The Story
It all started after the former CEO and director of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, Raymond Moore kicked off a storm with his sexist remark about female tennis players.
He felt that the women players were merely “riding the coattails of the men” and they should “go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were born because they have carried this sport.”
This openness of thought, which at best should have been part of just little gossip with like-minded male chauvinists, resulted in his departure from the CEO’s position and also added fuel to the long burning issue of pay equality for women in sport.
Since then there have been many opinions but no end to the debate. The latest to voice thoughts is British star, Andy Murray.
Murray Supports Pay Equality
The 30-year-old has expressed total support for the pay equality cause which has currently become the biggest talking point for many current and ex-sport persons. Speaking from his own experiences, Murray conceded that there should be no reason to stand against pay equality for both men and women invest the same amount of sweat in achieving success in sports.
“I would find it hard to look any of the top female tennis players in the eye if I did not speak my mind. People often underestimate the amount of work that it takes to become a top tennis player. And that work ethic is the same whether you are a man or a woman.”
“There are hours spent in the gym, on court, in physio, travelling, analysing matches and opponents, talking with your team, managing your body, and of course, making plenty of sacrifices.”
“Anyone who has spent any time with any of the top women will know that they make those same sacrifices and are as determined and committed to winning as any of the top men on the tour.”
Drawing inspiration from Mum
Murray cited the example of his mother to explain further about his stance on equal pay and the importance of treating attracting a young girl to sports.
“Having a mother who was as interested and involved in sport as mine was, it has always felt very natural for me that girls should be as engaged in sport as boys. I now know that’s not the case, and that many girls drop out once they become teenagers.”
“It is something my mum is passionate about changing. She has a programme called Miss-Hits which teaches girls the basics of tennis – currently boys outnumber girls four to one in the sport.”
“Future is bright.”
Murray also writes that over the years thing has been changing drastically by a significant initiative being introduced to reduce the gap and provide more exposure to the women’s section. He went to give examples of not only the sport in which he specialises but also other major sports where the efforts to make women more empowered are in full swing.
“Tennis has come a long way in the past 35 years since the US Open first gave equal pay to men and women.”
“Female sportswomen rarely get as much air-time as men, and there are still not enough women in the top jobs in sport, but things are improving.”
“Traditionally male-dominated sports have invested significantly in raising the level of play in their top women, so that the performances are more attractive to big crowds, column inches and TV coverage. Now they are getting much more exposure which is great – if more girls can see women competing at a top level, it will hopefully encourage more girls into sport across the board.”
“The ICC has worked hard at getting girls to play cricket at an amateur level, and of course, the England ladies winning the Cricket World Cup was huge in terms of publicity for the sport. Football is also moving forwards, and it’s great to see so much women’s football on TV now.”
“In general, I think the future is positive. We’ve got more female role models than ever before, more female commentators than ever before and more people championing the rights for women in sport than ever before.”