S P O R T | PA G E 3 3
Stereotypes in the Sports Industry SHOULD WOMEN BE STRIPPED OF EARNING A LIVING JUST FOR BEING EXPOSED TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD?
THOMAS LYONS Spor ts Print Editor
T
he whole Ring Card/ Formula One GridGirl debate has come into prominence in the last few months with more females fearful of losing their jobs and prevented from earning a living because of misperceptions that they’re exposed on live TV. A complete ban has been introduced and has resulted in back lash from the inner fraternity of females who will be without a job in the new season.
The Women’s Sport Trust have sent a clear message, stating that “We strongly encourage sport such as cycling, boxing and UFC to follow Darts and Formula 1 and reconsider the use of podium girls, ring girls and octagon girls.” Nowadays, the sports industry still seems to be a male-dominated one but gaps in the sector have been bridged to ensure more women are represented in similar positions to men and aims to reduce discrimination and other forms of stereotype that distance women from
high-paid roles. Moreover, the boxing industry have taken a more ruthless stance against the ban of ring card girls, insisting that women should be entitled to earn a living because it is a job at the end of the day, many of whom have come out on social media and made their voice heard. The role of the Grid Girls is not to expose themselves because of what they wear but to promote global events and represent the company they’re working for, conducting certain promotional tasks and
wearing clothing that bears the name of their sponsor. The same can be said for Darts, where the girls accompany the players to the stage and in a similar way present themselves from a promotional standpoint. The Professional Darts Corporation have introduced a ban for walk-on girls and has not gone down well with promoter Barry Hearn who has blamed the TV networks for not coming up with a solution for keeping the girls in work.
We strongly encourage sport such as cycling, boxing and UFC to follow Darts and Formula One and reconsider the use of podium girls, ring girls and octagon girls.’
Special Moment As UoR Alumni Are Given Hall of Fame Status THOMAS LYONS Spor ts Print Editor
As an academic institution, the University of Reading isn’t just reminded of its world-class credibility in teaching and learning but also for the number of past and present alumni who have achieved big things in sport and the experiences they will take away from being a student at this university. On Saturday 28th April 2018 the Sports Hall of Fame was opened by Sir David Bell, Vice Chancel-
lor of the University of Reading. The Sports Hall of fame celebrates sporting ambition, dedication and success of the UoR graduates that have represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games. It appears that the time spent at the University has given past student valuable experience for entering the professional world or pursuing that career in sport. Being able to showcase their skills and make the use of the first class facilities here has helped these talented athletes to achieve
their aims and objectives whilst balancing this with their academic commitments. The social aspect of participating in sport also plays a huge part in university life and the plethora of sports clubs and teams that interact with one another brings a competitive and friendly atmosphere. In terms of reaching the pinnacle of their desired sport, representing their country at national and international tournaments, has become a reality for a lot of graduates and really sends out a strong
message to those that feel passionately about a particular sport and want to challenge themselves to be the best in that field. One sport that has really flourished and has had a number of successful athletes who have gone onto compete at the London 2012 games for example is Rowi ng. For instance, Anna Watkins, who won the Olympic title in the double sculls, graduated with a PhD in Mathematics before going on to fulfill her dreams.
Reading’s superb sports facilities, unwavering support and a great Boat club were all hugely influential on my racing career Debbie Flood (Rowing)