Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Female cyclists need a Billie Jean King

The more I learn about women's sports, the more I realize just how remarkable Billie Jean King was--not just for her time--but for our time.

An Australian paper reports on the disparate prize money for male and female cyclists. And like the female tennis players of the 70s, female cyclists are making a tenth of their male counterparts. And the article does not contain any sort of rationale besides some vague reference to, perhaps, an old boys network that does not want to see women biking professionally.

And despite the fact that she believes female cyclists put in the same time and effort as male cyclists, an Australian cyclist Lorian Graham said:

"That's just the way it is. I'm more interested in getting out there and promoting what women can do."

Not exactly the sentiment of someone looking to change the system.

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