The Glowing Edge

Tag: sports

  • Boxing Ring Card Girls

    Boxing Ring Card Girls

    Ring-Card Girls. Three small words. But stand by for big arguments when they’re mentioned in conversation between men and women.

    Adam Welsh is a British-based Human Resources Manager with a keen interest in many sports, including boxing. You may have seen him commenting here on The Glowing Edge.

    He recently asked me what I thought about ring card girls (he’s asked lots of thoughtful and interesting questions), and as a result he not only sparked a number of offline conversations about the subject, but he also quickly responded when I invited him to write up his unique observations for posting here.

    I’ve also posted my own thoughts down below…

    You first, Adam. What do you think about ring card girls?

    Most guys (including me) have the hots for those high-heeled, scantily-clad ladies who strut their stuff between rounds at pro boxing shows, holding aloft a card showing the number of the next stanza.

    When it comes to keeping their customers satisfied, of course, promoters are influenced by a basic gender consideration: boxing crowds are predominantly male.

    Male hormones and boring fights

    Your average Joe Six-Pack expects three Bs when he attends a fight night: Boxing, Beer and Babes. And there’s no shortage of models, dancers and wannabes prepared to dress skimpily and duck through the ropes every three minutes.

    People who watch boxing on television may not realize that a full bill of bouts contains many instantly forgettable fights.  To counter boredom, promoters use the card-girls to add spectacle and maintain interest. Yep, that’s how shallow many guys are.

    The card-girls are such an established feature now that it would be hard to imagine a show without them.

    Women, sexuality, and violence

    But some women get annoyed and offended by a spectacle they consider sexist, degrading and juvenile.

    “Typical male fantasy-gratification” was the reaction of a woman I know who stopped going to fight nights because the atmosphere created every three minutes made her feel uncomfortable.

    Other women think it’s not appropriate for the brutality of the boxing ring to be glamourised in this way. They feel uneasy about the link between violence and sex appeal.

    Boxing show or strip club?

    One innovation that probably alienated many women in the 1990s was the regular “Miss Ringsider” contest at Budweiser-sponsored promotions in the Great Western Forum, CA. Wearing high-cut one-piece swimsuits, the girls lined up in the ring and paraded one by one to compete for cash prizes, decided by the fans’ votes.

    Mind you, that was nothing compared to a promotion I attended in London about ten years ago, which had me asking “Is this a boxing show or a strip club?”

    Two card girls wore the tiniest bikinis I’ve ever seen – three postage stamps held together with spaghetti-thin string – and the noise between rounds was deafening. Some of the comments directed at the girls were unrepeatable, and the atmosphere was unpleasant and embarrassing, especially for the small number of female fans present.

    The promoter rightly received a warning from the British Boxing Board of Control.

    Ring card girls at women‘s fights

    In particular, the sight of card-girls during women’s bouts has been called “disrespectful” to the female fighters. An article in The Ring magazine a few years ago called for promoters to drop card-girls from women’s contests.

    But do female boxers, locked in intense physical combat, take the slightest notice of the inter-round entertainment?

    I’m not aware of any objections raised by women boxers (tell me if I’m wrong). You could argue, in fact, that the fleeting, superficial appearance of the glamour girls serves to highlight the integrity and authenticity of the female fighters.

    Here to stay?

    As long as the audiences at fight nights are predominantly male, ring-card girls are likely to remain a fixture.

    No doubt the growing  number of women spectators will continue to roll their eyes at the immaturity of their men-folk. And discuss among themselves – if they can hear anything over the din – how the latest vision of loveliness to pose and pout around the ring could possibly be comfortable in that one-piece mini-dress which looks like it was painted on.

    Ok, Lisa’s turn.

    Adam, you nailed it in one: mostly the women boxers’ conversations revolve around how teeny the outfits are and how wobbly they must feel trying to navigate on a padded surface in their 13-inch lucite heels.

