A step back for women's boxing.

Morag

http://www.examiner.ie/sport/other-sport/taylor-ready-to-sacrifice-olympic-dream-152950.html

Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Taylor ready to sacrifice Olympic dream

By Kieran Shannon

Friday, April 29, 2011

KATIE TAYLOR is prepared to sacrifice her Olympic dream if the governing authorities insist women boxers wear skirts to help "sex up" the competition, according to her father and coach, Peter.

Peter revealed that before last year’s world championships semi-finals in Barbados, his daughter refused to fight in a skirt and tight-fitting vest which the authorities inferred that she and all other semi-finalists had to wear. And while the authorities relented on that occasion, Taylor fears the relevant powers may make such attire mandatory at next year’s Olympic qualifiers and Games, something he says he and his daughter won’t be part of.

"She won’t box, simple as that," said Peter, who like his daughter, is a devoted born-again Christian.

"We’ve got morals that go above marketing. It’s discrimination. It’s obviously men making these decisions and it’s wrong."

In all other Olympic combat sports, female participants wear their respective sport’s traditional gear but the International Boxing Association’s president, Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, publicly expressed his support for making skirts compulsory in women’s Olympic boxing.

The move is believed to be popular within circles of the OCI.

"I have heard many times, people say, ‘We can’t tell the difference between the men and the women’, especially on TV, since they’re in the same uniforms and wearing headgear," he stated last September.

"The uniform was presented [in Barbados] as optional but after we hear about its [the skirt’s] comfort and how easy it is to compete in the uniform, it may be compulsory."

Taylor has won gold at the last three world championships and the last four European championships and chasing gold in the Olympics has been the main reason why she has refused the lure of going professional.

I can't believe they are trying this crap. :mad:

Logical Fallacy

Jesus that would be a crime, Taylor is a rare talent and would have an excellent chance at winning the Gold...it's an indication of how strongly she feels that she would sacrifice that chance for her belief and fair play to her.

Very similar to the Badminton thing that happened recently...kind of depressing as you don't need to "sex up" female sports to get people watching...you just need to push the idea that the sport is worth watching because of the human effort involved.

Odd question but any information available on what you could wear under the skirt etc? I know in the Badminton one they still allowed for shorts under the skirt but the issue seemed to be that practitioners of certain religions preferred to wear full length pants.

Straylight

That's as bad as when Sepp Blatter, the head of FIFA, suggested some years ago that women footballers should play in more feminine clothes such as tighter shorts. He got a lot of grief for it and nothing ultimately came of it. Hopefully this will be the same because it would be a shame not to see Taylor at the Olympics because of something as stupid as this.

diddlybit

This makes me so seethingly angry. Next they'll be endorsing lingerie football. Ugh.

Straylight

diddlybit wrote: »

This makes me so seethingly angry. Next they'll be endorsing lingerie football. Ugh.

They already have that in American football

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingerie_Football_League

diddlybit

Straylight wrote: »

They already have that in American football

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingerie_Football_League

i know, just didn't want to give their sites any traffic.

riffmongous

What a load of crap, as if it wasn't hard enough for female boxers to get proper recognition as it is. It's annoying in womens mma too, which is higher profile than boxing. Most people can't comment on a fighter without making some comment about her appearance

diddlybit

It just completely undermines anything they've achieved as athletes.

"Isn't she talented and may she's looking good in that skirt today."

There was an article a coupel of weeks ago in the about Afghanistan sending three feamle boxers to the Olympics. I wonder if this will affect them as they may have to adhere to cultural dress codes.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/28/world/la-fg-afghan-women-boxing-20110428

dammitjanet

Would that not just turn womens boxing into foxy boxing?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxy_boxing

I'm a big enough boxing fan and I love what Taylor has done for boxing. She is an exceptional fighter and it has nothing to do with her being a woman. Sex aside, she is pure talent.

diddlybit

dammitjanet wrote: »

Would that not just turn womens boxing into foxy boxing?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxy_boxing

My God. I have no words.

Wibbs

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Jesus that would be a crime, Taylor is a rare talent and would have an excellent chance at winning the Gold...it's an indication of how strongly she feels that she would sacrifice that chance for her belief and fair play to her.

