When I was about 16 -18 years old, before I began playing squash professionally, I began modeling. I appeared in various Canadian fashion magazines and ads. My Mom, was never a fan of this venture, but my brothers and friends encouraged it. She did not want beauty or clothing to define who I was. My mom had a few talks with me about this, and I began to realize that I was not cut out for the modeling industry.
Now as a professional athlete in a not so mainstream sport, I still don’t feel as if I have moved far away from an industry that focused largely on body image to sell something. In an attempt to promote squash throughout Toronto and Canada I have been asked to play in a number of exhibition matches at various sports clubs… As much as enjoy exposing squash to public and being given the chance to demonstrate my talent, I know that there is another aspect of myself that I am showing off on court.
I am not dumb or blind, I recognize that there are female squash players in Canada that are better than me. But the ladies who are asked to play in exhibition matches are either the best players they can get their hands on or are considered attractive by the general public, are well-liked and social.
I don’t think it is necessarily right or fair that certain people are gaining more recognition in a sport because they are more attractive than fellow players. I am not going to turn a blind eye, or play dumb and argue that sex appeal is not being used to sell my sport. But I am also not going to put on a thong and prance around on court to help. Instead, I am going to continue playing and training hard, because let’s face it before anything all these girls were above average athletes that had to work hard within their sport to get noticed. Unfortunately in our twisted world some people have a difficult time drawing a fine line between a an attractive female and sex, athlete or not.
What's Wrong With a Thong?
As a young female athlete, I have been commended, stereotyped and discriminated against. Through both my University career and in various points of my life I have personally experienced and witnessed the role sex appeal and appearance play in the popularity of female sports and individual recognition within it.
I would first like to give you a brief background of my sports career. I just turned twenty and I have been playing squash professionally since I was 18. I have been a member of Canadian Women’s Senior and Junior Squash Teams. I have traveled across the world competing since I was about 12 years old. As I mentioned earlier, squash is definitely not a mainstream sport. Little recognition is given to the world’s finest players, despite being named the most physically demanding sport ahead of boxing and swimming numerous years in a row. It is barely broadcasted on sports networks and receives minimal attention in News Papers and magazines.
I would first like to give you a brief background of my sports career. I just turned twenty and I have been playing squash professionally since I was 18. I have been a member of Canadian Women’s Senior and Junior Squash Teams. I have traveled across the world competing since I was about 12 years old. As I mentioned earlier, squash is definitely not a mainstream sport. Little recognition is given to the world’s finest players, despite being named the most physically demanding sport ahead of boxing and swimming numerous years in a row. It is barely broadcasted on sports networks and receives minimal attention in News Papers and magazines.
When I was about 13 years old a female squash player made the front page of Sports News Papers across Europe and North America. But she didn’t make headlines for being the best, or winning some grand tournament. Vicki Botwright was the 16th seed in the Women’s Squash British Open when she showed up wearing a just a thong and sports bra to go on court. She argued "You can get hot and sweaty playing this game…and the clothes can stick to your skin. I would like the chance to wear something that is less restrictive." The Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) after much debate ended up not allowing her to wear her “thong” outfit, arguing it would throw off the refs. But Botwright and squash received national and international press which was unheard of to the sport, before and after the decision. Websites have been dedicated to pictures of Botwright in her thong outfit and Botwrights homepage actually got more hits that Anna Kournikova's.
Botwright has since than reached fifth in the world and growing up she was one of the more popular female squash players because of the publicity of her British Open stunt. As a 13 year old girl, I was old enough to recognize that wearing a thong on court was a little weird and over the top, but it didn’t stop me from admiring her because she was good at the sport I loved. I was still blind to the fact that it was the sex appeal that was giving her attention, and not her talent.
As I got older, I would reminisce on the Vicki Botwright scandal, and I began to detest her behaviour. I was disgusted that someone would actually do that to get some sort of attention. I thought it was embarrassing as a young upcoming squash player. But, I recently made a discovery, that altered my opinion on the entire event.
While reading a blog on Sex and Sports, I learned that that WISPA and the British Open representatives came up with a plan to help media coverage. . . It was to find a girl withi the tournament who was basically willing to strip down for her sport, and then watch as the press flocked to the sport. Botwright 23 at the time, volunteered and became the naïve puppet in their grand scheme. She got kicked off of her local Manchester team and was treated foully by a number of people and press.