    And in a rather odd turn-about, at one of my fights the promoter put in “ring card guys” — which sounded pretty damn good to me at first, but then I realized it was intended as a joke. They were goofy-dressed dudes who hammed up their caricatures of female ring card girls. I rolled my eyes and had absolutely no interest, although it’s possible the crowd got into it.

    And no, I don’t (personally) mind too much that the whole Miss Stripper America thing goes on between rounds. I believe it’s there for the same reasons you already mentioned.

    Catching the most fish

    And I finally decided that all male-dominated sports (and other entertainments like movies, etc.) that include female eye candy in one form or another do so for one big fat reason above all.

    And that is to widen the net.

    In other words, promoters and publishers and directors and so on are working hard to capture as many ticket-purchasers as they possibly can.

    For men who aren’t rabid boxing fans, they offer a walking centerfold fantasy girl between every round in order to “sweeten the deal” and secure the purchase.

    Here’s an alternative to Ring Card Girls…

    I love women’s roller derby. We have an incredible team here called the Carolina Rollergirls.

    If I weren’t boxing, I would definitely go out for this team. These women are incredibly tough, very skilled at their sport (which is fairly complex), and they know how to have a great time and put on a phenomenal show.

    Just like in boxing, you can sit right up next to the track, but in derby, if there’s a spectacular wipeout — and there are plenty — you can revel in the thrill of possibly getting injured yourself as a tangle of helmeted women come flying at extremely high speed in your direction. Believe me, derby gets pretty involved.

    They serve beer at the roller derby. A game lasts about an hour and a half. And between jams (about the equivalent of a boxing round) there’s plenty of action. The jammers are the superstars of the derby, and crowds love a great blocker, but absolutely everyone on the track (up to 5 per team) has a major role to play.

    Commentators keep the crowd involved, especially by explaining some of the complexities of roller derby play and scoring. They also lighten the mood with funny comments about each of the players, their habits (bad and good), naming (roller derby names are way more fun than ring names), and tactics (dirty and fair).

    The Carolina Rollergirls mascot, Evil Ed, is a (fully dressed) blood-splattered skating skeleton who also keeps things lively.

    There are giveaways, raffles, charity events, music, antics, and any number of entertaining things that happen between bouts (halves) of the game, and after the game the players are frequently available to chat, sign autographs, and get to know the fans.

    The audience is about equally split between male and female, and despite the sometimes serious and potentially damaging nature of the sport, it’s also incredibly family-friendly. That’s two of my boys at a Carolina Rollergirls game. (I didn’t let them get any closer to the track than that!)

    I love boxing. Love it. But derby has figured out so many things that boxing has missed.

    We may never see roller derby selling high-dollar tickets and winning a mass audience. But if that’s the case, maybe it’s better to be on the fringe.

    Okay, everybody. Your turn to chime in!

  • Power Up, Women

    Power Up, Women

    I need to travel over to Athletic Women Blog more regularly, because every time I go I get dosed up with a massive hit of all-out inspiration. Look people, I know this video is a advert for UnderArmor (which I do in fact wear), but the fact is that any commercial that powers me up like this is a win. For them, for me, for my game. Women love to kick ass and take names, don’t we?

    Here’s another one, also poached from Rob Mars at AWB, that does the same thing and it’s not even selling me stuff. It’s just an incredible show of woman power in its most graceful and (potentially) dangerous form. I clearly need to sign up for ballet lessons. Somebody hand me a sword.

    Finally, I can’t seem to get embed support on this one, but check out this women’s boxing newsreel, dated 1928, from British Pathe. Again, posted by Rob on AWB. It cracks me up that the woman (who is boxing a man) is wearing her boxing boots with a fringed leotard. She flat out rocks, too.

  • Fighting Burnout

    Fighting Burnout

    The following post was written by my good friend June Elliot. June and I both train at the same home gym and have watched each other cycle through the inevitable physical and mental ups and downs in our respective sports. June has studied Okinowan karate, taekwondo, hapkido, Wing-Chun, Chin-Na, Mauy Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She’s also a great sparring partner to have in the boxing ring.