+1000 I've a lot of admiration for her sticking to her guns.

Dravokivich

Wibbs wrote: »

+1000 I've a lot of admiration for her sticking to her guns.

Boxers definately make use of'em ;P

Anyhooo... I think sports attire for anyone should be based on comfort and ease of movement... Doesn't make sense to me to box in a skirt...

metrovelvet

I dont think she should sacrifice the chance of a gold medal over this. I know its not fair but in sports they make up all sorts of rules for what people can wear based on gender, swimming, and tennis and gymanstics too.

I think she would be doing herself and her country a grave disservice but letting this principal keep her out of the olympics.

enfant terrible

Are male boxers required to go topless

Ash.J.Williams

metrovelvet wrote: »

I dont think she should sacrifice the chance of a gold medal over this. I know its not fair but in sports they make up all sorts of rules for what people can wear based on gender, swimming, and tennis and gymanstics too.

I think she would be doing herself and her country a grave disservice but letting this principal keep her out of the olympics.

No ....she would be doing the country proud

metrovelvet

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

No ....she would be doing the country proud

The same country that makes girls wear skirts to school in the middle of winter?

Unless all her competitors also boycott it, no one is going to care.

rainbow kirby

enfant terrible wrote: »

Are male boxers required to go topless

Male amateur boxers wear vests.

enfant terrible

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Male amateur boxers wear vests.

Are the pros not allowed?

Ken.

Homer: What on earth are you doing?
Lisa: Practicing Tennis!
Homer: That's Tennis? Oh... then what's the one where the chicks wail on each other?
Bart: Foxy Boxing?
Homer: Yes.. that's what I wanted!

cant find a pic anywhere

Earthhorse

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Very similar to the Badminton thing that happened recently...

But oddly, that was met with indifference by posters.

"She won’t box, simple as that," said Peter, who like his daughter, is a devoted born-again Christian.

"We’ve got morals that go above marketing. It’s discrimination. It’s obviously men making these decisions and it’s wrong."

Refreshing to see a Christian challenge an obviously sexist decision.

Logical Fallacy

Earthhorse wrote: »

But oddly, that was met with indifference by posters.

In fairness, a large part of the difference would have been the attempt to completely spin the argument (and also provide a discussion point completely out of context ) by the person who posted the OP....and the fact that provisions were in place as to what could be worn beneath the skirt, there is no such information available for this.

Dravokivich

metrovelvet wrote: »

The same country that makes girls wear skirts to school in the middle of winter?

Unless all her competitors also boycott it, no one is going to care.

The same girls who refuse to wear jackets over their school uniforms regardless of the weather?

Logical Fallacy

enfant terrible wrote: »

Are the pros not allowed?

I actually can't think of a single pro fight i have seen where a fighter wore a vest...but i have no idea if that is down to the rules of the 101 different Boxing orgs or simple "the done thing".

ztoical

metrovelvet wrote: »

I dont think she should sacrifice the chance of a gold medal over this. I know its not fair but in sports they make up all sorts of rules for what people can wear based on gender, swimming, and tennis and gymanstics too.

I think she would be doing herself and her country a grave disservice but letting this principal keep her out of the olympics.

With the new swim suits that have come in for competitive swimming that cover arms and legs to knees and elbows there is little difference between the mens and womens suits. In gymanstics both men and women wear tight leotards that allow for ease of movment. The rules for tennis like wearing all white at certain clubs they can argue tradition [the recent badmintion ruling can also try that angle] but women's boxing has no such tradition.

One should also compare like with like. Boxing and swiming are very different so it makes more sense to compare it to other combat sports where there is no difference between what men and women wear. I think she's dead right to stand up againist this and I for one would be proud of her and think the majority of the country would be as well. She's not some nobody, she's a real medal chance and the sport has to take notice when the top ranked people refuse to take part.

ztoical

metrovelvet wrote: »

The same country that makes girls wear skirts to school in the middle of winter?

Unless all her competitors also boycott it, no one is going to care.

The country doesn't make girls do anything of the sort, each school makes it's own dress code and mine let us wear our tracksuits in winter.

