Last week, Raymond Moore, the CEO of Indian Wells, which is the host of a massive tennis tournament (also known as BNP Paribas Open) in Indian Wells, California every year in March, held a press conference at the end of the tournament to say a few words at the closing of his own event. What was supposed to be a positive, congratulatory, uplifting conference filled with only good remarks about the fantastic players who participated, including Djokovic, Williams, Nadal, Azarenka, and more, turned into a nasty event that put down women everywhere. One of the worst parts about it was that he made his remarks right before the final match between Azarenka and Williams, both of whom are incredible women, as tennis players and as people/activists.
At the press conference, Moore remarked, “In my next life, when I come back, I want to be someone in the WTA [Women’s Tennis Association] because they ride on the coattails of the men. They don't make any decisions, and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky. If I was a lady player, I'd go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born because they have carried this sport. They really have." (ESPN)
What?! Watch one minute of Serena Williams play tennis and try to tell me that she is riding on the coattails of anyone except herself and her hard work. In no way have women ever depended upon men in the sport of tennis, except to support their games just as they support the men’s games. It’s ridiculous to think that in 2016, such sexist comments are still being made at press conferences by people of great wealth and power who, frankly, should know better. There is no way I can twist Moore’s words around to view them in a positive light. It raises the question, does he think he is untouchable? That he can say anything about women and get away with it?
I bet if you were to ask Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, they would praise female tennis players and scoff at the idea of themselves being heralded as literal “gods among [wo]men.” This isn’t to say that neither Nadal nor Federer aren’t completely praiseworthy for their individual performances in tennis (because they are), but that’s what they do: They perform individually in tennis. Yes, they do other things, including volunteering and advertisements (which are certainly things to brag about), but in no way have they affected the drive or tennis skills of any female professional tennis player. What do female tennis players have to thank them for?
Every tennis player, I’m sure, has someone — male or female — who was an inspiration for their career, but this doesn’t mean that that person should be thanked for the long hours of practice that the player went through to become the “great” that they did. Additionally, maybe female tennis players weren’t inspired by Nadal or Federer or any other man, in which case, why should they thank them? For practicing their hardest and making tennis a popular sport? Female tennis players, especially Williams and Sharapova, have on their own made tennis a more welcoming and inclusive sport. Sharapova, for instance, has starred in a multitude of advertisements and has been ranked as the highest-paid female athlete in the world multiple times in recent years, and has certainly made an impact in the world and would argue that she did it without the help of Nadal or Federer (for example). Serena has brought the popularity of tennis back to the United States when it was a European-dominated sport for many, many years.
All in all, this is a sad time for tennis and a sad time for women. What will it take for women to be seen as their own people and be congratulated for accomplishments without having to reference or thank men first? Both men’s and women’s tennis are great, and professional tennis players of all genders are extremely impressive sportspeople who should be respected for their talents based on the hard work and dedication it took to get to that point in their lives. We in the sports world (and we as people who want equality) should look to praise all people for their accomplishments instead of lowering them.
Congratulations to Azarenka and Djokovic, who won the tournament this past week. I hope that we can all learn from Moore’s comments and rejoice in the fact that he has stepped down from his position as CEO. The position of CEO is no place for a sexist.