While reading a blog on Sex and Sports, I learned that that WISPA and the British Open representatives came up with a plan to help media coverage. . . It was to find a girl withi the tournament who was basically willing to strip down for her sport, and then watch as the press flocked to the sport. Botwright 23 at the time, volunteered and became the naïve puppet in their grand scheme. She got kicked off of her local Manchester team and was treated foully by a number of people and press.
Ranked 18th in the world then, she received a ton of publicity for the event. Now seven years later, she is ranked 10 spots higher but she is keeping her clothes on... focussing more on the athletic aspect or her sport. Today, you will rarely see her name mentioned in her local paper, let alone on an international stage.
The Girls
Firstly, I’d like to briefly highlight some of sport’s best known (and arguably finest) female athletes and my introductions to them. I’d like to note that the following girls have more than just athletic talent in which ties them together. They are all above average in appearance, they are the spokespersons for not only their sports but for various companies, some have appeared in music videos, men’s magazine, have songs written about them or even their own Barbie doll.
There are two girls in tennis that are widely known for both their on court abilities and beauty, and this is where I would like to begin. Anna Kournikova and Two-time grand slam winner and tennis sensation Maria Sharapova. One is currently ranked #1 in the world, the other never reached the top 5.
In my opinion Anna Kournikova is like the foremother of the “female athlete" as a "sex symbol”. Kournikova was never the number 1 in tennis, at her very best she was ranked 8th in the world. However, her earnings were about equal to the number one player at the time, Martina Hingis, who was winning millions in tournament money. The difference was Kournikova was the steriotypical “Hot” girl that could grab guys attention. She is tall, long legged, blonde, tanned and was “barely legal” when she began her career. Her endorsement contracts put her ahead of a number or the worlds most accomplished athletes. She appeared on a number of covers for men’s magazines, was even named “sexiest woman alive” for one. I was first introduced to her on TV, while my brother was channel surfing. He mumbled quietly something along the lines of “she’s so hot, but not that great at tennis”.
Maria Sharapova a few years later fit the same "hot girl" profile as Kournikov. She has been ranked the leading female athlete in money earnings this year through tournaments and endorsements. However, she didn't gain celebrity status or recognition in tennis until her Wimbledon 2004 win, where she soon after became ranked number 1 in the world. Since then she has become the spokesperson for Sony Ericcson cell phones, Nikon cameras, Nike, and Gatorade to name only a few.
Working at a tennis club as a tennis instructor for the past three years I have heard my fair share of comments about Sharapova, from 15 year olds boys to 60 year old men. Despite age differences, their comments (with variations in vocabulary) were rarely about her tennis game and very similar. When I would watch tennis tournaments on T.V during “lunch-time” and Sharipova was on screen, the girls I taught would talk about her “pretty dresses” and “sparkly earrings”. I found this interesting because whenever te men were shown on TV playing tennis, all the comments from men and children alike were regarding their ability to play tennis.
I think it is important to at least note that Sharapova unlike Kournikova, only became internationally popular and recognized as beautiful and talented after her big wins. Unlike her predecessor, who actually never won any major single tournaments in her professional career.
I was introduced to Danica Patrick when I was flipping channels late one night and came across David Letterman. I had no idea who the girl was at the time, I assumed an upcoming actress, but soon discovered that she is the first ever female NASCAR driver. She was without doubt a pretty girl, and Letterman was quick to point that out. They even talked about the effects of that on her popularity, and all her endorsements for a while, but I can’t really remember specifics. What I do remember was when Letterman pulled out from his desk the Danica Patrick barbie doll that had just been put on Toy Store Shelves across America. But Danica’s success and beauty has been used to sell products to more than just little girls. She also appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and was even asked to appear in Playboy but denied. * Something inside me respects her a lot more for not accepting that offer. . .
Then there is the “All-American Girl” Natalie Gulbis. Gulbis plays in the LPGA and I knew nothing about her until I started dating my boyfriend, who is a nationally ranked golf player. According to my boyfriend she is the sex symbol of the LPGA. Like Kournikova, she has never been the best, or even close. She didn’t win her first LPGA event until 2007, five years after beginning her professional career in the LPGA. However she placed sixth on the LPGA money list, earning over a million per year in endorsements. Gulbis’ media coverage in the LPGA has been compared to Tiger Woods in PGA tour. She receives the same amount of coverage in the LPGA as Tiger Woods. The difference is Tiger Woods is considered the best golf player of his time, he has broken records and then broken them again. Natalie Gulbis is a middle of the pack LPGA player and no where near comparable to Tiger in the PGA with regards to talent.
