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2011-12-06 8:24 AM

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Subject: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2069605/Im-A-Celebrity-2011-Fatima-Whitbread-sinewy-arms-sport-NOT-good-thing.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

This article has been flying around the internet lately. And it makes me ANGRY Yell

It was basically written after Chrissie Wellington & many other female UK atheltes were vocal about the fact that there were no women nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Aside from the title of this thread, here are a few gems:

"You can’t tell me top athletes eat healthily or even look that attractive."

"Her overdeveloped arms are deemed too masculine, the legs too sinewy, the breasts merely slabs in a sea of testosterone." (re: Fatima Whitbread)

I just wanted to start this thread as an open letter to Liz Jones, the author.

I'll start.

The bodies of top female triathletes like Julie Dibens, Chrissie Wellington, Leanda Cave, Cate Snow, etc... are pretty flipping awesome.

The bodies of other top athletes, like Amanda Beard, Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan and Natalie Coughlin are equally as awesome.

Not to mention, she states: "Sport in school is the worst thing you can possibly inflict on children"

Really? The WORST thing is to get children active? Sure, there will be times that children will feel inferior to their peers, but they'll be happier and healthier when they discover their strengths and see improvement in their athletic ability.

Let's extend a collective middle finger to Liz Jones.

Liz: I swam since age 5 and wasn't even relatively "fast" until well into my teens. It didn't destroy my self-image or bring me down. Oh, and I'll take my small boobs, big shoulders and muscular arms over your fat arse anyday.



2011-12-06 8:33 AM
in reply to: #3927835

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2011-12-06 8:34 AM
in reply to: #3927835

Elite
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Venture Industries,
Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

I love this line: " Above all,  I don’t believe sport is good for young people because it merely alienates the not-so-capable,..."

Ahh yes, everyone MUST be EQUAL.  God forbid we do anything that would demonstrate differences between individuals, because of course the real world is a place of total equality.

Hey Liz, we could say the same about math grades, "it alienates the not so capable..." so I guess math is bad too, or should we just give everybody an A?

I hate this "everybody must be equal" attitude!

2011-12-06 8:40 AM
in reply to: #3927835

Elite
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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
Simply not worth a reply. the world is full of stupid people. Please do not encourage them.
2011-12-06 8:44 AM
in reply to: #3927835

Champion
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Southern Chicago Suburbs, IL
Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
Interesting to note that they have suspended accepting comments on the article after only 109 comments.  I think that might be quite telling.
2011-12-06 8:54 AM
in reply to: #3927835

Master
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Lake Norman, NC
Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

Pictures speak better than words so I'll let you all decide.  Who's "hotter"?

Triathlete, hard-body...

or

Writer, shop-a-holic...

I'll take me some Jessi muscles any day, night, hour, moment...

 



2011-12-06 9:11 AM
in reply to: #3927865

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

powerman - 2011-12-06 9:40 AM Simply not worth a reply. the world is full of stupid people. Please do not encourage them.

Precisely.  With every Facebook share, Tweet, post on a forum, the author of the next ridiculous article is further encouraged.

 

 

2011-12-06 9:13 AM
in reply to: #3927835

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
This lady is off this planet but I'm not suprised.  Seems that overweight and fat is the norm anymore.  It's easy for some to criticize people that are fit and attractive when they are not.
2011-12-06 9:22 AM
in reply to: #3927928

Champion
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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
Goosedog - 2011-12-06 9:11 AM

powerman - 2011-12-06 9:40 AM Simply not worth a reply. the world is full of stupid people. Please do not encourage them.

Precisely.  With every Facebook share, Tweet, post on a forum, the author of the next ridiculous article is further encouraged.

 

 



Yeah. Leave it. Haters gonna hate. This is a publicity-grab anyway. Don’t get sucked in.
2011-12-06 9:32 AM
in reply to: #3927953

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
jmk-brooklyn - 2011-12-06 10:22 AM
Goosedog - 2011-12-06 9:11 AM

powerman - 2011-12-06 9:40 AM Simply not worth a reply. the world is full of stupid people. Please do not encourage them.

Precisely.  With every Facebook share, Tweet, post on a forum, the author of the next ridiculous article is further encouraged.

 

 

Yeah. Leave it. Haters gonna hate. This is a publicity-grab anyway. Don’t get sucked in.

