{"id":8890,"date":"2018-07-14T13:36:20","date_gmt":"2018-07-14T17:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=8890"},"modified":"2021-12-23T19:54:59","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T00:54:59","slug":"wimbledons-ongoing-sexist-scheduling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2018\/07\/14\/wimbledons-ongoing-sexist-scheduling\/","title":{"rendered":"Wimbledon&#8217;s Ongoing Sexist Scheduling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Since hearing the news that <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/wimbledon\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wimbledon<\/a> was willing to reschedule the women\u2019s final so accommodate the end of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal\u2019s semifinal, all I have been thinking about is <em>Bill and Ted\u2019s Excellent Adventure<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tx02tY8ABfA\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">At the beginning of the movie<\/a>, the two young stoners, Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan, are trying to film a music video for their band Wyld Stallyns in a garage. They play too loud, blow up their amplifiers and, in the wreckage of their mediocrity, have the following exchange:<\/p>\n<p>Bill: Ted, while I agree that in time our band will be most triumphant, the truth is Wyld Stallyns will not be a superband until we have Eddie Van Halen on guitar.<\/p>\n<p>Ted: Yes Bill, but I do not believe we will get Eddie Van Halen until we have a triumphant video.<\/p>\n<p>Bill: Ted, it\u2019s pointless to have a triumphant video before we even have decent instruments<\/p>\n<p>Ted: Well, how can we have decent instruments if we don\u2019t even really know how to play?<\/p>\n<p>Bill: That why we need Eddie Van Halen.<\/p>\n<p>Ted: And that is why we need a triumphant video.<\/p>\n<p>This conversation\u2019s circular logic and inevitable conclusion in stasis perfectly encapsulate Wimbledon\u2019s attitude towards men\u2019s and women\u2019s tennis. It also illustrates how this kind of thinking contributes to a general devaluation of the women\u2019s game in the eyes of tennis fans.<\/p>\n<h3>The Need to Suspend Play<\/h3>\n<p>As the fifth set of John Isner and Kevin Anderson\u2019s semifinal match stretched ever longer, it became clear that the second men\u2019s semifinal was unlikely to be completed. The reason is an obscure council curfew in effect that requires play at Wimbledon to cease by 11:00pm. The other reason was that Nadal and Djokovic, who once contested a nearly six-hour final at the Australian Open in 2012, are not players known for ending matches quickly.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/998066304\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/998066304?et=GaSk6MW2SxtV73s-0znnQg&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=O9oAZjnwl6iK9OEReS--TRWKYiQxR2tfUIHU4iwO9bE=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This is not the first time that a major event in London has highlighted the unreasonableness of the city\u2019s curfews, put in place to minimize nighttime disruption to local residents when late-running events let out. Almost five years ago to the day, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney performed together for the first time in London\u2019s Hyde Park. <a href=\"http:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/bruce-springsteen-paul-mccartney-cut-off-breaking-curfew-hard-rock-calling-2012\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In the middle of their encore performance of \u201cTwist and Shout\u201d in front of almost 80,000 screaming fans, the power to their amplifiers and microphones was cut off<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that it was evident early in the day that the curfew might be an issue \u2013 Anderson vs. Isner always had the possibility of becoming an epic, as did Nadal vs. Djokovic \u2013 and that a similar rule was an issue at a separate major public event years before, indicates that Wimbledon, an institution with considerable clout, could have worked more proactively to find a way around the curfew.<\/p>\n<p>Even if a waiver was not possible, the club did not have to reschedule the women\u2019s final. The decision to do so, however, fits with Wimbledon\u2019s history of giving preferential treatment to men\u2019s matches. A recent cataloging of the last twenty-five years of show court matches \u2013 those held on Centre Court and Court 1 \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/2018\/jun\/22\/wimbledon-has-made-no-progress-on-male-bias-on-top-show-courts-tennis\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">showed that significantly more men\u2019s matches had been played on the main courts than women\u2019s matches<\/a>. Perhaps influenced by the article quantifying the inequity of Wimbledon\u2019s scheduling, on Wednesday July 4, there were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/2018\/jul\/04\/wimbledon-historic-day-as-more-womens-matches-than-mens-on-show-courts\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">more women\u2019s matches than men\u2019s scheduled for the show courts<\/a>. That minor gesture is fully overshadowed by this latest, almost inexplicable decision.