Jeremy Clarkson has weighed in on the equal pay debate that has engulfed tennis this week, in precisely the manner you’d expect.
Last Sunday CEO of Indian Wells Raymond Moore made a series of sexist comments regarding women’s tennis before resigning in shame.
Before he tendered that resignation Novak Djokovic had his say, as did Serena Williams, with the general consensus that professional tennis is agreeing to disagree on the matter.
And now Clarkson has made his thoughts known via his column in The Sun on Sunday – it’s safe to say he didn’t mince his words.
He said:
Things got even noisier when world number one Novak Djokovic said women should receive what they get now. But that men should have more.
All of the female stars jumped up and down saying that they train just as hard as the men, and travel just as far, and sweat just as much. So it’s only right and proper that they get the same wages.
When the dust had finally settled, the South African official had lost his job and Djokovic had been forced to issue a grovelling apology.
Clarkson then turned his attention to the world of boxing.
He said:
In any gym, you’ll find a stocky lady sweating buckets as she beats the living daylights out of a punch bag.
Yet come fight night, she’s going to be lucky to take home £7.50.
And how can that be right when Floyd Mayweather trousered, last year alone, nearly 200million dollars?
Well, the simple fact of the matter is: The only people who turn up to watch women’s boxing are the immediate families of those taking part. And a few sexual deviants.
He then closed with:
This means that the men bring more cash to the sport, then have to share it equally with the women.
Is that fair? If you think it isn’t, may I suggest you say nothing.
Because if you do, you will be hung from a lamppost and pelted with used feminine hygiene products until the end of time.
Clarkson’s views on female sport stars are, ultimately, completely out of touch with reality.
The hordes of people who tuned in to watch Serena Williams bid for the ‘Serena Slam’, or the many who will undoubtedly sit in front of the box to watch Ronda Rousey’s UFC return later this year put his arguments to shame.
Women’s tennis is huge, and other sports are growing rapidly, but that growth is hard earned, and unnecessarily stunted by the closed minds of people such as Clarkson.
