![]() ![]() To assume that men know better than women what it takes to compete, to win, to be sufficiently aggressive on the battlefield. These have been a long time coming, but change is now rushing in with an almost unexpected swiftness and in the rush to replicate the professionalism of the men’s game there’s an inclination to ape it in every regard. In the fight for equality, it’s natural for sportswomen to demand what their male counterparts have: the same opportunities, the same rewards. ![]() But macho culture is an inevitable part of an industry based on the adrenaline high created by warring opposites. Thankfully, we have safeguards to prevent exploitation. Women’s sport has an uncomfortable history of domineering men, be it Soviet coaches grooming young gymnasts or tennis fathers living out their dreams through their progeny. Sutton’s story is nothing new if anything, he is a blast from the past. They have brought a fresh perspective – not to say an emotional intelligence – to an industry that has long been noseblind to excess testosterone, that has tacitly endorsed bullying and come to treat vicious verbals as an unavoidable byproduct. ![]() If the British Cycling affair has taught us anything it’s that women often have something different to say about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour in the bubbling cauldron of machismo that so often defines the sporting arena. ![]()
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