After Atalanta

After a hefty amount of silence about the investigation into the abuse claims against Hall of Famer Bob Hewitt, the tennis powers that be have indefinitely suspended Hewitt from the hall. That seems like the same thing as being kicked out, given that his "legacy has been stripped from the institution." The 72-year old Australian is living in South Africa currently. He was also recently removed from the South African Sport and Arts Hall of Fame.

After a lot of feet dragging and failed attempts to keep the story quiet, the International Tennis Hall of Fame has said it will investigate the claims of sexual abuse made against inductee Bob Hewitt . This news came out last week, just as the HoF was getting ready to host its annual pro tournament and induct the class of 2012. Claims against Hewitt in South Africa are being looked into. The statute of limitations for alleged abuse that occurred in the United States have all passed. But concerned parties, including the women who allege they were victims of Hewitt's when he was a coach, asked the HoF over a year ago to address the situation. After saying they would draft a policy to deal with future similar situations, rather than addressing the past, the HoF received a great deal of criticism . Now they have hired a Boston law firm to do a confidential investigation. But no one from the organization has commented--apparently all the HoF powers that be were at Wimbledon last we...

In 1992 South African Bob Hewitt was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. It's possible that I was even there that year to see it. (I'd have to ask my dad.) What very few knew then was that years later women from all over the globe would come forward with charges of sexual abuse against Hewitt, who served as a tennis coach in the US and abroad after his playing career was over. Various entities are investigating the charges, (the statute of limitations has expired in the US for filing criminal charges) but th e Hall of Fame is not one of them --despite earlier promises that they would. Abuse perpetuated by coaches is not an uncommon as we might like to believe. There have been years and years of silence in a myriad of sport: swimming, gymnastics, figure skating, among others. But sport federations and associations are starting to own up to the past and taking actions in the present to try to prove they will not turn a blind eye to sexual abuse. When the US Gymnastics Hall ...

Been in Canada this week--hence the lack of posts. (Always an excuse, I know!) Saw some very good tennis Tuesday at the Rogers Cup. (I've included a few photos below.) Last night at the hotel bar, where I was watching a most excellent match between Kim Clijsters and Bethanie Matteks-Sands but drinking an only so-so sidecar, I saw a commercial for the hockey hall of fame. No sound so I am not sure what the exact nature of the commercial was but I was pleased, pleased, pleased to note that two of the first three images flashed onscreen were of women. The first was Cammi Granato with the gold around her neck in Nagano and the third featured members from the Canadian women's team. Since I get accused of being a Debbie Downer so often, I just thought I would take this moment to point out the good that I do have the capacity to see. Enjoy the pics!

Remember back in the 90s some time when Bill Clinton was in office and Hilary Rodham Clinton was empowering some and causing great consternation to others? Wasn't there a Year of the Woman in their somewhere? I guess when that year was over we went back to It's Always Already All About Men. I didn't get the memo which must be why I'm just kind of shocked by the announcement that Boston Breakers co-captain Kristine Lilly (I love the way she spells her first name--so unique!) is being inducted into the The Sports Museum under the special Traditions program which honors Boston athletes. Not surprised that she is being honored in this way. But definitely surprised that she is the first woman to be so honored. I could not find the criteria for induction just that it honors the athletes who have helped make Boston a great sports city. Not sure if it has to be professional athletes or not. If not, how about hockey player Angela Ruggiero who played for Harvard (ok, so it's ...

OK so I probably wouldn't get quite the amount of attention as those other party crashers that continue to make headlines (I don't know which is worse all the hoopla over the party crashers or the previous hoopla over the fact that curry was served at the White House!). But I just found out the entire US Women's National Ice Hockey Team from the 1998 Nagano Olympics are being inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame tonight--in Boston! The whole team. (Well Cammi Granato isn't coming because she is about to have a baby--but she's already in as an individual; inducted last year.) But this includes some of the veterans that are still training for the upcoming Olympics. And heck, I don't have any plans. If only I could find out where it is happening... Anyway, the group is being honored for their contribution to women's ice hockey, for being pioneers in the sport, etc. Also, the late Frank Zamboni is being inducted, which is kinda cool.

I have plenty of thoughts about women and hockey, and it's good to know that others feel similarly. Damien Cox at ESPN.com has a very good editorial about the continued gender discrimination perpetuated by the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Again this year there were no female nominees. Cox notes that this is despite the fact that both the International Hockey Federation HoF and the US HoF recently broke the gender barrier and enshrined female players. It has basically become a pissing contest Cox says with the HHoF seeing how long it can hold out, refusing to change its procedures and reveal how the process really works (beyond our basic understandings of typical old boys' networks). He also takes to the task some of excuses proffered by HoF officials like "there isn't enough of a women's hockey history yet" (been around just as long as the men's game--just because looks different doesn't mean it isn't there) and that female players' accompli...