    We want to believe we are invincible.

    As fighters, regardless of style(s), skill, or rank we work incredibly hard toward correcting bad habits and perfecting our skills. At some points during our training the hours of conditioning and drilling techniques wear us down emotionally. Occasionally, the ego is deflated quickly through interactions with others more gifted and skilled, or we succumb to the misguided practitioner who abuses a weight or strength advantage.

    I recently admitted to several training partners and coaches that I was essentially worn down. I was feeling pressure to “make water from wine” each training session. I know when people expect good things from me it’s a compliment. But what I do to myself is essentially excessive self-examination.

    The good news is that I’m not the only one. I’m not the only one who walks away from training emotionally beaten down, or heading into it as if it’s a job. I’m not the only one who forgets the reasons I train in martial arts. This same process occurs in other areas of life. Nor is the pressure issue unique to women like myself. Often boys and men try to prove their worth to others in an effort to improve their self-esteem as well.

    Martial arts is both an individual and communal endeavor. As a mixed martial artist I put hours into strength training, cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, takedown techniques, footwork and striking, agility, and submissions. I coach myself and I am coached by others. When in the right frame of mind it’s a fun escape from the day-to-day world. Students sweat, punch, pout, complain, choke, and bleed together, hence forming very close bonds.  To some degree we get to know our training partners and trainers better than our own families.

    But sometimes we take it too seriously. We think too much and judge too much. This is the dawn of dread.  This is where the fun ends.

    The irony is that when we can laugh at ourselves, when we let go a little and admit that perfection is an ideal and not an immediate possibility, we actually excel! I’ve seen this in my own performance as well as in children and adults I have coached in various athletics, including martial arts. I believe that when any type of performer (athlete, actor, musician) adopts a balanced attitude, one of steadfast effort with humor, they get into a zone. They are in the moment. They are not in conflict internally or with the grand order. Progress often happens when you’re not looking for it. When you least expect it, a new level of skill or a new ability arrives as a pleasant surprise.

    Don’t risk ending up in the vast wasteland of those who have burned out. Keep connected with your training community, maintain your sense of humor, and press onward.

    Image credit: Mike Bitton

  • Elizabeth Lambert, Part 2

    Elizabeth Lambert, Part 2

    The Elizabeth Lambert story has captured tremendous mainstream attention and generated some good conversation (and some garbage, of course).

    After posting my own response, reading widely and talking intently about the video, I believe that there are two really helpful questions we should be centering our discussion around:

    1. In this hypercompetitive society, what do we do when someone crosses the line between fair and foul?
    2. Who will be responsible for enforcing and/or communicating that a player has stepped over the line?

    This isn’t a moral issue. The debate isn’t best served by arguing about whether Elizabeth Lambert’s actions or anyone else’s reactions were “good” or “right.” There are rules in our games, and while there is some gray area that our sports allow for, some of Lambert’s actions fell outside those boundaries.

    Yes, there is lots of rough play in many sports. I’m really ready for people to quit pointing that out. All of us — male AND female — who compete in athletics understand that. I don’t think you’ll hear any of us whining about a little bit or even a lot of body contact in soccer.

    This incident isn’t particularly unusual. This kind of stuff happens all the time. We pursue our sports with a sometimes overwhelming intensity, that’s why we have rules to establish what is and isn’t acceptable. What IS unusual is that in this particular case, we haven’t figured out what the main question is (see first bold paragraph above).

    Some of the problem with this incident is due to the spread-out nature of soccer. Because everyone is pretty widely scattered on the field, it may be harder to see all the smaller scenes that are playing themselves out everywhere. Just like in football, hockey, and other similar sports, most teammates, coaches, and refs are watching the ball (puck, etc.) rather than the entire field or backcourt.