<\/p>\n<h3>The Circularity of the Misguided Marketability Argument<\/h3>\n<p>The most common argument made to support the practice of prioritizing men\u2019s matches, and one that will certainly be made in defense of the decision to hold back the women\u2019s final in favor of Nadal vs. Djokovic, is marketability. Nadal and Djokovic are huge draws, hold a combined twenty-nine grand slam titles, and are both all time greats. However, for Wimbledon to endorse the idea that a semifinal featuring two great men is somehow superior to a women\u2019s final of any kind, much less one <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/2018\/07\/12\/wimbledon-womens-final-predictions-serena-williams-vs-angelique-kerber\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">featuring the greatest female player of all time on a fairy tale run after a life-threatening pregnancy facing off against a multiple-time grand slam winner who is herself in great form<\/a>, is destructive and foolish.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/998624540\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/998624540?et=aJA3E2DUS2BOnlZSP_lC1A&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=xDXHwAGkFCYGE_JgiDX8TR2yHDc3R2cWt08p9i-JC7c=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams\u2019 opponent on Saturday, is not a champion of the ilk of Nadal and Djokovic, however, she is a top player who reached her first slam semifinal almost eight years ago. In 2016, she won the Australian Open, the US Open, and reached the finals of Wimbledon. She is still not a household name the way men with comparable accomplishments like Stan Wawrinka or Juan Martin del Potro are. This is one of the consequences of women\u2019s tennis being continually treated as less important than men\u2019s tennis: its finals are movable, its matches are less marketable, and its champions aren\u2019t give the chance to shine as brightly.<\/p>\n<p>This is where the circularity and foolishness of the marketability argument comes into stark relief. If men\u2019s matches are routinely given bigger stages and greater importance than women\u2019s matches, it follows that the male players&#8217; achievements reach a wider audience and are treated as superior. If the scheduling practice of a tournament is for a less prominent men\u2019s match to supersede a more prominent women\u2019s match, advertisers, sponsors, and fans will take note.<\/p>\n<p>I can almost hear the Wimbledon schedulers&#8217; conversation now:<\/p>\n<p>Scheduler 1: Scheduler 2, while I agree that in time women\u2019s tennis will be most triumphant, the truth is women\u2019s tennis will not be as popular as men\u2019s tennis until they have lots of big stars.<\/p>\n<p>Scheduler 2: Yes Scheduler 1, but I do not believe they will have lots of big stars until their matches are marketable enough to get top billing.<\/p>\n<p>Scheduler 1: How can their matches be marketable if they have no big stars?<\/p>\n<p>Scheduler 2: That is why we need for women\u2019s matches to be marketable.<\/p>\n<p>Scheduler 1: Which is why we need more big stars.<\/p>\n<p>[Both Scheduler1 and Scheduler 2 then decide that the women\u2019s final will have to wait for the men&#8217;s semifinal to finish]<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/998559566\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/998559566?et=Et8-b3_pQdRnl6Iomd1gkA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=orVyIIxydg8IJyxBThKsh04rNWnQXm1lKXHHOavkOtk=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since hearing the news that Wimbledon was willing to reschedule the women\u2019s final so accommodate the end of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal\u2019s semifinal, all I have been thinking about is Bill and Ted\u2019s Excellent Adventure. At the beginning of the movie, the two young stoners, Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan, are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2515,"featured_media":8908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3,10,2,4],"tags":[3200,24,3481,2585,3484,1252,22,135,25,3498,3015,21,3227,3473,3497,3483,3482,792],"class_list":["post-8890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wimbledon","category-atp","category-editorials","category-featured","category-wta","tag-2018-wimbledon","tag-angelique-kerber","tag-angelique-kerber-v-serena-williams","tag-kerber","tag-mens-semifinal","tag-mens-tennis","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-rafael-nadal","tag-serena-williams","tag-sexism-in-tennis","tag-williams","tag-wimbledon","tag-wimbledon-2018","tag-wimbledon-final","tag-wimbledon-sexism","tag-wimbledon-womens-final","tag-womens-final","tag-womens-tennis"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}