If she was a nobody in the sport making a stink then yes no one would care but she is a highly ranked boxer with a medal shot and if she is not there it will be noted and people will know why and I seriously doubt she would be the only one to make a stand. Given how hard women boxer have had to fight to get the right to box and get respect as boxers alot of them aren't going to take this lightly.

Raze_them_all

I honestly can't see this happening, if they did they female boxers would just complain(and rightly so) about the female TKD's and judoka's being allowed to wear their normal competition gear.

Ash.J.Williams

Raze_them_all wrote: »

I honestly can't see this happening, if they did they female boxers would just complain(and rightly so) about the female TKD's and judoka's being allowed to wear their normal competition gear.

It could be possible that her opponents might sense an opportunity to get rid of Taylor and stay silent?

Raze_them_all

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

It could be possible that her opponents might sense an opportunity to get rid of Taylor and stay silent?

Nope. Won't happen. You compete to test yourself and win, not to take the cheap route. This will be a lifes work for most

Buceph

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

you don't need to "sex up" female sports to get people watching...

I think it's unfair to presume that they're trying to "sex up" female boxing. As has often been argued by many feminists, how a woman dresses rarely has anything to do with sexual attractiveness.


As I said in the badminton thread this could just be an attempt to improve the image of the sport. A lot of people think women look good in skirts. Skirts immediately and recognisibly portray an image of femininity. And a standardised look for participants helps with recognition for the sport, as a secondary cue. Woman's tennis is generally seen as a more appealing game than the male game, and the ATP try to do everything to exploit that while it's the commonly held belief. If standardising the type of clothes help that in boxing, where I'd imagine there would be some differences to male boxing purely due to anatomy, then it could be of benefit to the female aspect of the sport.

Edit: Although as for I believe for most things, I think accommodations should be made for genuine reasons (like a girl who has a disability and doesn't want to show her legs in a school uniform. Or in this case for a firm moral belief.)

diddlybit

Buceph wrote: »

A lot of people think women look good in skirts. Skirts immediately and recognisibly portray an image of femininity. And a standardised look for participants helps with recognition for the sport, as a secondary cue. Woman's tennis is generally seen as a more appealing game than the male game, and the ATP try to do everything to exploit that while it's the commonly held belief. If standardising the type of clothes help that in boxing, where I'd imagine there would be some differences to male boxing purely due to anatomy, then it could be of benefit to the female aspect of the sport.

But why try "femme" it up? I fail to see how skirts are going to attract anymore fans to the sport. It's a reoccuring theme in media that women in sport also have to be feminine. Often the slant is "they play sports, but wear makeup and heels on a night out." Their prowess should be the focus, not what they're wearing. There are also plenty of more masculine women who are going to feel very uncomfortable in a skirt.

In regards to anatomy, I can't see any uniform changes improving an athlete's performance. In fact, forcing someone to wear an item og clothing that they are uncomfortable in or self-conscious in could only be detrimental to their performance.

Buceph

diddlybit wrote: »

But why try "femme" it up? I fail to see how skirts are going to attract anymore fans to the sport. It's a reoccuring theme in media that women in sport also have to be feminine. Often the slant is "they play sports, but wear makeup and heels on a night out." Their prowess should be the focus, not what they're wearing. There are also plenty of more masculine women who are going to feel very uncomfortable in a skirt.

In regards to anatomy, I can't see any uniform changes improving an athlete's performance. In fact, forcing someone to wear an item og clothing that they are uncomfortable in or self-conscious in could only be detrimental to their performance.

As has already been said, lots of sports enforce a uniform or have clothing design rules.

Why try and femme it up? To highlight the differences between the male and female version of the sport by using as many cues as reasonably possible to separate the versions. Clothing being one of the most obvious ways of doing so.

Why do journalists mention that one day they're throwing punches, and the next they're going out in makeup and heels? Probably to highlight that despite being top athletes they're also normal people. By showing they're normal it allows the public to relate to them better, which is good for everyone. They're not seen in an "elite=snob" way and become hated, and people get to fantasise or picture themselves in that "elite" role. The average person becoming the hero but maintaining their humility is one of the oldest stories in the book. Also, you're anecdata doesn't match up with mine, I've read plenty of interviews where they mentioned nothing about them wearing "makeup and heels."


