When good looks beat a good serve

From: Gonzalez, John

 Attractive people have it made - even at Wimbledon. The London Daily Mail reported that a Wimbledon spokesman admitted that "good looks are a factor" when deciding which ladies get to play on Centre Court and which get pushed to satellite courts. Recently, Serena Williams played on Court 2 while Victoria Azarenka and Sorana Cirstea (seeded eighth and 28th, respectively) played on Wimbledon's main stage.

 If you're wondering, the same hotties-only policy doesn't apply to the men. Is Wimbledon doing something wrong by putting attractive women on Centre Court, or is it simply giving the public what it wants?

BTW: The headline on the Daily Mail story? "Babe, set and match." Love the British papers.

From: Salisbury, James T.
To: Ford, Bob; Gonzalez, John
Subject: Advantage, male viewers

It's their tournament. They can do whatever they want as they try to bring attention to their product (i.e. make money). This stuff happens in other walks of life. Ever see an ugly female TV microphone holder? Why do you think El Gordo can't wait for Ashley to get back on the Talkin' set? I (politely) applaud the Wimbledonians for being honest. But I still ain't watchin'.

From: Gonzalez, John
To: Ford, Bob; Salisbury, James T.
Subject: Advantage, male viewers

It's smart marketing, but it's also a real shame. It's 2009. I, for one, am done with misogyny. I watch Danica Patrick because she drives fast, just as I used to watch Anna Kournikova because she was such a talented tennis player. If only she had stuck with it, I'm convinced Kournikova eventually would have won some low-rent, minor-league tournament. Maybe.

From: Salisbury, James T.
To: Ford, Bob; Gonzalez, John
Subject: Advantage, male viewers

Kournicopia couldn't have won the Envelope Open.

From: Ford, Bob
To: Gonzalez, John; Salisbury, James T.
Subject: Advantage, male viewers

You're done with misogyny, Gonzoleer? I bet. The real sexism at Grand Slam tennis events is that men play best-of-five sets and women play best of three. Why is that? Are they too delicate to play as many sets as the men? All studies have shown that females are superior endurance athletes. OK, if it's not that, then what is it? Obviously, the tennis organizations believe that the men's game has more commercial value and is more entertaining, or, conversely, that no one would sit through five sets of women bashing the ball at each other from the baseline.