The work Billie Jean King is doing promoting the women's year-end championship in Qatar is the focus of this AP article. She discusses her desire to bring the sport to the Middle East and to bring sport to middle eastern women.
It also notes some of the challenges such as advertising the event in public in ways that do not offend the Muslim culture there. In other words--no picture of players in their skirts and tanks. But WTA head Larry Scott said he doesn't really want to look at any contradictions with the values of the WTA and such concessions. Probably because Scott isn't able to see contradictions generally so it could be a difficult task for him. I'm not even sure he knows what a contradiction is based on his comments:
"Our role is not to discuss concerns we have about society."
But then:
"We are here to build sport, and as a supporting organisation we believe we are a catalyst for change.... Sport is a reflection of society. This event could not have taken place ten years ago, so this is very significant. It will promote more understanding and tolerance and different ways of looking at things. Our athletes are playing a very significant role but we don't have a political and social agenda."
Yeah, I can't really figure it out either.
1 comment:
Larry Scott, as you say, probably doesn't have a clue that he is contradicting himself. The entire tour likes to pat itself on the back for what it does for "women's equality" when in reality, most of them probably can't even spell "women's equality."
The only authentic words regarding equality that I've heard come out of any WTA person's mouth in many years was Venus's kick-ass open letter to the All England Club. And even Venus appears to have backed off of the subject.
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