...that I meant to post on this weekend but didn't quite get around to. I was buoyed from my usual cynical position by three things that happened Friday evening, which was a very good thing because I had being having a crappy day until then. Anyway, the first thing (only because I am talking about it first--all three happened within about an hour of each other) is that NPR covered the Paralympics. It was a segment on, I believe, All Things Considered. The stars of the games including US swimmer Erin Popovich . The disqualification of an Irish soccer player because he was too able-bodied, and the doping scandals(there were four athletes sent home for steroid abuse). Then I heard on that same NPR station--not sure if it was local or national news--that the Basketball Hall of Fame has formed a committee to look into basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, particularly during segregation. It will review records of teams, players and coaches who have historically b...

Thanks to reader and commenter jfb I found out, in the wake of new knowledge that the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto currently contains no female inductees, that the US Hockey Hall of Fame in Minnesota does not either. But it plans on rectifying the situation this fall when it will honor four new inductees including the first ever woman, Cammi Granato --who has already been inducted into the International Hockey Hall of Fame in a class that also included the first ever female inductees. Good I guess. Still, what have they been waiting for?

Sure, it's August and some of you are like what are you talking about ice hockey for? Well some of us are always thinking about hockey--I'm not actually one of them. Once college hockey season ends I move on. But those Canadians, they think about hockey ALL THE TIME, as evidenced by this editorial in the Edmonton Journal . It seems that the Hockey Hall of Fame has never inducted a female player. They have an exhibit on women's hockey but no inductees. Hmmm...curious. Well not really if you're paying any attention at all so I guess such a fact then is just plain disturbing/annoying/irksome--insert your adjective of choice. The writer does a fairly good job with the history of women's hockey and the the arguments/excuses levied against women's participation.

Last year the Soccer Hall of Fame thought it was just the bestest for inducting an all-female class; the first ever all-female class. How does that saying go...? One step forward...before the patriarchy just squashes you and makes you remember why you've bought into all that postmodern musing on the quaint notion of progress. This year the Hall of Fame is inducting , fresh off his lengthy legal battle over sexual harassment, eventual settlement, and admittance (kind of) of inappropriate behavior...drum roll please...University of North Carolina women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance. National Soccer Hall of Fame, President Steve Baumann said: "Anson Dorrance has set an unbelievable standard for American soccer coaches. His success at UNC is staggering and his World Championship with the U.S. women's national team has inspired coaches to higher levels of excellence." Yes it was so excellent the way he got away with sexual innuendo, questioning of his players' pers...

I read this morning that Kim Clijsters is retiring --effective immediately. She had said, for some time, that this would be her last year but she decided she just could not make it to the end of the season as planned given her nagging injuries and the physical toll the game takes on the body. Although I have not always been on board with the "I want to get married and have babies" housewife discourse around her decision, I think the retirement is still a huge loss for tennis. And I think her retirement brings up two important issues to consider. The first is an old one that is allegedly being addressed by the WTA. How absurd has the sport gotten that 23-year olds are retiring early because of persistent injuries and pain? And actually they are not specifically addressing this but rather the length of the season which they see as a contributing factor in injuries and burnout. Unfortunately I see the plans that aim to make some events mandatory as counterintuitive. I just finis...

I am perusing the USTA supplement that comes with my TENNIS magazine very month. It reports on the latest class of Hall of Fame inductees and offers this headline: Sampras Leads Hall of Fame Inductees This irks for a few reasons that stem from what "leads" really means in this context. Remember, Pete Sampras and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario are both being inducted under the recent player category. Frequently the recent player inductee is the headliner--except maybe for the year when Bud Collins got inducted as a contributor (no offense to Hana Mandlikova. I suppose Sampras may "lead" because he has more Grand Slam singles titles than Sanchez-Vicario. But they are actually tied for overall Grand Slam titles with 14 because Sanchez-Vicario has numerous doubles and mixed doubles titles. Yes, in tennis we tend to privilege singles titles for some strange reason, as if it takes more fortitude to win a singles title. I think winning a doubles title is quite difficult because ...

The only reason I know Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario is getting inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame this year is because I read feminist blogs. In fact I knew about her induction long before I found out Pete Sampras was getting inducted, too. Problem is that most are reporting Sampras's honor first and Sanchez-Vicario's as an afterthought--if at all. During coverage of the Australian Open last night, Sampras gave a live interview which was boring, drawn-out and filled with inane questions like the oft-repeated: who would win Wimbledon if you and Federer were playing in the final, both at your prime? [Sampras is not the most articulate man, either. Lot of stock responses; lot of repetition.] Oh, yeah, by the way--Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario is being inducted in the recent player category too, we hear after the interview ends. At least Cliffie and Patrick gave mention to her honor. On the ESPN ticker last night under tennis: "Pete Sampras to be inducted into Hall of Fame." That...