    It’s also a little bit about gender. For many women, the first thing that goes through our minds in a situation like this is “WTF??” followed closely by “I didn’t come out here to fight, I just want to play soccer.” Men often have a different agreement about a game. They’re there to play, but they also often have an unspoken agreement about protecting the team, and particular individuals on the team whose job that is (the big guys, sometimes, or possibly the better players). I’ve seen this dynamic at work on women’s teams too, but not as frequently.

    Men also tend to communicate in more physical ways (pushing, shoving, etc.) where women will use less overt methods. I know I’m painting with a broad brush here, but I think these factors are part of the mix.

    Most people agree that Lambert crossed the line. And now it’s a bit of a mess. Yes, she’s apologized. Yes, she’s been suspended.

    What I’m interested in is how could this have unfolded differently if it had been addressed mid-game. By a ref, coach, teammate (either side), or fan.

    If my opponent throws an egregious illegal punch in the ring, people ringside would likely draw attention to the ref or coach if those people had missed it. Then certain penalties can be enforced.

    But sometimes my opponent can do something illegal and I will be the only one who knows it. That’s when it’s up to me to communicate back verbally and/or physically, and if that doesn’t work I can tell an official or a trainer between bells, or even get out of the ring.

    And in the end, that’s what’s most amazing to me about the BYU game. There was infringement after infringement and as far as I’m aware, no one did anything until after the video began to circulate.

    Here’s to some more well-directed conversation. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

    Image credit: Jason Gulledge

  • Elizabeth Lambert: Where is the Outrage?

    I’ve watched this video over and over again now, and I still can’t understand why, in any of these egregiously unsporting incidents, none of the women mistreated by Elizabeth Lambert turned around to treat this woman to an elbow in her jaw.

    The ugliness unfolds in a kind of crazy silence — Lambert punches a woman in the back, nothing happens. She clotheslines another player, nothing happens. A vicious kick to the face, nothing. A head is snapped back; still no one rises up in fury and outrage.

    And where are the refs? Where are the coaches? Where are the fans? And most especially where are the teammates?

    If a pitcher intentionally hits a batter with a pitch, that batter is likely to drop her bat and head toward the mound, and if someone doesn’t stop it, there’s going to be a melee because the whole team will surge out of the dugout in fury.

    Same goes for these kinds of behaviors on the basketball court, in a hockey game, and on the football field.

    So why did this unbelievably inappropriate behavior continue to unfold in silent, unreproached ugliness? Yes, it’s getting media attention now. What I want to know is why it didn’t arouse outrage when it was happening.

    What the hell was going on here?

  • Flight Fight Sports

    Flight Fight Sports

    It’s Google’s fault. I typed in “fight sports” and they asked, in that oh-so-superior voice, “Did you perhaps mean FLIGHT sports, Hon?”

    No, you morons. I might misspell Hervé Villechaize but I’ve GOT this one, thanks. Sheez.

    Anyway, I posted the error to Facebook, and suddenly a Flight Fight meme was born. Matt, the joker, thought of it and got it started with a “boxing with jet propulsion packs!” suggestion. And it went from there.

    Flight Fight Sports

    1. Boxing with jet-packs (via Matt Brown)
    I like this one because there’s the possibility of being burned. Severely. Which could be a distraction. Also we’re going to have to figure out a different way to control the jet-pack, since we need our hands for strikes, and anyway those gloves are not conducive to fine motor skills.

    2.Boxing on trampolines (via Jim Yadon)
    Y’know, Jim, this one just screams “injury!” to me. Having invested thousands in a trampoline injury repair on the Ice a couple of years back, I’m going to put this off-limits to the under-18 set. I mean, jet-packs are one thing, but trampolines are just dangerous.

    3. Boxing while skydiving (via Lauren Franklin)
    Hi, Little Sis; Mom’s not gonna be thrilled with this one, but me, I like it. It shows moxy. I’m not sure whether the skydivers are going to be able to get close enough to each other to actually throw punches, so I say we give them big whackers of some sort. Wait, I know! Hockey sticks. That should do it.

