Kim Clijsters And Todd Woodbridge

[jeff]

this happened a few days ago, but this article had a few good points, how this would never happen in the US given today's climate. i'll post a few paragraphs. a video of the interview is in the article, if you havent seen it already

Kim Clijsters And Todd Woodbridge Interview Shows What American Sports Media Coverage Has Lost

Clijsters is Belgium and Woodbridge, a former tennis player, is an Aussie. The network that carried this interview is also Australian. The way it unfolded gave you a reassurance that there was "no harm no foul," but it's hard to see the same casual public chuckle about this if it involved Americans, in the US, and on an American channel. It just wouldn't fly.



A reporter texting a player to comment on a player's attitude and bigger boobs would likely be seen as inappropriate conduct by his employer. I'd also like to think that female sensitivity especially in regards to careers is for better or worse a much more hot button issue domestically and I'm not sure you'd find a top name female athlete as comical If ever confronted in similar fashion.


Also would a ESPN personality be able to laugh this off instead of clamming up and making the situation even more awkward, fretting that his employment or standing with the company was on borrowed time?


I just can't see ESPN or NBC or whoever really just rolling with this. It would be on sports talk radio, PTI, Around the Horn, this website, and all over the blogosphere and surely you'd have a good chunk of people screaming murder because this is America and we invent problems and causes because generally speaking life ain't too shabby (sorry I just saw the new Louis CK comedy special and this point was entrenched in my head).


The Australian television network in question hasn't even broken a sweat. They've posted the videos online and are generally having a nice laugh about the incident and are not making any apologies or statements about the the interview.
All in all this was funny, because it was two people poking fun of each other and not really giving a thought to their image and the public 's reaction.

Read more: Kim Clijsters And Todd Woodbridge Interview Shows What American Sports Media Coverage Has Lost
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[pkc4rls]

What is your opinion on it Jeff, LOL? I know you said you wonder if it would fly in our media but wondered how you felt about it? No, I am not trying to get you in trouble, LOL.

Well, I think they are friends and could laugh it off but the issue to me, since I assume you posted this hoping to get opinions, is that some probably perceived it to be a typical guy remark in their minds. He thought she looked grumpy or something so he assumed she was pregnant?? (kind of like the thing about assuming she is having her time of the month) and continued on to say that he thought she was pregnant because her boobs appeared bigger? (Does he know the meaning of digging your grave and then digging it further, LOL)?? I am not going to make too much of it because it probably was something he thought the other player, who certainly must have been a friend, would not pass on but that should tell him that you never text or email or tweet something with the thinking it may not be passed on. I will say that yes, if here, they probably would have fired the person, right or wrong, because of how sensitive it has gotten here about all these things in our media. Do I think it is the end of the world, not really, but it goes to show how some things have not changed all that much in that some men (and I say some - probably the minority - because I know there are many men that don't think this way at all I am sure) automatically go for the anatomy angle (having her time of the month, pregnant, etc) in some way if they think a girl looks like she is having a bad day or being grumpy. Why could it not have been she did not get much sleep last night or might have a cold or otherwise feeling ill (virus, etc).

BUT, again, that guy probably did mean for the text to be kept private and probably did not mean any harm by it and was probably just joking I would surmise and probably really did not think she was pregnant. And maybe our American sports media has probably become almost overly sensitive (some with good reason I think and some probably not), but the guy might have been well advised to have given some thought to it before texting that type of message and just assuming it would not be passed on.

At least he did not say he thought she was pregnant because she looked fat or heavy. Us women do not take kindly to that statement, LOL. I have seen that happen so many times. A guy asking a girl if she was pregnant because she had gained weight (and not pregnant). And one thing girls don't like is for someone to think they look fat or heavy and they know why they are asking that when they ask, LOL. Are you men (anywhere, not necessarily here) that ask that just dummies, ROFL? Wait for the girl to say she is or take a hint and don't ask and ask someone else if they know, LOL!!!!!!!

But I don't think they should automatically take the opinion that this "harmless fun" is always OK in every situation because my problem with it sometimes is you will notice more times then not, the joke is usually always about women. They probably do cause too much of a stink about some of the stories out there but with some, the person probably did deserve some of the heat they got. So yes, I think some things get over blown and make some men afraid to talk but then some things probably have deservedly been out of line.

 

[JB172]

When I seen that last week, I just loved that Kim called him out in front of everyone.

 

[buckeyecarriefan]

In his defense, I believe I heard that she had said that if she gets pregnant again, she's retiring. So between her saying that, the grumpiness, and the bigger boobs he took it as a sign that maybe she already was and she was dropping hints. Obviously he was wrong.

The whole thing ended up really funny though.

 

[HuiZ]

When I saw that post-match interview on TV, I was caught surprised... in a good way. And everyone in the room with me found it hilarious as well. Never actually occurred to me how it might be perceived differently if this happened in another country...

Now in the case of BBC's Andy Gray, that's a different story. Totally deserved to be sacked.

 

[Grace_Of_God]

Kims my favorite player, loved that she called him out and it all seemed in good fun. Hope he learned his lesson that girls talk ahahahaha

 

[aussiefan_21]

Aussies have a pretty good sense of humor (just like myself lol). Also probably helped that Kim and Todd are quite close friends, as is Kim with alot of people involved in Australian tennis following her long-term relationship with Lleyton Hewitt. I thought it was hilarious and I'm glad it didn't get blown out of proportion. If it was another female tennis player then yeah maybe it might have, but it definitely helps that Kim is genuinely nice and has a great sense of humor too!


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