BNP Paribas Open Tournament Dir & CEO Raymond Moore has "come under fire" for comments he made yesterady that were disparaging to the WTA and "deemed sexist by the world of social media," according to a front-page piece by Shad Powers of the Palm Springs DESERT SUN. Moore said women's players "ride on the coattails of the men." Moore added if he was a "lady player," he would "go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born." Moore later said the WTA has a "handful -- not just one or two -- but they have a handful of very attractive prospects that can assume the mantle" once Serena Williams retires. Moore: "[Garbine] Muguruza, Genie Bouchard. They have a lot of very attractive players. And the standard in ladies tennis has improved unbelievably." Asked if he meant players' physical or competitive attractiveness, Moore said, "I mean both. They are physically attractive and competitively attractive. They can assume the mantle of leadership once Serena decides to stop. I think they've got -- they really have quite a few very, very attractive players." Williams, following her loss to Victoria Azarenka in the finals, said, "Obviously I don't think any woman should be down on their knees thanking anybody like that." She added, "If you read the transcript you can only interpret it one way. I speak very good English. I'm sure he does too." Powers notes Williams' comments "made what was already a social media firestorm a full-on four-alarm fire." While some "decried what Moore said," other claimed Moore should be fired or "resign immediately." Moore issued an apology shortly after Williams' press conference, but it "did little to quell the damage" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 3/21). ABC's Linsey Davis notes despite the apology, it is "unlikely any of the female players on the tour will forget these comments anytime soon" ("GMA," ABC, 3/21).
SLAP IN THE FACE TO FEMALE PLAYERS: Williams said that Moore's comments were a "disservice to Billie Jean King ... and 'every woman on this planet that has ever tried to stand up for what they believed in and being proud to be a woman.'" King tweeted, "Disappointed in #RaymondMoore comments. He is wrong on so many levels. Every player, especially the top players, contribute to our success" (AP, 3/20). In N.Y., Ben Rothenberg notes Williams "expressed particular shock" that Moore's comments came after last year's U.S. Open, when "excitement over her Grand Slam bid caused tickets to the women's finals to sell out before the men's final for the first time in tournament history." She said, "I'm sorry, did Roger play in that final? Or Rafa, or any man, play in that final that was sold out before the men's final? I think not." Rothenberg notes ESPN's Patrick McEnroe "called on Moore to step down" during the net's coverage of yesterday's men's final. He said, "That was completely unacceptable. I'm absolutely livid" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/21).
NOT EVEN THAT ACCURATE: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith called Moore's comments "idiotic" and said his entire premise was "incredibly false." Smith said, "As great as (Novak) Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are and what have you, to me, if Serena ain't playing, most of us ain't too interested in watching tennis" ("First Take," ESPN2, 3/21). ESPN's Mike Greenberg said, "His word choice was startlingly inappropriate and startlingly insulting. But even beyond that, what he is saying is wrong. Serena Williams is the biggest star in the sport right now. The biggest star in the sport is a woman. ... The fact that it was a tournament that has had the controversy that it's had involving the Williams sisters before only compounds the problem" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 3/21).
MURKY FUTURE AT BEST: The DESERT SUN's Powers writes Moore "is in trouble" and he "may very well lose his job." Powers: "I wouldn't have thought so at first, but once I heard the passion with which Serena Williams spoke about the controversy, I realized his comments were going to stick to him for a long time. Serena hadn't shown any emotion in her BNP news conferences, but on this topic she had a fire in her eyes. It was different. It was important to her. ... I don't see how he's going to be able to be in the room with members of the WTA and conduct business in a normal manner from now on" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 3/21). ESPNW's Jane McManus wrote, "You can't have a tournament director for a men's and women's tournament who doesn't believe the women carry their weight." Moore will "never again be able to walk into a corporate conference room and convince a brand that wants to reach female consumers through tennis to put their dollars in his hands." He additionally will "never be able to convince WTA executives that he is working just as hard on behalf of their professionals." McManus: "He has undercut his ability to do the job of a tournament director for a co-ed event" (ESPNW.com, 3/20). ESPN's Skip Bayless said, "You can't apologize enough to save your job after that. ... They came off as something Bobby Riggs would say to hype the 'Battle of the Sexes'" ("First Take," ESPN2, 3/21). FORBES.com's Patrick Rishe wrote under the header, "A Managerial Double-Fault: Indian Wells CEO Ray Moore Should Step Down After Women's Tennis Remarks" (FORBES.com, 3/20).
TAKING A STAND: TENNIS.com's Steve Tignor writes while Williams' play "didn't win the day, her memorable answer did." Between that and Azarenka's winner's speech, the WTA "couldn't have asked for a better response to Moore." Tignor: "In the end, Serena's words in defense of women's tennis were a fitting way for her 2016 story at Indian Wells to end. They gave her a chance to take another stand" (TENNIS.com, 3/21). FOXSPORTS.com's Chris Chase noted Williams has been around "far longer than Federer and Nadal and has carried women's tennis just as much as they've carried men's -- probably more, in fact." During the time period between Pete Sampras/Andre Agassi and Federer/Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams "drew attention to the game -- not the women's game, but the whole one" (FOXSPORTS.com, 3/20).
CAREFUL THERE, NOVAK: In London, Jack de Menezes reports Djokovic following his win of the men's event at Indian Wells "claimed that male players should follow in the footsteps of the female players who 'fought for what they deserve' when equal prize money was awarded." However, Djokovic said men "should fight for more." He said, "Women deserve respect and admiration for what they are doing. You know, equal prize money was the main subject of the tennis world in the last seven, eight years." More Djokovic: "They fought for what they deserve and they got it. On the other hand I think that our men's tennis world, ATP world, should fight for more because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators on the men's tennis matches. I think that's one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more" (London INDEPENDENT, 3/21).