    4. Trapeze kickboxing (via Tom Derosier)
    I like the way your mind works, Tom. This is a simple, workable idea, and I think the circus would be better for it. But it’s gonna be short, brutal, and the pros won’t get a net. I also liked your bungee Thai fighting idea, too. But I don’t know enough about Thai fighting yet, so I’ll leave that one to the experts.

    5. Boxing while base jumping (the First)
    I can tell you are legitimately blood of my blood, Son. Those base jumpers are mad cool. Or what about boxing while free running? The idea of trading punches while careening madly off of hard urban landscapes is pretty hip. Check these guys out:

    6. Boxing in space (via my glowing, radioactive brain)
    Here’s the thing: add “space” or “zombie” to pretty much anything and its groovy factor  automatically skyrockets (Get it? Skyrockets?). I would love to see what permutations space spin puts on my favorite sport. I think the whole thing would look a bit balletic. Arty. Like, people would make YouTube videos of it with Pink Floyd or Iron & Wine tunes in the background and watch them while chemically unbalanced.

    7. Airplane wing boxing (duh!)
    How did we miss this one, peoples? Wing walkers were doing their incredible stunts long before we all had trampolines in our backyard. Those dudes are phenomenal, and seems to me you could even have a modified ring up there on your biplane.

    The Olympic Committee won’t know what hit ’em.

  • Are You A Feminist?

    Are You A Feminist?

    I was recently interviewed by Marie Hardin from Penn State’s Center for Sports Journalism about how women who blog about sports are empowered through blogging and use their sites for feminist activism. It was a pleasure to speak with her about my blog, my boxing, feminism, women’s sports in general and the Women Talk Sports network. You can be sure I’ll be posting more about the interview and the research that Hardin and her team are doing once the transcriptions come in.

    And an interesting thing happened when I was telling my sons about the interview.

    “Are you a feminist?” the oldest — who will turn 15 in February — asked.

    What an incredible question, I thought, and he and I embarked on a fascinating discussion, which he agreed to let me record.

    *************

    Me: In your opinion, what is a feminist?

    The First: I think a feminist is someone who wants changes for women. Cultural changes. A new way of living.

    How would that look different from how the world looks today?

    Women are kind of excluded today, even though legally I don’t think they’re supposed to be. A feminist would come out and address that.

    How would they address it?

    In my mind, they would be the rebels. They would do things other women don’t do or don’t want to do. For you, it’s boxing. Most women don’t want to box because it’s considered a “men’s” sport and they’re intimidated by that, or they think it’s a culturally wrong thing to do. Of couse, they could also be scared of the pain of boxing.

    (Laughing) That’s all true.

    When I tell my friends about it, the girls all think it’s awesome, probably cause they wish they could do something that cool. But the guys say, “Doesn’t that hurt?”

    So are you a feminist?

    Technically no, because I’m not a rebel for women. But I think women should be able to do the same things men get to do.

    I think you’re bumping up against the difference between feminism and activism.

    Yeah, okay. I think you’re both a feminist and an activist. You believe it and you work for it. But I guess I’m not really doing much about women’s rights.

    What could guys like you do to be active feminists?

    We could be actively supportive. Like telling all my friends about you, and encouraging other females to try it out. Most of my female friends wouldn’t try boxing, though.

    Do you think they might try something else that sounded difficult or scary?

    Yeah. They might, depending on what it was, and who I was asking. But I would say most girls don’t actually want to do things like train for a construction job or go out for the wrestling team because it’s so intimidating as a “man’s” domain. She would be scared that people would talk about her and say she should be doing laundry for her husband.

    Who does all of the laundry in our house?

    (Laughing) Me!

    Well, your Dad puts it all through the washer and dryer, and you fold it all. Guys do the whole thing.

    True!

    Why do you think there is conversation among feminists about women’s issues and rights today?

    Because they’re ready for change.

    Whose job is it to create change?

    Feminists, and not just the activists.

    How will this change come about?

