So what am I whinging about now? Well, there's a whole list of things, but I did that in the last post, so I'll stick to one thing.
It's the Japanese ladies' football (or soccer, if you insist) team and their travel arrangements.
The ladies of Nadeshiko Japan, as they are known, are the World Cup holders. Their male counterparts, the under 23 team, well, you'd be hard pushed to pick them out of a line up, frankly. So, out of the two teams, who flew to London in cattle class, and who went Business? Yup, the men went business because that's how the world works.
In my case, I have never experienced first hand the feeling of missing out just because you're a girl. I've been very lucky, it seems. To be a World Cup winner, especially when said win boosted a country at a time when it really needed boosting, and then be told that, basically, you're not as good as your male counterparts, who are younger and less accomplished. In Japan, usually age dictates seniority, the "sempai" gets the best of things, while the "kohai" accepts their lower rank in the knowledge that they will be a sempai one day and get to be utterly unpleasant to their "kohai". The whole "sempai/kohai" thing is kind of a big deal. Unless, apparently, your sempai is female.
And don't tell me it's because the men are professional players and the women are ameteurs, they are all players. And non-professional players are less likely to have the money to pay the upgrade, anyway.
It'd be too easy to say this is a Japan thing. As my Dad pointed out on Facebook, the women's world cup was barely mentioned on British TV, while you can't move for coverage of the male players and their overpaid shenanigans. Women's sport just isn't as respected as men's, anywhere. And, frankly, it's just not good enough.
As the Japan Women's captain, Homare Sawa, pointed out, when the women won the World Cup, they were upgraded to Business class, so, hopefully, if they win the Gold at the Olympics, they'll get the same again. Only this time, I hope two things will happen: the men get downgraded to economy (they could use the women's team's seats) and that, from now on, femal athletes will get what their male counterparts get. Business class seats, professional contracts and huge endorsement deals. Because that's only fair.
Well said!
ReplyDeleteThat's way too fucking sexist, even for caveman land Japan!!!
that is something that still happens everywhere. I know in the US many people like to follow ladies basketball and you'd be damned to try and find either ladies pro or college basketball on one of the major sports channels or even on the internet.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I was out with my lady friend a couple of weeks ago and she paid for something with her credit card and they handed it back to me instead of her, even though she handed it to them. So i think its more of a what parents teach their kid type of deal.
It's one of the most annoying things about Japan, they are all "Olympic Athletes" and should therefore all travel the same way. Can you imagine the small group of 60+ years old Japanese men that made this decison? The girls had no chance. Your Dad is wrong about the coverage in England though. The BBC showed every game of the womens world cup live (albeit on BBC2 and BBC3). There is no way that Japanese TV showed any game that didn't involve Japan, but that's more reflective of how poor Japanese sports coverage is rather than any sexism.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks. They are heroes!
ReplyDeleteHere in Aus, we have a few female athletes protesting that the flag carrier MUST be female. I hate that kind of shit too. Just pick the best person - male or female. The protesting athletes are from the beach volleyball team so if they don't like it, it doesn't matter much on account of any sport with a bikini as the uniform isn't a real sport anyway.
Sawa could probably kick the crap outta any member of the Men's squad.
ReplyDeleteShe SHOULD kick the crap outta the backwards ass ojisan that did this dumb shit.