Tarpischev’s sexist remarks are a disgrace

For anyone who knows anything about tennis, Serena and Venus Williams stand out for their intense and incredible skills on the court. Despite this, in a recent television program, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation, Shamil Tarpischev, called the Williams sisters the “Williams brothers” and said that “it’s scary when you really look at them,” according to Time magazine. By insinuating that muscular, athletic females are inherently masculine, Tarpischev demonstrated utmost sexism, harsh discrimination that has no place in the world of sports.

Fortunately, action was taken against Tarpischev for his comments. According to Time, the Women’s Tennis Association suspended Tarpishev for a year and fined him $25,000. This was a momentous decision, since he has a large sphere of influence in the world of tennis. Bringing such comments to the athletic world was clearly inappropriate, so punishing someone of his caliber in sports demonstrated that there is no tolerance for sexism or, as the Williams sisters also believe, racism. Serena agreed that this was the best decision on the part of Women’s Tennis Association. According to CNN, Serena said, “The WTA and the USTA [United States Tennis Association] did a wonderful job of making sure that — in this day of age, 2014 for someone with his power, it’s really unacceptable to make such bullying remarks.”

Despite the consequences he has had to accept for his actions, Tapischev still expressed no remorse for his hurtful words. According to the Daily Mail, Tarpischev felt that the quotes were taken out of context. “I didn’t want to offend any athlete with my words,” he said. “I regret that this joke … has garnered so much attention. I don’t think this incident deserves so much fuss.” Note that he didn’t say that he regretted the “joke,” but that he regretted it garnering so much attention. The fact that Tarpischev, an authority figure in sports, doesn’t understand why it was offensive underscores the need to continue battling against sexist mindsets that have become so culturally ingrained. For years, women and minorities have fought for their place in sports, and to make light of women like the Williams sisters, who are champions of their sport, reflects a mindset that still needs correcting. The fact that talented women are ridiculed for their muscular definition instead of the beautiful strength they possess is baffling, especially in this day and age with the feminist movement on the rise. Comments like this, if gone unchecked, could send the wrong message to younger generations.

Though Tarpischev’s comments were beliefs that he is entitled to, sharing them for the sole purpose of humor or malicious intent — no matter which — was disrespectful and misguided. In the past, sexist comments about various female athletes have been a problem in the struggle for gender equality in sports. According to the 2012 Body Issue of ESPN Magazine, Olympian Carmelita Jeter was asked which body part she liked to work out for aesthetic purposes, and she replied, “I’m not here to look cute. I’m here to be powerful, be aggressive, to be a force.” British Olympic weightlifter Zoe Smith dealt with a similar situation. When a documentary about her and her team was aired on television, misogynistic men began to post sexist comments on Twitter, saying that she was not being “feminine enough,” or insulting statements such as, “Now piss off back to the kitchen and make your boyfriend a sandwich, he’s hungry.” While they were not publicly protected against such sexist slander like the Williams sisters were, both spoke out against experiences with bullying. Smith said that she gave them a “verbal kicking they deserved” on a blog she wrote. Her ability to fight against the sexist slander thrown her way helped continue to pave the way towards the defense of women suffering in some misogynistic sports environments.

Though Tarpischev did attempt to soften his blow by saying the Williams sisters were “outstanding athletes [who] personify strength and perseverance,” the damage had already been done on his part. It is fortunate that some athletic associations have no problem reprimanding anyone for racist or sexist comments that have no place on the court.

 

Chelsea Hernandez is a senior majoring in English (creative writing). Her column, “Foot in Mouth,” runs Wednesdays.