Last month, the International Olympic Committee announced that it would restore the sport of wresting to the docket for the Summer Olympics after a public outcry over its removal. Among those pleased by the sport’s return to the Olympics is Phyllis Schlafly, who, of course, blames “the feminists” for the sport’s original cancellation.
“The opposition to wrestling was probably coming from the feminists who do not excel in the sport of wrestling, and who dislike anything that is truly masculine, as wrestling certainly is,” Schlafly said in her radio commentary today.
She suggested that the Olympic Committee instead eliminate table tennis because “even I can play ping-pong.”
In reality, wrestling was originally chopped from the Olympics not because of the “feminist war against manly sports,” but because it was boring. According to the New York Times, “Olympic officials complained to wrestling officials that their ancient sport had antiquated leadership and matches that could be dull, with results not easily understood by spectators.” The sport will return with new rules changes to make it more palatable to TV-watching audiences.
This isn’t the first time that Schlafly has found feminist fault in the Olympics. Last year, she claimed that Title IX “weakened our competitiveness” at the London Olympics – where American women athletes excelled.
Several months ago, on these broadcasts I reported that the Olympic Games Committee was planning to eliminate wrestling as a competitive international sport in the next Olympic Games. I joined an international effort to get the Olympic Committee to change its mind. Of all the sports that could be eliminated, wrestling should not be one of them. Wresting has been an Olympic sport ever since the Olympic Games were started in ancient Greece.
The opposition to wrestling was probably coming from the feminists who do not excel in the sport of wrestling, and who dislike anything that is truly masculine, as wrestling certainly is. I’m happy to report that our campaign was successful and wrestling will remain as one of the sports in the Olympic Games.
If any sport could be targeted for elimination, I suggest ping-pong. I don’t think that is really a sport worthy of inclusion. Even I can play ping-pong, and I’m no athlete.
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The attempt to cancel wrestling was really a political decision rather than anything to do with athletics. Let’s hope the public wakes up to the feminist war against manly sports and begins defending sports and exposing the nonsense of the feminists.
