Time Out for Gimelstob
During Wimbledon, there was a brief hullabaloo regarding some shockingly sexist and derogatory comments that Justin Gimelstob had made on a radio show in the U.S. promoting a World Team Tennis match featuring Anna Kournikova. Gimelstob commented about several current and former female tennis stars including Nicole Vaidisova and Anna Kournikova. However, what was most surprising was the lack of proper response by the
various tennis organizations, sponsors and broadcasters. Tennis Channel (Gimelstob is an announcer for them, e.g. at Wimbledon) issued a statement criticizing Gimelstob's comments, but kept him on the air. World Team Tennis essentially gave him a gentle slap on the wrist by suspending him for one match, but not the highly-publicized one featuring Kournikova. Gimelstob's recent election to the ATP Board was also unaffected and TV ads for sponsors featuring Gimelstob continued to air during Wimbledon. Since then, the USTA has decided to pull the plug on U.S. Open Series ads featuring Gimelstob, but that’s not enough. People do deserve a second chance. However, Gimelstob has apparently made such comments previously. Justin, who issued a public apology, can be a charming and knowledgeable broadcaster. However, the sport of tennis should not want announcers and spokespeople who voice such comments representing the sport of tennis. Other announcers and sportscasters have lost their jobs for similar comments. Tennis needs to send a loud message to both Justin and the general public that this behavior will not be tolerated, by removing him from the ATP board for a period of time, e.g. six months or a year and taking him off the airways for the rest of 2008 including the U.S. Open. Gimelstob's comments may elicit some laughs in male locker-rooms, but not elsewhere.
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