As for feeling uncomfortable in a skirt, do you really think that goes through anyone's mind when they're about to start throwing punches? I somehow doubt it. These are athletes competing at the highest levels. They don't let that kind of thing get to them. And the one person who has gone to bat over the issue has a strong reason for doing so, something that goes to the core of her self, her morals. So unless it effects all the other female boxers moral code I don't know what the problem is.

And I never said wearing a skirt would aid a female boxer's performance re her anatomy. I said her anatomy would make the female version of boxing, slightly different to the male version. In tennis their anatomy effects the play, with female tennis generally being seen as the more enjoyable form to watch because of it. Like tennis I think this could be true for boxing too, so anything that adds a signal, or gives a cue to the audience that there's a difference between the two versions of boxing could be of benefit in marketing the sport. I'm fairly sure this is partly a reason why male pro-boxers go topless and amateur boxers wear a bib.

Raze_them_all

Buceph wrote: »

As has already been said, lots of sports enforce a uniform or have clothing design rules.

Why try and femme it up? To highlight the differences between the male and female version of the sport by using as many cues as reasonably possible to separate the versions. Clothing being one of the most obvious ways of doing so.

Why do journalists mention that one day they're throwing punches, and the next they're going out in makeup and heels? Probably to highlight that despite being top athletes they're also normal people. By showing they're normal it allows the public to relate to them better, which is good for everyone. They're not seen in an "elite=snob" way and become hated, and people get to fantasise or picture themselves in that "elite" role. The average person becoming the hero but maintaining their humility is one of the oldest stories in the book. Also, you're anecdata doesn't match up with mine, I've read plenty of interviews where they mentioned nothing about them wearing "makeup and heels."


As for feeling uncomfortable in a skirt, do you really think that goes through anyone's mind when they're about to start throwing punches? I somehow doubt it. These are athletes competing at the highest levels. They don't let that kind of thing get to them. And the one person who has gone to bat over the issue has a strong reason for doing so, something that goes to the core of her self, her morals. So unless it effects all the other female boxers moral code I don't know what the problem is.

And I never said wearing a skirt would aid a female boxer's performance re her anatomy. I said her anatomy would make the female version of boxing, slightly different to the male version. In tennis their anatomy effects the play, with female tennis generally being seen as the more enjoyable form to watch because of it. Like tennis I think this could be true for boxing too, so anything that adds a signal, or gives a cue to the audience that there's a difference between the two versions of boxing could be of benefit in marketing the sport. I'm fairly sure this is partly a reason why male pro-boxers go topless and amateur boxers wear a bib.

I do think clothing plays a part, Alot of fighters have supersticions when fighting, you could have lucky shorts that you're on a hotstreak with.

.bib is part of the rules for amatuer iirc and

onlyrocknroll

Does anybody else have a link besides the Examiner that this move is being considered. It seems so backward that it's hard to believe.

I know boxing isn't the most enlightened of sports when it comes to gender matters (with the girls with the round numbers and all) but I wonder if this is being spun out of proportion by the journo.

his daughter refused to fight in a skirt and tight-fitting vest which the authorities inferred that she and all other semi-finalists had to wear

.

That's quite vague. Assuming he means implied rather than inferred, that still doesn't mean that they ordered it.

If it is true then well done to Katie Taylor for taking a stand. Being such a big name in women's boxing this will surely get a lot of attention and embarrass the authorities. Would make a positive Irish olympic story for a change.

diddlybit

Why are we differenciating between women's and men's sports? I still don't understand why having different uniforms is going to add anything to the spectator's experience. You glossed over my point about more masculine women in sport, there are women out there that would be profoundly uncomfortable in a skirt and I really feel that we should not have to make them.

In reagrds to media represenations, sports, especially contact sports, are perceived as masculine and there are many people who find it uncomfortable that women partake in them. The portrayl of masculine women in the media is non-existent really, and in order to counter-balence the anxiety of women competing in and excelling in what has been seen as traditionally masculine domains, it is also neceassry to portray them wearing makeup, heels or as homemakers and mothers.

do you really think that goes through anyone's mind when they're about to start throwing punches? I somehow doubt it. These are athletes competing at the highest levels. They don't let that kind of thing get to them.

