Saturday, September 5, 2009

Double Standard

I had to write a short blog about this. It was floating in my head too much today as I was watching TV, the US Open tennis to be in fact.

So I'm watching the US Open tennis and I can't help but notice something during the Dinara Safina, the women's world #1, and Petra Kvitova, her 19-year-old Czech, match. Boy does Safina look like a man. Now I say this with as little disrespect as possible.

But honestly, from her hulking shoulders, down to her slightly overflowing gut, to her heavy cavs, it is hard for me to think otherwise. Even the way she navigates her way around the court after points just doesn't sit all to well to me, lumbering around.

This isn't a personal attack as much as it a piece to enlighten you to the double standard I see here with Safina in women's tennis compared to the most recent and controversial example in track and field and Caster Semenya.

Caster Semenya, is the 18-year-old runner from South Africa, winner of the 800 M finals at the World Championships of Athletics in Berlin this past August. Oh and by the way she looks like a dude according to everyone in track and field.

So much so that the IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations) is questioning the validity of her win by the basis of Semenya indeed being a man. They have gone so far to request a gender test done on her to support their claims. Her family denies the allegations.

So here we have a world #1 on one side, a dark haired 23-year-old white Russian, vs. the South African Semenya, black and bulging with muscles.

Take a look at both of them and decide. Maybe we're are pointing the finger at the wrong direction...

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