If she believes what she wrote, she's an idiot.

If she wrote it for the response, she's got no integrity.

2011-12-06 9:37 AM
in reply to: #3927978

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
ratherbeswimming - 2011-12-06 10:32 AM

If she believes what she wrote, she's an idiot.

If she wrote it for the response, she's got no integrity.

She wrote it to generate traffic and sell ad space.

 

 



2011-12-06 9:40 AM
in reply to: #3927989

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
Goosedog - 2011-12-06 10:37 AM
ratherbeswimming - 2011-12-06 10:32 AM

If she believes what she wrote, she's an idiot.

If she wrote it for the response, she's got no integrity.

She wrote it to generate traffic and sell ad space.

 

 

So, option 2. The zero integrity one.

Also, stop trying to rationalize it away and let me be angry

2011-12-06 9:42 AM
in reply to: #3927891

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
Bigfuzzydoug - 2011-12-06 8:54 AM

Pictures speak better than words so I'll let you all decide.  Who's "hotter"?

Triathlete, hard-body...

or

Writer, shop-a-holic...

I'll take me some Jessi muscles any day, night, hour, moment...

 

Her seat is too high. Way way way too high.

2011-12-06 9:43 AM
in reply to: #3927865

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

powerman - 2011-12-06 8:40 AM Simply not worth a reply. the world is full of stupid people. Please do not encourage them.

x2

2011-12-06 10:02 AM
in reply to: #3927978

Elite
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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
ratherbeswimming - 2011-12-06 8:32 AM
jmk-brooklyn - 2011-12-06 10:22 AM
Goosedog - 2011-12-06 9:11 AM

powerman - 2011-12-06 9:40 AM Simply not worth a reply. the world is full of stupid people. Please do not encourage them.

Precisely.  With every Facebook share, Tweet, post on a forum, the author of the next ridiculous article is further encouraged.

 

 

Yeah. Leave it. Haters gonna hate. This is a publicity-grab anyway. Don’t get sucked in.

If she believes what she wrote, she's an idiot.

If she wrote it for the response, she's got no integrity.

The truth is love her or hate her... it's all ratings. There is no news or reporting anymore.... the only people that get any play (ratings) are those that sit around and think up some ridiculous crap to write to stir a pot and cause some drama. Don't feed the trolls.

2011-12-06 10:42 AM
in reply to: #3927835

Alpharetta, Georgia
Bronze member
Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

I was able to get a comment in yesterday... here is what I wrote:

Everyone has their strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. There is no reason to belittle those who excel at something in which you don't. This type of behaviour is immature and unprofessional at best, especially when it's ignoring and discounting the obvious benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.




2011-12-06 10:51 AM
in reply to: #3928050

Alpharetta, Georgia
Bronze member
Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
powerman - 2011-12-06 10:02 AM 

The truth is love her or hate her... it's all ratings. There is no news or reporting anymore.... the only people that get any play (ratings) are those that sit around and think up some ridiculous crap to write to stir a pot and cause some drama. Don't feed the trolls.

Agree to an extent, but this was not some anonymous "troll" on a message board. It was a hired, professional "journalist" (yes in air quotes) writing for a corporate entity. It completely degrades the profession of journalism, to pass off her opinion as news/fact. It's disgusting and her editor should be fired. 

I understand there are many "journalists" out there on cable media channels who do similar things, but it's always under the guise of "opinion". 
  
Maybe Tony can chime in as he's in the field over there, but that web site - and many UK "news" sites - read like a tabloid most of the time. Just skimming the front page articles though, they seemed fairly "newsy" and consistent with what I'd expect out of a site like that.  With a huge exception to that article.

2011-12-06 10:53 AM
in reply to: #3927835

Champion
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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

She is from the UK

Nuff said.

2011-12-06 10:58 AM
in reply to: #3928159

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
lisac957 - 2011-12-06 11:51 AM
powerman - 2011-12-06 10:02 AM 

The truth is love her or hate her... it's all ratings. There is no news or reporting anymore.... the only people that get any play (ratings) are those that sit around and think up some ridiculous crap to write to stir a pot and cause some drama. Don't feed the trolls.

Agree to an extent, but this was not some anonymous "troll" on a message board. It was a hired, professional "journalist" (yes in air quotes) writing for a corporate entity. It completely degrades the profession of journalism, to pass off her opinion as news/fact. It's disgusting and her editor should be fired. 

