Weightism

Back in the 80's, the show Saturday Night Live had a skit that was about actor Fernando Lamas saying that "it was better to look good than to feel good." The skit emphasized that performance played a back seat to looks. I know that Shakespeare said that the whole world is a stage and we are just actors playing a part, but sometimes society takes it a bit too far.

Taylor Townsend is a 16 year old tennis player who just happens to be the best junior tennis player in the world. In her brief career, she has already won the Jr. Australian Open singles title and has won three Grand Slam events both in singles and doubles. 

And, according to the U.S. Tennis Association, Taylor Townsend also has a weight problem. So much of a problem that her USTA coaches would not pay for her travel to the recent U.S. Open Tournament in New York. Before this year's Open, Taylor asked the USTA for a wild-card entry slot in either the Open's main draw or its qualifying tournament, which Taylor had played in last year. Her requests were denied. "Our concern is her long-term health, number one, and her long-term development as a player," said Patrick McEnroe, the general manager of the USTA's player development program. "We have one goal in mind: For her to be playing in [Arthur Ashe Stadium] in the main draw and competing for major titles when it's time. That's how we make every decision, based on that."

I personally believe that if you are the #1 Jr. Tennis player in the world, that you should be in the conversation to compete in the US Open, especially if you played last year.

Now, BreezyG has been a big guy all his life, but has always been the athletic type. In my previous life as an athlete, I have competed on both the varsity and club levels in various sports. It personally offends me that a person is unable to compete on any level (period) just because they don't look the part. This is one time that I don't get it. If that were the case, guys like Charles Barkley would have never even got the chance to get into the Hall of Fame.

I confess that I was really ready to rant when I found out that Townsend was an African-American. I was going to say how, way in the back of my mind, that they didn't want another great female player of color to hit the scene. That was until I read an article about how David Mercer, a BBC commentator from across the pond in London, suggested that a top Jr. white female player "needed to lose some puppy fat."  He was admonished for his comments by his employer.

I decided against the rant, after weighing both sides of the issue.