Think about this another way. They train countless hours, give up their lives for their sport and excel at what they do. Should this dedication not allow them to wear anything they want?

Buceph

diddlybit wrote: »

Why are we differenciating between women's and men's sports?

Because they are different. Tennis is the most obvious example, where the tactics and strategies are completely different depending on whether it's played between men, women or mixed teams.

I still don't understand why having different uniforms is going to add anything to the spectator's experience.

It's a visual cue to the audience. It acts as an identifier of the sport. It distinguishes the sport. It's part of the marketing of the sport.

You glossed over my point about more masculine women in sport, there are women out there that would be profoundly uncomfortable in a skirt and I really feel that we should not have to make them.

I don't believe you know many top athletes competing at the highest levels of sport. I know one or two and I can tell you they don't give a crap about that kind of thing. These are people who have spent their entire lives dedicated to a single purpose, and they're not going to let any uncomfortableness in a skirt (which I doubt they'd feel anyway) get in the way of their striven for goals. You seem to be vastly underestimating these people and must think they're very weak minded individuals, when the actuality is the complete opposite.

In reagrds to media represenations, sports, especially contact sports, are perceived as masculine and there are many people who find it uncomfortable that women partake in them. The portrayl of masculine women in the media is non-existent really, and in order to counter-balence the anxiety of women competing in and excelling in what has been seen as traditionally masculine domains, it is also neceassry to portray them wearing makeup, heels or as homemakers and mothers.

I don't think it is. And I don't think they're viewed in masculine ways. I know a couple of female rugby players and nobody I know would ever view them in a masculine way just because they play rugby. And if they want to be seen in makeup, heels or as a mother surely that's their decision to make? They have agents and they know their own mind, they don't need you telling them what they should and shouldn't have to do.

Think about this another way. They train countless hours, give up their lives for their sport and excel at what they do. Should this dedication not allow them to wear anything they want?

If they care about the sport, they'll care about popularising it. Every sportstar now knows that dealing with the media is part and parcel of a sporting life. It's like saying I want to excel as a movie star but stay anonymous, something that's pretty difficult to do. Of course somethings can be done to change help stop something like that, but I don't see where wearing or not wearing a skirt comes into that.

onlyrocknroll

These are the skirts.



Here is a better article on the matter.

From Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, the President of the International Boxing Association.

“We have a Women’s Commission that evaluated everything and they met and gave their recommendations,” he said, adding. “The uniform was presented [in Barbados] as optional.” Does this mean it will remain optional? “After we hear about its comfort and how easy it is to compete in the uniform, it may be compulsory. But we are still working on it.”

rainbow kirby

They look awful and that much material swishing around would be a distraction.

diddlybit

rainbow kirby wrote: »

They look awful and that much material swishing around would be a distraction.

I couldn't agree more. They look like majorette costumes.

ztoical

Buceph wrote: »

And I never said wearing a skirt would aid a female boxer's performance re her anatomy. I said her anatomy would make the female version of boxing, slightly different to the male version. In tennis their anatomy effects the play, with female tennis generally being seen as the more enjoyable form to watch because of it. Like tennis I think this could be true for boxing too, so anything that adds a signal, or gives a cue to the audience that there's a difference between the two versions of boxing could be of benefit in marketing the sport. I'm fairly sure this is partly a reason why male pro-boxers go topless and amateur boxers wear a bib.

I'm really at loss as to why people need signals or cues to know what sport they are watching or how it improves their enjoyment of it. I've never needed to check if a person is wearing a skirt or shorts to know if I'm watching a man or woman play tennis even if mixed doubles matches I'm pretty good at telling whose who. And a hell of alot of men watch womens tennis because you've got very fit women in short skirts and care nothing for them as players - just look at Anna Kournikova massive following but really an average player who never won any major ranking events. So why the massive following? Cus she looked pretty hot in her tennis outfit. Did any of those followers actually care about tennis? Most of them no so how was that a help to the sport?

