There is a big difference between the Williams sisters and that girl. The Williams sisters are thick around the legs and arms, yeah they are not skinny but they are solid and have a ton of muscle. That girl had a gut, a thick stomach doesn’t help you play tennis like thick legs and arms.
Could someone still develop their skills outside the auspices of the USTA program and still compete in USTA tournaments?
I’m still wrestling with the concept of developing talent who will mostly win money for themselves. Though I suppose it is to the USTA’s benefit to help keep a flow of talent coming through the pipeline to attract future fans. It seems like a very curious arrangement.
And I’m inviting you to stop harassing me like this.
Because that’s how morality works. The fact that you don’t believe morality exists doesn’t change that. That’s what morality is–beliefs you think you have the right to have other people follow.
The fact that you don’t believe in right and wrong also means that you have nothing to add to this thread, seeing as the question is whether you think it’s right or wrong.
The fact that you don’t believe in morality doesn’t mean you can’t force your absolute morality of relativity on someone else. (By the way, that’s why I say absolute morality has to exist, since not believing in it requires an absolute moral of not intruding on anyone’s morality, something, BTW, you don’t do.)
It’s bigotry to deny someone something for their weight. It’s a high hurdle to prove it isn’t bigotry. Citing her health when studies show that modestly overweight people are not less healthy than normal people is not good enough. It is in society’s best interest to stamp out bigotry. I am a part of society. So I get to care. That’s what morality’s all about.
And, no, calling her obese when she has to have a lot of muscle, making BMI charts wrong doesn’t work either. You prove there’s a reason why you are doing it, or you are immoral.
And I don’t give a shit about insurance–if such a company puts money over doing what’s right, then that company is evil, and shouldn’t exist either. And I will do everything in my power to hurt said companies–that’s my moral responsibility. (If I don’t try to stop it, then I don’t really believe it, now do I?)
Asking you a question on a messageboard is “harassing” you? Unbelievable.
You would have a point if I continually hounded you and/or followed you from thread to thread on this issue, but I haven’t. I’m simply trying to fight your ignorance and make you a better person.
Okay. None of us know what the real details have been and what has been said in private. But what the USTA publicly said was just dumb.
Does anyone really believe that?
They may have her (and the sport’s) best long term interests in mind and really believe that level of body fat equals aerobic fitness, and that in turn aerobic fitness development trumps skill and strength development in the training of future tennis stars during their teen years. And based on those beliefs they may further believe that “tough love” is good coaching.
Each are however highly debatable propositions and disingenuously claiming concern for her long-term health as the justification for saying that she could not play due to being overweight even though she has the skills and fitness to excel at her current level was a public relations disaster for them.
Who is monstro to think it is her business? Part of the public that the USTA wants to market to, that’s who. They are selling the sport of tennis and attempting to develop talent that they think will better sell the sport. What she thinks, along with what the rest of the potential fan base may think, matters to them.
Some tennis stars thoughts on how badly the USTA handled this.
‘Long-term health’, pfft.
To my eye this girl doesn’t look any bigger/chubbier than Serena Williams, Naomi Cavaday, Capriati, Seles, Clijsters (and more) have been while excelling. I thought it has always been clear that tennis is a sport that doesn’t have a heavy advantage in slimness for the sake of speed and agility, the way some sports do. All sorts of body types are able to be successful.
I’d also like to say: in what fantasy world has Venus Williams ever been ‘thick’? Venus has always been rather slender (but tall and muscular). Serena has a totally different body, extremely curvy and heavier, her weight has fluctuated throughout her career, and she has often been accused of being ‘too fat’ (many times while she was at #1). Such unmitigated bullshit.
Internet meme time: I wonder if those of you think she’s obese or fat to an unhealthy extent are related to this guy?
It’s amazing how you guys have the ability to Dexa scan a photo you see on the Internet.
The USTA had no involvement with the Williams sisters - they didn’t play juniors at all, in fact - and they turned out OK.
This is major oversimplification. As another reminder, nobody with the USTA has ever mentioned her weight as opposed to her fitness, and those are not the same thing even though many people who are commenting have used them interchangeably. And this is basically a contract situation, not a case where someone is being denied their rights. The USTA is funding her training and they have the right to ask her to do certain things. If she doesn’t do them, they have the right to respond. None of that means they handled this well, but if they think her fitness is not good enough and needs to be improved before she enters more tournaments, it’s not bigoted of them to say so.
Again, the USTA has talked not commented on her weight or her body fat level or her gut (if you consider it a gut). Just her fitness.
If you have a problem with another poster, take it to the pit or feel free to start your own debate on whatever it is you wish to debate. Consequently, if you have an opinion, you’re free to share yours here, too…don’t hijack a topic just because you wonder why the OP wanted to start a thread about it, however.
Let’s keep the thread on track with what the subject is.
Not according to the Wall Street Journal article already linked that first reported the story.
Bolding mine.
What evidence do you bring that the WSJ reported incorrectly?
Also, what do you believe they are using as a metric for her fitness if not her weight and slightly visible gut? Are they judging her fitness with treadmill O2 consumption testing? What would be the definition of “fitness” for tennis? Strength? Endurance? Maximal sprint capacity? Speed across a court? Ability to win? What?
I didnt hijack a topic because I wondered why the op wanted to start a thread about it. I shared my opinion and asked the OP a question, all of which were perfectly on topic.
So every word reported in a newspaper is the absolute truth unless someone has evidence to the contrary? Unbelievable.
I actually help fund the USTA with my annual membership dues. They will be hearing from me. Their mission is to SUPPORT and develop tennis. Refusing to cover the travel expenses of one of their top players because she is not thin enough is counter productive and contrary to their own mission statement.
I’m a benchmark USTA player. I’m also overweight. My team has made it as far as the regional USTA tournament, which is one step below the national tournament. If the USTA doesn’t want to support people like me because we don’t look like athletes, then they shouldn’t accept our money.
The WSJ is generally a reliable rag. If someone says they are stating an untruth and that something else undocumented to my knowledge is truth then yes I expect some evidence to back up the claim.
Believe it.
Because they don’t quote anyone saying anything about her weight, and that’s been the case in every story I have read about this issue. The USTA is quoted as talking about her fitness - mostly it’s the same quote from Pat McEnroe - and headlines and paraphrases by reporters frequently mention Townsend’s weight. Here the USTA says Townsend was recently diagnosed with low iron and they wanted her to rest and get an all-clear from doctors before she competed again. It goes without saying that low blood iron or anemia can affect your ability to compete and your fitness.
They could be judging it based on any or all of those criteria and any of them would be valid. Or they could be using the blood test results.