Fair play, please!
Mithali Raj answered a question with a question and that has left us all looking for answers as to why we haven’t been treating our female sportstars with the same respect and adulation as male sportstars
Having made her debut in 2012, Mithali Raj has played 177 ODIs for India and scored over 5,700 runs. Her highest Test match score stands at an impressive 214 with an average of 51.
Yet, the long-time captain of the Indian women’s cricket team was asked, during the course of an interaction, who her favourite male cricketer was. In response an incensed Mithali hit back, “Do you ask the same question to a male cricketer? Do you ask them who their favourite female cricketer is?”
She was applauded for her retort, but the question that still remains is why must a female sportsperson be subjected to such casual patronising?
The experience is not a new one for sportswomen though. “Being asked this question is not new,” sighs badminton player Ashwini Ponnappa. “It’s quite unfortunate, actually. Sportswomen are always asked questions like this. Reactions to these obviously vary. Even I’ve been asked these kinds of questions on multiple occasions, but quite frankly, I haven’t taken it negatively.”
She does, however, claim that things are slightly better when it comes to badminton, where women are given their due. And it shows. Names like Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu resonate with lovers of the game, but they’ve had to prove their mettle to gain this kind of recognition, says Manjit Kolekar.
The 25-year-old boxer and MMA artist says, “I don’t think India is a male dominated sporting country any more. But yes, in India, only if you win can you get any recognition and government attention. And this sort of approach cannot produce champions. In Rio Olympics last year, when India seemed to have lost all hope, it was Sakshi Malik and Sindhu who brought in the first ray of sunshine for the country.”
Archer Bombayla Devi Laishram agrees with Manjit. “After women have started excelling, I feel the treatment of women in sports has started getting better,” she says optimistically. “It wasn’t always like this.”
While the treatment of women in sports may be getting better, it’s a long way before they get the same coverage and pay — even globally. Tennis star Serena Williams, who is known to be a proponent of equal pay for male and female athletes, has constantly drawn attention to the issue. Former India Wells’ director, Ray Moore ignited a debate last year when he said that women tennis players should get “down every night” on their knees and thank Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for carrying the sport forward. Poorvisha Ram, an ace badminton player, stresses on the same point. She says, “It’s a common practice in badminton to highlight men’s single and men’s doubles. Women take a back seat. There’s a considerable difference in prize money as well. Women are doled out less in most Indian tournaments.” Bombayla adds that lack of equal pay and coverage can actually hamper the chances of women taking to sport. “Women here are doing increasingly well in sports, and I feel they should actually do something to reward them for their efforts. This appreciation and attention will also encourage more women to take up sports. I also think that not only should there be more female representation in governing bodies, but also in support staff. There aren’t a lot of female coaches and we require women to take up the role for us.” Krishna Poonia, ace discus thrower, says, “Today, there are examples of the fact that ‘girls are not the lesser being’ but sadly, we live in a male dominated society where the game played by men is preferred. Even in private tournaments like IPL, the focus is on the men. I am the first Indian woman athlete to win the gold medal in Commonwealth Games but I too feel the same pinch as Mithali.” Manjit, who too believes that awareness is an important factor here, says, “Our nation has immense women talent all across sports but the system and authorities need to recognise it, take charge of investing time and money into them and grace their appearances at various tournaments. A nation has to know about sports power as a whole, be it male or female, and should give equal opportunity, training and resources.”