I fail to see how putting boxers in skirts is going to help with marketing the sport other then to sexualize the boxers and bring to many comparisions to the likes of foxy boxing or female wrestlers in WWE. Also I bring up again compare like with like, tennis is not a contact sport. Other Olympic combat sports do not have different outfits for male and females.

Buceph

ztoical wrote: »

I'm really at loss as to why people need signals or cues to know what sport they are watching or how it improves their enjoyment of it. I've never needed to check if a person is wearing a skirt or shorts to know if I'm watching a man or woman play tennis even if mixed doubles matches I'm pretty good at telling whose who. And a hell of alot of men watch womens tennis because you've got very fit women in short skirts and care nothing for them as players - just look at Anna Kournikova massive following but really an average player who never won any major ranking events. So why the massive following? Cus she looked pretty hot in her tennis outfit. Did any of those followers actually care about tennis? Most of them no so how was that a help to the sport?

Anna Kournikova was the one who courted the media. She was marked down as a serious prospect as a kid, then when she received some attention she went off to and got modelling contracts and opened a sporting clothes line.

Obviously the really good looking women will get attention for the looks in a sport like tennis, just as good looking men get attention for their looks in sport. Look at Stade Francais rugby club who do a calander every year.

http://www.google.ie/search?q=stade+francais+calendar&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=n8J&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=sqXCTcThOY2LhQeJpd3BDQ&ved=0CDUQsAQ&biw=1244&bih=895

The link to their pictures if you want to see.

The sports stars aren't victims of the media, they're willing participants.

I fail to see how putting boxers in skirts is going to help with marketing the sport other then to sexualize the boxers and bring to many comparisions to the likes of foxy boxing or female wrestlers in WWE. Also I bring up again compare like with like, tennis is not a contact sport. Other Olympic combat sports do not have different outfits for male and females.

It's a branding issue. And I'm not going to explain to you something as basic as a uniform display of a products image and integrated marketing communications.

amacachi

Peter revealed that before last year’s world championships semi-finals in Barbados, his daughter refused to fight in a skirt and tight-fitting vest which the authorities inferred that she and all other semi-finalists had to wear. And while the authorities relented on that occasion, Taylor fears the relevant powers may make such attire mandatory at next year’s Olympic qualifiers and Games, something he says he and his daughter won’t be part of.

So supposedly the governing body inferred something and then told everyone to do it, assuming no grammar mistakes in the article. Though this quote from later in the article:

"The uniform was presented [in Barbados] as optional but after we hear about its [the skirt’s] comfort and how easy it is to compete in the uniform, it may be compulsory."

Suggests there is either a grammatical error or her father is giving his own reading of something.

The move is believed to be popular within circles of the OCI.

"Is believed to be..." The last refuge of hack journalism.


If it turns out that they push through these regulations it would be absolutely ridiculous but as an avid sports fan I'm not going to take a couple of personal quotes, some grammatical (or thinly-veiled factual) errors and a whole lot of embellishing as fact.

Handsome Bob

onlyrocknroll wrote: »

These are the skirts.

Here is a better article on the matter.

From Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, the President of the International Boxing Association.

I don't buy the comfort argument, I cannot see how a skirt is more comfortable than shorts when you're moving at a constant fast pace.

What a ludicrous idea, I seriously cannot think of one practical thing about wearing skirts rather than shorts in the ring.

diddlybit

Buceph wrote: »

I don't believe you know many top athletes competing at the highest levels of sport. I know one or two and I can tell you they don't give a crap about that kind of thing. These are people who have spent their entire lives dedicated to a single purpose, and they're not going to let any uncomfortableness in a skirt (which I doubt they'd feel anyway) get in the way of their striven for goals. You seem to be vastly underestimating these people and must think they're very weak minded individuals, when the actuality is the complete opposite.

It's not just about top athletes, it's about the perception of fenale sports in day to day life. These women are role models to many young women, espceially those that that haven't even begun to participate in sports. Differentciating between gender in sports, especially with gendered clothing, polarises these diffrences, and women's sports already receive less funding, less attention and TV time than male sports.