    Keep pushing boundaries on the lines between “men’s” things and “women’s” things. Women have to continue to do things in men’s areas of expertise.

    So there’s work for women to do. What about male feminists and activists, what should they be doing?

    They should support their wives and girlfriends and also tell their friends about it. They should talk about it, share website links, and give out tickets to women’s boxing shows!

    I’m down with that! Do you think all this is hard work?

    Yes, because there aren’t enough activists to make the change. But more are coming. You did that survey; Women Talk Sports publishes your content, women are doing boxing, fight sports, extreme sports.

    I think that’s cool that you see so much positive forward movement. Thanks for talking to me. I think you’re pretty cool.

    Why thank you.

  • How Boxing is Better than 11 Other Sports and Hobbies

    How Boxing is Better than 11 Other Sports and Hobbies

    Boxing is like playing underwater chess in a swimming pool filled with sharks. You have to keep moving, it’s hard to concentrate, and you feel like you just can’t get enough air.

    But I love it anyway, and whenever someone asks me why I can’t take up a more reasonable sport I ask them what sport in particular they have in mind. Then I rebut their choice with the witty, ascerbic, and completely helpful explanations below. After you read this you too will be compelled to take up boxing immediately and I hereby grant you unrestricted use of the following miscellanea.

    1. Gymnastics
    In boxing, you don’t have to wear goofy leotards, it’s okay to be tall, and you never have to kiss Béla Károlyi. I’m sorry, but I’ll never never never take up a sport that involves the wearing of a leotard. Really, who invented this outfit?

    2. Football
    Boxing does real black eyes rather than black eye makeup, and there’s far less butt-patting. Plus it feels great to us boxers when someone pours a cooler full of ice water on our heads.

    3. Hockey
    Not enough fighting.

    4. Soccer
    Soccer is just not so much fun on a Wii. Boxing, now that’s fun on a Wii. Funny to watch others Wii-boxing too.

    5-6. Golf & Tennis
    Be vewwy, vewwy quiet! Or else these athletes simply can’t perform. Puh-leese, grow some, wouldja? Oh, and a Related News Flash: real fans wanna get rowdy. I say we let ’em.

    7. Stamp Collecting
    I’d rather be called a pugilist than a philatelist. Staying after class for Philately Club sounds like a surefire way to get your ass kicked.

    8. Baseball
    There is no right field in boxing, thank God.

    9. Gator Wrassling
    I am sooooo not wading through some swamp up to my armpits in smelly stagnant water. Leeches! Ew.

    10. Cheerleading
    The pay in cheerleading is abysmal. Oh, wait, that’s true for boxing too. Never mind.

    11. Beach Volleyball
    Sand in body crevices! Nuff said.

    12. Knitting
    There are no sharp needles in boxing. You could poke your eye out with one of those.

    Next in this series will be a post listing sports and hobbies that are better than boxing. I do hope you will contribute your scintillating, droll, sarcastic, and witty suggestions/observations in the comments!

    Image by sukanto_debnath
  • Women Not Big Fans of Pro Sports, and Editors Still Use Sex to Sell Reporting to Men

    Women Not Big Fans of Pro Sports, and Editors Still Use Sex to Sell Reporting to Men

    This infuriates me. Not the report on this study, which I found interesting, if not surprising, but the stupid decision to slap a cheesecake photo of a cheerleader at the top. It’s so damn hard to get any respect, I swear it is. Go ahead. I’ll wait while you click through.

    Professional cheerleaders are incredible athletes, that much is indisputable. But they’re also eye candy for boys. That’s the main reason they’re paid (poorly, I would bet) to be there on the sidelines of pro sporting events, clad in tiny little sparkle-studded fairy skirts (like the one in the photo on that article, my God, are we all twelve?) and halter tops. Sigh.