I understand there are many "journalists" out there on cable media channels who do similar things, but it's always under the guise of "opinion". 
  
Maybe Tony can chime in as he's in the field over there, but that web site - and many UK "news" sites - read like a tabloid most of the time. Just skimming the front page articles though, they seemed fairly "newsy" and consistent with what I'd expect out of a site like that.  With a huge exception to that article.

Calling the Daily Mail "journalism" is always a stretch.  It is a sensationalist paper.  They have real newspapers over there, of course, but that is just a tabloid.

2011-12-06 11:29 AM
in reply to: #3927835

Elite
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Raleigh
Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

I do not believe that slip-shod "journalism" as practiced by the writer is good for young people, or anyone for that matter. The poorly researched badly articulated thoughts are disjointed and without merit. Relating things to ones own limited experiences and then drawing large conclusions does not prove the writer's point. Rather is emphasizes the fact that she is in the wrong profession.

Leave the deep thoughts to people trained to think objectively and in depth and go get a job serving fast food.

2011-12-06 12:42 PM
in reply to: #3928159

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
lisac957 - 2011-12-06 11:51 AM

Agree to an extent, but this was not some anonymous "troll" on a message board. It was a hired, professional "journalist" (yes in air quotes) writing for a corporate entity. It completely degrades the profession of journalism, to pass off her opinion as news/fact. It's disgusting and her editor should be fired. 

I understand there are many "journalists" out there on cable media channels who do similar things, but it's always under the guise of "opinion". 
  

You didn't think this was clearly an opinion piece?  She's a commentator on the fashion industry.  I browsed a few of her other articles.  I would think she would describe any of the ones I saw as  opinion pieces, and certainly not "journalism."  It would be like saying Joan Rivers and her daughter are journalists when they host that show about people's clothes at the Oscars.

ETA: After reading a couple of her articles, I'm starting to think the one in the OP is a more similar to The Onion than The New York Times.  And she's saying, "Gotcha."

 

 

 

 



Edited by Goosedog 2011-12-06 12:50 PM


2011-12-06 1:53 PM
in reply to: #3928374

Alpharetta, Georgia
Bronze member
Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"
Goosedog - 2011-12-06 12:42 PM
lisac957 - 2011-12-06 11:51 AM

Agree to an extent, but this was not some anonymous "troll" on a message board. It was a hired, professional "journalist" (yes in air quotes) writing for a corporate entity. It completely degrades the profession of journalism, to pass off her opinion as news/fact. It's disgusting and her editor should be fired. 

I understand there are many "journalists" out there on cable media channels who do similar things, but it's always under the guise of "opinion". 
  

You didn't think this was clearly an opinion piece?  She's a commentator on the fashion industry.  I browsed a few of her other articles.  I would think she would describe any of the ones I saw as  opinion pieces, and certainly not "journalism."  It would be like saying Joan Rivers and her daughter are journalists when they host that show about people's clothes at the Oscars.

ETA: After reading a couple of her articles, I'm starting to think the one in the OP is a more similar to The Onion than The New York Times.  And she's saying, "Gotcha."

I guess here in the US, pieces are clearly labeled "editorial" or "opinion" on news web sites. Or backed up with actual facts to give an ounce of credibility.

DougRob's post at the bottom of Page 1 sums up what I think as well.
  

2011-12-06 1:57 PM
in reply to: #3928476

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

lisac957 - 2011-12-06 2:53 PM

DougRob's post at the bottom of Page 1 sums up what I think as well.
 

Yeah, I read that as well.  I'm still trying to figure out what deep thoughts the author was trying to convey.  I think the whole article was a joke - literally.

 

 

 

 

2011-12-06 2:07 PM
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2011-12-06 2:23 PM
in reply to: #3928492

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Subject: RE: "Above all, I don’t believe sport is good for young people"

FoggyGoggles - 2011-12-06 3:07 PM Unfortunately this subject rears its head every once in a while. A female athlete gets some notoriety, is in amazing shape and gets criticized for being too (fill in criticism here.) I remember Olympic swimmer Dana Torres going through similar scrutiny in the early 2000's.

Public figures get scrutinized, and criticized, based on their physical appearance quit constantly.

 

 

 



Edited by Goosedog 2011-12-06 2:24 PM
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