You are supposing that I have made assumptions on the nature of these individuals. If I may also include my own anedoctal evidence, I go out and hit women (and men on occassion) on a regular basis. I actually understand how pschyologically difficult it is to put oneself in a position in which one may be hurt, or hurt someone. So no, I would never consider these women weak willed. I would just prefer if the focus was on their talent rather than on what they are wearing.

ztoical

Buceph wrote: »

It's a branding issue. And I'm not going to explain to you something as basic as a uniform display of a products image and integrated marketing communications.

I work in film and television so know alot about branding and advertising and again I'm failing to see how putting female Boxers in skirts is going to help with any branding of that sport. We are taking about boxing not womens sport in general and again comparing like with like in other combat sports they don't make women dress differently to men and I do know several women who have and are heavily involved with British Olympic TKD and they would throw a fit if they were asked to dress differently to their male counterparts.

onlyrocknroll

LZ5by5 wrote: »

Originally Posted by onlyrocknroll
These are the skirts.

Here is a better article on the matter.

From Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, the President of the International Boxing Association

.

I don't buy the comfort argument, I cannot see how a skirt is more comfortable than shorts when you're moving at a constant fast pace.

What a ludicrous idea, I seriously cannot think of one practical thing about wearing skirts rather than shorts in the ring.

Certainly. I wan't making the comfort argument, just providing links because that Examiner article was quite vague and badly written. For the record I think it's an appalling idea.

It won't popularise the sport at all, a move so obviously sexist will only alienate a potential female audience.

Boxing will be made a laughing stock if the story gets more headlines and more athletes decide to boycott the games.

And most crucially the move is obviously unpopular with female boxers. Surely they can't actually consider compelling athletes to wear clothes they don't wish to wear.

enfant terrible

Buceph wrote: »

Woman's tennis is generally seen as a more appealing game than the male game, and the ATP try to do everything to exploit that while it's the commonly Aheld belief. If standardising the type of clothes help that in boxing, where I'd imagine there would be some differences to male boxing purely due to anatomy, then it could be of benefit to the female aspect of the sport.

As a tennis fan I can assure you womens tennis is not seen as the more appealing game, no matter how good they look, the standard is dire.

diddlybit

This is an interesting report on the representation of women playing sports in the Irish media. It also includes a sacn of one of the possibly most offensive opinion pieces I have ever read by Kevin Myers, including the fabulous quote:

We don't want to watch women playing sports because, generally speaking, they're not very good. They're small and they're weak and they're slow,and watching an average woman throw an object is a deeply moving tragedy.

http://www.dublin.ie/uploadedFiles/City_Development_Board/2007%20Women%20in%20Sport%20Report.pdf

I'd like to throw something at him.

Sidenote: What is it about the Irish national broadsheets giving space to these purile mouthpieces (there are countless others)? They get paid to write this tripe.

riffmongous

We don't want to watch women playing sports because, generally speaking, they're not very good. They're small and they're weak and they're slow,and watching an average woman throw an object is a deeply moving tragedy

Notice how he says average woman rather than average female athlete. Why would anyone want to watch an average person play sport unless you've got a personal interest in the people? Looking at an average man playing football is a pretty sad thing to watch.

I'd love to see him in a ring with Katie Taylor or my personal favourite Cristiane 'Cyborg' Santos :pac:

Raze_them_all

riffmongous wrote: »

Notice how he says average woman rather than average female athlete. Why would anyone want to watch an average person play sport unless you've got a personal interest in the people? Looking at an average man playing football is a pretty sad thing to watch.

I'd love to see him in a ring with Katie Taylor or my personal favourite Cristiane 'Cyborg' Santos :pac:

Putting someone untrained in the ring with someone who trainned is pointless. Would you be as eager to put a male counterpart champion in the ring witht them?(honest question)

riffmongous

Raze_them_all wrote: »

Putting someone untrained in the ring with someone who trainned is pointless. Would you be as eager to put a male counterpart champion in the ring witht them?(honest question)

Eh, it was just a joke to show my distaste of Myers :rolleyes:

Raze_them_all

riffmongous wrote: »

Eh, it was just a joke to show my distaste of Myers :rolleyes:

I realise that, but while you may not agree with his statment elite male athletes are generally better than elite female athletes