I found the following video on youtube. It takes place after Gulbis's first LPGA win and discusses how everyone had forgotten that Gulbis was actually a "good" golfer because of her "look". It emphasizes how Gulbis "woke up men to female golf", but then tries to argue that she is a player and a winner, and not golf's Kournikova. I have a tough time with that one, because Kournikova at her peak was actually ranked higher than Gulbis. I thought it was too good not to show...
Is This What We Need? Or, What "They" Want?
I have a lot of questions and concerns regarding the combination of sex appeal and sports...
Yes, female athletes and female sports are getting more media coverage than ever. BUT is this a true representation of female athletes, or just the image that media has created to appeal to potential viewers and consumers? Obviously, I realize this isn’t the first time the media has done this to sell a product, but as a competitive athlete in a not so mainstream sport, I understand the importance of media recognition with respect to promotion and popularity of your sport. However, I am not sure if using sex appeal is the right way to get recognition.
Then again, I am beginning to second guess myself…
As I begin to watch who is getting attention within the mainstream sports like the LPGA, WTA, WNBA, WPA, and others professional women’s associations, it is obvious that such sport associations are saying “yes” to sex appeal in an attempt to sell their sport to the public.
Some think as long as were in the spotlight it’s a start. But could this time in the spot light, just be like a “one hit wonder” for the specific sport… I mean as soon as the attractive girl gets injured or retires, then what happens to the sport within the media? Will the fan base and media coverage continue purely based on the love of the sport? I think this is what many of us would like to believe, but I don’t think were being true to ourselves.
This brings about another series of questions. If we use attractive girls to promote a sport, our main fan-base should be men... Right? But right now, the majority of the female sport fan base, is in actuality young girls who are aspiring athletes. By continuing to promote sex in female sports, one may create a new fan-base of male sports fans, but the parents of the present young female fan-base may not be happy with the message the media is sending out to their girls…that you have to be both beautiful and good at your sport to gain recognition on an international stage.
Yes, female athletes and female sports are getting more media coverage than ever. BUT is this a true representation of female athletes, or just the image that media has created to appeal to potential viewers and consumers? Obviously, I realize this isn’t the first time the media has done this to sell a product, but as a competitive athlete in a not so mainstream sport, I understand the importance of media recognition with respect to promotion and popularity of your sport. However, I am not sure if using sex appeal is the right way to get recognition.
Then again, I am beginning to second guess myself…
As I begin to watch who is getting attention within the mainstream sports like the LPGA, WTA, WNBA, WPA, and others professional women’s associations, it is obvious that such sport associations are saying “yes” to sex appeal in an attempt to sell their sport to the public.
Some think as long as were in the spotlight it’s a start. But could this time in the spot light, just be like a “one hit wonder” for the specific sport… I mean as soon as the attractive girl gets injured or retires, then what happens to the sport within the media? Will the fan base and media coverage continue purely based on the love of the sport? I think this is what many of us would like to believe, but I don’t think were being true to ourselves.
This brings about another series of questions. If we use attractive girls to promote a sport, our main fan-base should be men... Right? But right now, the majority of the female sport fan base, is in actuality young girls who are aspiring athletes. By continuing to promote sex in female sports, one may create a new fan-base of male sports fans, but the parents of the present young female fan-base may not be happy with the message the media is sending out to their girls…that you have to be both beautiful and good at your sport to gain recognition on an international stage.
Sex and Sports Combined... A Man's Dream, A Girl's Reality
It’s been said before and I (and many others) will say it again… Sex, sells. It really doesn’t matter what you’re selling… Some will argue, but the truth is, heads turn when you see a pretty girl in a short skirt, it really doesn’t matter if she is holding Bellmontes, a coke or a racquet.
If you asked your average guy to name his top 5 things in no particular order, I would bet that “Sports” and “Girls” or rather “Sex”, make the cut. So when an attractive girl comes along who can also play a sport well, some heads seem to turn 360 degrees.
If you asked your average guy to name his top 5 things in no particular order, I would bet that “Sports” and “Girls” or rather “Sex”, make the cut. So when an attractive girl comes along who can also play a sport well, some heads seem to turn 360 degrees.
I don’t blame broadcasting channels, and commercial corporations for sponsoring certain sports, sports teams and/or individual athletes. Unfortunately, shadows are being cast on many female athletes with equal or better athletic talent because they aren’t sexy or even pretty. It may be true that athletic performance alone is not enough to build strong ties between female players and viewers, but is the promotion of sexuality in female sports a step in the right direction or a step back for females in and out of sport?
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