04/25/2024

Boris Becker, working BBC’s Wimbledon coverage, caused an uproar for commenting on Márton Fucsovics’s future wife Anett Böszörményi.

“That’s Fuscovics’ fiancee,” Becker’s broadcast partner John Inverdale said as highlights Novak Djokovic’s straight-sets victory over Fucsovics were shown. “Her name is Annette Boszormenyi. If you’re a tennis player, always good to have a partner called Annette.”

In response, Becker – an iconic legend in the tennis world – told Inverdale that “they do say they have the most beautiful women in Hungary. I wouldn’t know that, but she’s certainly very pretty.”

For that mere compliment, Becker is being accused of sexism:

“The charity Women in Sport has worked for decades to change sporting culture including to end the objectification of women,” [Stephanie] Hilborne told the Daily Telegraph. “When two men are comfortable talking about women in this way, never mind on live TV, it shows there is still more to do. We need everyone to understand how this impacts on women and girls, how it makes them feel. Shouldn’t we be inspiring the next generation of girls to play sport rather than talking about what women look like?”

Flo Williams, a Wales international rugby player who founded the Perception Agency, added: “It’s changing room chat rather than commentary chat. Straight away it shows that commentary around women in sport can be so much around what they look like – whether they are playing or not.”

To their credit, the BBC, unlike ESPN during the Musburger/Webb drama, stood by Becker in a statement. “Boris Becker made a light-hearted comment that was not intended to cause offense,” they said.

It should be left at that but of course it won’t be, because “feminists” must find things to be outraged about at all times, and that includes the pearl-clutching over a harmless compliment.

It’d be one thing if Becker had said something like, “yeah, the things I’d like to do to her after the match.” I could definitely understand the outrage in that instance. But he didn’t. He said she was “very pretty.” And she is. Her Instagram page is full of pictures demonstrating it.

Personally, I’m offended every time this issue pops up. It’s embarrassing to me as a woman. There are very few people on this earth who don’t relish a good compliment. Women especially enjoy getting them. Frankly, we’ve got MUCH bigger things to worry about in this world than a man praising a woman’s looks.

In my opinion, British TV talk show host Alex Phillips summed up the thoughts of most women on the matter rather perfectly:

“Women telling men off for paying complaints to women just make the world that little bit more miserable for other women,” she remarked in response to the controversy.

And men, too, in the process! So frustrating all around.