    The study suggests that women make up a small minority of pro sports fandom because we are more interested in events as social gatherings, places to connect with friends and enjoy the party-like atmosphere. And you can find a respectable write-up of the article reporting on the study (I know, that’s twice removed) at After Atalanta, a blog dedicated to discussions of gender and sports, but I could hardly get past the photo when I clicked through to the Ottawa Citizen to read the article. Who the hell’s idea was that?

    And there was only the lamest attempt to connect the image with the article (which has absolutely nothing to do with cheerleading as a sport) with the caption “Cheerleaders are the ultimate fans, right?” One might think (if one were a complete idiot) that the behemoth Getty Image site had no pictures of female fans at a sporting event, or male fans at a sporting event, or ticket sellers in front of a line with mostly men, or pro athletes (heaven knows there aren’t many pictures of that subject matter), or anything related to the actual content of the article.

    I’m reduced to typing expansive profanities and resolutely hitting the backspace key.

    Somebody please douse me with the contents of the drink cooler before I combust.

    Image credit: Photocapy on Flickr (Gasp! With Creative Commons licensing! Anyone can use it! For free! Ok, I’m done snarking now. Maybe.)

  • Women’s Boxing to be Included in 2012 Olympics

    Women’s Boxing to be Included in 2012 Olympics

    Finally, the last “No Girls Allowed” sign has been pulled down from the Summer Olympic games. August 13th, 2009: International Olympic Committee chair Jacques Rogge announced today that the 2012 London Olympics will be the first to feature women competing in every single sport.

    Mr. Rogge said: “I can only rejoice about the decision to include women’s boxing in the Olympic Games. [Women’s boxing] is a great addition since boxing was the only summer Olympic sport without a female discipline. Women’s boxing has progressed a lot in the last five years and it is time to include them.”

    The last five years, yes. But how about the last 105 years? Because 1904 was the last time women were allowed to showcase their boxing skills for the Olympics. It was a demonstration game, and afterward the sport went underground for women until the mid-1970s, when the first licenses began to be granted to women boxers.

    Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said, “It will be a landmark moment come London 2012 when for the first time every sport will have women participating in it. There are still major disparities in the number of medals women can win compared to men but this is a step in the right direction.”

    There will be three women’s weight classes (flyweight, lightweight, and middleweight) added, and one (light flyweight) of the 11 men’s weight classes will be dropped to make room.

    I expect that in the next two years we’ll hear the same argument trotted out that has been holding women back for years now: it’s too dangerous. You’d think women were petitioning for the right to box at nine months pregnant while wearing glasses and high heels. You’d think no one ever watched women play field hockey, rugby, or even a muy-serious game of roundball. Sigh.

    Here’s a couple of awesomely bad quotes for you, from the Telegraph, who, in fairness, published lots of positive quotes, too. But these were just too amazing not to repeat:

    Sir Henry Cooper, retired heavyweight boxer: “I’m just old fashioned, but I don’t think women should box. Look at how Muhammad Ali has ended up.”

    Hello? If this were the argument we were going with, we’d ban it for the men. Yeesh.

    Bernard Hopkins, world champion: “I don’t think women should box period for health reasons due to the way the body is made…I do think a woman can do what a man can do. I just don’t think women can dominate everything a man can, and I don’t think that men can dominate what a woman can.”

    Whaa? Um, was he talking about breasts in that first part? No wait! Menstruation, I bet that’s it. Dude, just think of it as extra padding! Sorry, couldn’t resist. And I had no luck deciphering the last bit of his quote. Leave me a comment if you get it at all.

    Okay, just one more: BBC Sport reported this one from British world champion Amir Khan, who said, “Deep down I think women shouldn’t fight. That’s my opinion. When you get hit it’s very painful.”

    Don’t worry, Mr. Khan. We won’t let the women hit you.

    Well, that was fun, and now you should send this link to ten friends and celebrate with a toast: To the 2012 Summer Games!

    Women boxers are the coolest chicks: ready, willing, and able.
    Now let’s get to drinking — get your glasses off the table!

    Hear, hear.

    Image by Rick on Flickr