Dr Gertrude Glossip: That's Entertainment

Dear blaze readers, as I pen my 226th column and enter my 10th year I look back over the changes in this important community organ.

Back in 2003 it was a black-and-white newspaper. My first column was tucked at the bottom of page 2. Today it’s a glossy mag and I appear on page 16 in ENTERTAINMENT in the company of the picture-page OUT, featuring all those gorgeous young ‘things’, together with ads for Manhunt and Pulteney 431. Ah, location, location, location!

We’re still reeling from excesses of the holiday season and ‘The Summer of Sport’. I was captured by Sam Butler’s recent piece On Court Antics (he’s page 6 under Opinion!). Like Sam I’m torn. I detest Margaret Court’s vociferous anti-queer posturing, yet as a feminist I think it’s shameful that this towering figure of Australian tennis should be relegated to Court no. 3. Court no.1, centre court, is of course styled Rod Laver Arena. At the very least Court should be afforded ‘naming rights’ to no. 2!

Yes, elite sport is still incredibly sexist in many areas, notably in profile and prize money. Where’s the female TDU? Do you know (or even care) against whom the Australian Women’s Cricket team is currently playing? Tennis is probably one of the exceptions. Grand Slams feature both men and women. Prize money at the Australian Open is equal; the singles’ victors both scored a cool 2.3mill!

I’ve other issues. Do you notice the way cameramen (I use the term advisedly) frequently focus on the female partners and friends of male players, especially if they’re young, gorgeous and blonde? The Tomic/Federer match was a classic example. How often do we see the hunky, spunky male partners of female players? And what of same-sex partners? Quiet please, this is tennis!

And as for tennis dress code! Women’s tennis frocks get shorter and more form-fitting by the year (by the end of competition Sharapova’s cleavage and I were firm friends – those cameramen again!). Now, I’ve no issue with exposing the youthful form, especially when it’s trim, taut and terrific. It’s all part of the visual entertainment, and elite sport is entertainment.

I’m sure many of my lesbian sisters adore admiring the firm figures of Sam Stosur and Maria Sharapova, but what of men’s costumes? Where are the shorts of yesteryear? These Bombay Bloomers of today are soooo unrevealing. And while the cameramen bombard us with images of Maria’s cleavage, what about a few Novak Djokovic groin cams?

Dear readers, at least on winning Novak had the decency to rip off his shirt and expose his fab torso. Pity he didn’t go all the way and rip of his bloomers too. Now that would have been entertainment!