to make it" because she's not "you know, a looker".
Even more shocking than Inverdale's inappropriate comment, perhaps, is the fact that after the BBC received nearly 700 complaints, his only punishment was a slap on the wrist.
Firstly, why on earth was this man not fired?
The BBC said it couldn’t sack Inverdale because he was too much of a long-standing experienced broadcaster. He was made to apologise and take ownership for his remarks however.
Bartoli took the insult with a pinch of salt though, shrugging the comments off as irrelevant.
But I still don't think the BBC did enough to rectify the situation, which makes me question where its priorities lie.
Media institutions should be fighting social issues like sexism rather than contributing to them. By keeping Inverdale as a voice for BBC, does it not somehow condone his behaviour and attitudes?
What does this say about what the broadcaster feeds into public opinion? Secondly, the British media needs to check its archives.
Andy Murray, who won the Wimbledon men’s singles, was heralded by a number of newspaper headlines as the 'first British winner in 77 years'.
They couldn't have been more wrong. Briton Virginia Wade won the women’s singles in 1977, but the British media casually forgot this victory.
In fact, four British women have won the title since Fred Perry did in 1936.
But even The Daily Mail, the paper that published a very recent interview about her win, claimed Murray was the first British winner in almost eight decades.
Does a Wimbledon victory not count if it was earned by a woman?
One would think that six years after the All England Club bridged the £30 000 gap between the men's and women's prize money, sexism would have left tennis with its tails between its legs.
In 2006 winners Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo received £655 000 and £625 000 respectively.
In a nutshell, the BBC and Wimbledon have a bit of explaining to do. And perhaps some apologising.
